Parker Institute

Cancer is on the rise among younger adults, especially women, and is challenging how we think about screening, treatment, and survivorship. In @HLTHEVENT's The Pulse, Parker Institute CEO @DrKarenKnudsen shares why this rise demands a new approach, from personalized screening and earlier detection to therapeutic cancer vaccines and better support for patients. Thank you to @MikhailAlexa for highlighting this important conversation. Read the full story: hlth.com/insights/articles/t…

Parker Institute is heading to #SITC2026! Parker leaders, investigators, and collaborators will contribute to 32 presentations, posters, and sessions, showcasing the latest advances in cancer vaccines, cell therapies, and immunotherapy. Congratulations to Catherine J. Wu, MD, Parker Institute Co-Director at @DanaFarber Cancer Institute, on receiving @sitcancer's 2026 Richard V. Smalley Memorial Award and Lectureship! Explore what the Parker Institute network will be presenting: parkerici.org/news/parker-in…

This #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, we’re highlighting research focused on one of the biggest challenges in breast cancer: preventing metastasis. PICI researcher @JudithAgudo1, and the team at @DanaFarber found that spreading triple-negative breast cancer cells activate the glucocorticoid receptor to evade immunity. In preclinical models, combining mifepristone with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy reduced metastatic seeding and extended survival. Read the study in Nature: nature.com/articles/s41586-0…

Personalized cancer vaccines are opening new possibilities for cancer treatment, with research exploring how they could prevent recurrence and potentially prevent cancer before it develops. @nytimes @AgrawalNina highlights the growing momentum behind cancer vaccine research, including the work of Parker Institute researchers Dr. Robert Vonderheide at @PennCancer and Dr. Catherine Wu and Dr. Patrick Ott at @DanaFarber Cancer Institute. Read more about the Parker researchers advancing cancer vaccine research: nytimes.com/2026/10/23/well/…

This #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, we’re highlighting work from PICI researcher Robert Vonderheide, MD, PhD, and his team at @PennCancer. The team used RAS inhibitors on precancerous lesions, nearly doubling survival vs. later treatment in mice. The team is now exploring how this “cancer interception” approach could be combined with immunotherapies, vaccines and other targeted treatments, including in models of precancerous ER+ breast cancer. Read more: pennmedicine.org/news/new-st…

New Phase 3 results shared at this year’s @myESMO mark a pivotal moment for cancer vaccines, bringing new promise for personalized cancer care. In a new @statnews byline, Parker Institute CEO @DrKarenKnudsen and @Color CEO @othman explore how lessons from BRCA testing can help accelerate cancer vaccine development and expand access for patients. Read the piece here: statnews.com/2026/10/27/canc…

Breakthrough Phase 3 results offer new promise for personalized cancer vaccines. In more than 1,100 patients with high-risk melanoma, Moderna and Merck’s mRNA vaccine, intismeran, reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 42% when combined with Keytruda versus Keytruda alone. After two years, 82% of patients receiving the combination remained cancer-free, compared with 70% on Keytruda alone. As Parker Institute CEO @DrKarenKnudsen shared with Lauran Neergaard at @AP, these findings represent a major step forward for cancer immunotherapy and the potential of personalized vaccines across cancer types. Read more: apnews.com/article/moderna-c…

Exciting news from Parker Institute portfolio company Georgiamune! The company has entered into an exclusive global licensing and collaboration agreement with Menarini Group and @Stemline for GIM-621, a first-in-class oral immuno-oncology agent with potential across multiple solid tumors. The deal includes $45M in upfront and near-term payments, with total potential value of up to $1.1B, plus royalties – a promising step toward advancing innovative immunotherapies for patients with cancer. Congratulations to the Georgiamune team! businesswire.com/news/home/2…

For #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, we’re highlighting how researchers are using machine learning to better understand how breast cancer responds to treatment. Parker Institute Center Director Elizabeth A. Mittendorf and team at @DanaFarber used machine learning to sort blood samples from early-stage triple-negative breast cancer patients into ‘immunotypes’ tied to treatment response, a non-invasive way to track therapy. Read more: aacrjournals.org/clincancerr…

At our Fall Scientific Retreat, the Parker Institute network came together to share breakthrough research, explore next-generation immunotherapies, and discuss how to accelerate promising science into treatments for patients. As we celebrate 10 years, our mission remains the same: shorten the path from discovery to cancer cures. Thank you to the scientists, innovators, investors, and partners making this work possible. Cancer Ends Here. parkerici.org/news/cancer-en…

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Allie Yang wrote about six celebrities, including Parker’s @kristendahlgren, in a new @nypost feature about the early signs that prompted them to seek care. For Kristen, her experience is a powerful reminder that breast cancer can present in different ways and that it’s important to pay attention when something feels different. Read more about Kristen’s story: nypost.com/2026/10/02/health…

Following Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer diagnosis and surgery this week, new coverage from @TIME and @nytimes highlights the significant advances reshaping lung cancer treatment. In @TIME, @AliceParkNY explores early detection and immunotherapy, while @ginakolata and @Carolynyjohnson examine how targeted therapies, genetic testing and immunotherapy are improving outcomes for patients, featuring insights from Parker Institute CEO @DrKarenKnudsen and Parker researcher Dr. David Barbie. While lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer deaths, these advances are bringing new options and hope to patients. Read more: nytimes.com/2026/10/14/scien… time.com/article/2026/10/14/…

Proud to see two Parker Institute researcher-founded companies named to @endpts’ 2026 Endpoints 11! Congrats to AzaleasTherapeutics, co-founded by @j_eyquem of @UCSF, and Medici Therapeutics, co-founded by @mellmani, Parker Institute President of Research, on this recognition of biotech’s most exciting startups. endpoints.news/biotechs-best…

This #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, we’re highlighting research that aims to sharpen the immune system’s ability to fight breast cancer. PICI researchers Robert D. Schreiber, PhD, and William E. Gillanders, MD, at @washumedicine are developing personalized vaccines for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that can train T cells to target each patient’s unique tumor mutations. Read more about their work: outlook.washu.edu/the-warrio…

“This is a completely new frontier.” In @nytimes, @DrKarenKnudsen, Parker Institute CEO, tells @ginakolata about the promise of cancer vaccines and a new NIH initiative to accelerate their development. Parker researcher Dr. Catherine Wu of @DanaFarber and Dr. Vinod Balachandran of @MSKCancerCenter are among the scientists advancing personalized cancer vaccines through promising early research. With greater collaboration and coordinated efforts, the field has an opportunity to accelerate progress and bring new treatment options to patients facing some of the hardest-to-treat cancers. Read more: nytimes.com/2026/10/09/scien…

In a new feature for the @nypost, Allie Yang explores what’s next for cancer vaccines and the patients already seeing the potential firsthand. @kristendahlgren, Chief External Affairs Officer at Parker, shares why this could be a defining moment for cancer patients: “I think we’re about to change things profoundly for cancer patients.” The article also features Parker Institute researchers who are working to accelerate the science and bring the promise of cancer immunotherapy closer to more patients. ​​nypost.com/2026/09/29/health…

Parker Institute’s @kristendahlgren and @DrKarenKnudsen joined @NBCNews’ @VickyNguyenTV and @SamBrockNBC to talk about the evolution of therapeutic cancer vaccines, Kristen’s own experience with breast cancer, and the work underway through the Parker Institute to accelerate research. As Kristen shared, this is no longer just a science problem. Collaboration, coordination, and funding will be critical to turning promising research into treatments that can make a difference for people with cancer. Watch the full conversation:

Cancer vaccines are one of the fastest-growing areas of cancer research, offering new possibilities for the future of cancer treatment. Parker Institute CEO @DrKarenKnudsen and Chief External Affairs Officer @kristendahlgren joined the @TODAYshow to discuss the latest progress in breast cancer vaccine research, where the field stands today, and what these advances could mean for patients. Watch the full conversation on TODAY: today.com/video/new-progress… For more information on the Parker Institute’s work, visit Parker.org.

This Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we're highlighting research across the PICI network. PICI Researcher John K. Lee, MD, and his team at @UCLA are exploring new ways to improve antibody-drug conjugates for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, using patient tissue and preclinical models to find new therapeutic strategies. Read more: jci.org/articles/view/200438

In honor of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we're putting the spotlight on research across the PICI network, including a new approach to engineering more powerful cancer-fighting cells. PICI Center Co-Director Owen N. Witte, MD, and researcher Christopher Garcia, PhD, developed a new way to engineer T cells to better recognize and attack prostate cancer while sparing healthy cells. Read more here: newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/s…