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 of (BEAT) 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