More than 150 scientists from around the world gathered in New York City in October 2023 for the fourth annual Mark Foundation Scientific Symposium. Presentations and panel discussions on trailblazing topics in cancer research featured scientists supported by the Foundation’s grant programs and venture investments.
Chief Executive Officer Ryan Schoenfeld, PhD, opened the program highlighting The Mark Foundation’s accomplishments and impact in just six years since their first grant was signed. In that time, over $200 million in grants have been awarded to investigators at more than 100 academic institutions across 13 countries, enabling groundbreaking discovery, translational, and clinical research in a multitude of cancer types. Dr. Schoenfeld also noted that half of the Foundation’s venture investment portfolio of early-stage cancer therapeutics- and diagnostics-focused companies transitioned from academic grantee projects into commercial development.
Symposium speakers showcased innovative science addressing some of the biggest questions in cancer research. Keynote speaker Charles Swanton, MBPhD, FRCP, FMedSci, FAACCR, FRS, The Francis Crick Institute and University College of London Cancer Institute, expanded on his published research demonstrating how air pollution promotes lung cancer. Panel experts also weighed in on two critical topics, “Driving Drug Discovery for Rare Cancers” and “Curing the Deadliest Cancers.”
“The outstanding science presented at the Symposium was truly inspiring,” noted Dr. Schoenfeld. “The opportunity for these leaders in cancer research to network and collaborate is an added bonus.”
The Mark Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee Chair Ross Levine, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, announced the winners of the 2023 Mark Foundation Endeavor Awards. These prestigious awards will provide a total of $12M to support four multidisciplinary teams of scientists across seven institutions tackling a range of urgent challenges in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
Raymond N. DuBois, MD, PhD, the Foundation’s Executive Chairman, concluded, “Our Symposium reflects The Mark Foundation community’s tremendous impact. We saw amazing science resulting from our funding which will help advance lifesaving breakthroughs in cancer care.”
Read more in our Symposium program booklet and scroll through our photo gallery.