BEAT Cancer
Research Initiative

Cancer Center at Illinois Logo

The Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) and the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute (OSF) are joining forces on the Breakthrough Engineering and Advanced Treatment (BEAT) of Cancer Research Initiative, a unique opportunity for collaborative research teams to drive innovative cancer treatment and care solutions. This cooperative effort aims to significantly advance cancer research and improve patient outcomes by leveraging cutting-edge technologies and collaboration within the scientific and medical communities.

Objectives

  • Enhance productive collaborations between CCIL members and OSF clinicians.
  • Develop inspiring cancer research projects that translate into improved patient care.

Current Focus

The initiative is seeking teams to submit project proposals within proton & flash therapy, precision-guided therapies, and rapid diagnosis and staging.

There will be another call for proposals in 2025. Stay tuned.

BEAT Cancer Grant Projects

2024 BEAT Cancer Grant Awardees

Enhanced FLASH Proton Therapy Using Real-Time Dose and Range Monitoring

CCIL Co-Principal Investigator: Angela Di Fulvio, Associate Professor, Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering

OSF Co-Principal Investigator: Gregory Hermann, OSF, Clinical Sciences

 

Neoadjuvant Intratumoral Anchored Cytokines to Mitigate Local Tumor Recurrence and Metastatic Progression

CCIL Co-Principal Investigator: Timothy Fan, Professor, Veterinary Clinical Medicine

OSF Co-Principal Investigator: Richard Anderson, OSF, Clinical Sciences

 

Correlating Circulating Cholesterol and Its Metabolites to Immune Cell Function and Clinical Response in Ovarian Cancer

CCIL Co-Principal Investigator: Erik Nelson, Associate Professor, Molecular & Integrative Physiology

OSF Co-Principal Investigator: Daniel K. Chan, OSF, Clinical Sciences

 

A Precision-Guided Clinical Trial to Improve Outcomes for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Patients

CCIL Co-Principal Investigator: Paul Hergenrother, Professor, Chemistry

OSF Co-Principal Investigator: Darren Sigal, OSF, Clinical Sciences

 

Prognostic Digital Pathology for Rapid Decision Making: Liver Cancer

CCIL Co-Principal Investigator: Rohit Bhargava, Professor, Bioengineering

OSF Co-Principal Investigator: Tamara Floyd, OSF, Clinical Sciences

 

Scientific Committee Members

Timothy Fan

Timothy Fan, Committee Chair

Professor, Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois

Derek Cridebring

Derek Cridebring

Vice President, Molecular Medicine Division, TGen

Jeffrey Klopfenstein

Jeffrey Klopfenstein

Neurosurgeon, OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute

Cecilia Leal

Cecilia Leal

Associate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois

James McGee

James McGee

Founding Director, OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute

Erik Nelson

Erik Nelson

Associate Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois

Kim Selting

Kimberly Selting

Associate Professor, Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois

Contact Us

Katie Julkowski
Katie Julkowski

Program Manager
Cancer Center at Illinois
217-300-0409
julkows2@illinois.edu

Katie Julkowski
Ryan Luginbuhl

Director of Oncology Services
OSF HealthCare
309-678-4993
Ryan.S.Luginbuhl@osfhealthcare.org

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