BEAT Cancer
Research Initiative
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, Committee Chair
Professor, Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois
Derek Cridebring
Vice President, Molecular Medicine Division, TGen
Jeffrey Klopfenstein
Neurosurgeon, OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute
Cecilia Leal
Associate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois
James McGee
Founding Director, OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute
Erik Nelson
Associate Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois
Kimberly Selting
Associate Professor, Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois
Contact Us
Katie Julkowski
Program Manager
Cancer Center at Illinois
217-300-0409
julkows2@illinois.edu
Ryan Luginbuhl
Director of Oncology Services
OSF HealthCare
309-678-4993
Ryan.S.Luginbuhl@osfhealthcare.org