Research We Fund
ICRF was established to harness Israel’s educational and scientific resources in the fight against all cancers. The bulk of the work that ICRF supports is in basic research; that is, research to uncover the molecular biological events that lead to cancer in order to prevent or reverse the process. Virtually every drug, therapy and diagnostic test that is used in the clinic today originated from basic research. We cannot cure cancer if we don’t understand what causes it; and although basic, fundamental research may not result in an immediate cure, expanding our knowledge of the underlying processes is what will eventually lead to that “eureka” moment.
The areas of cancer research directly supported by ICRF include:
Bone Marrow Transplantation
Brain Tumors
Breast Cancer
Cancer Stem Cells and Cellular Reprogramming
Childhood Malignancies
Colorectal Cancer
Development of Novel Drugs, such as Gleevec and Velcade
Endometrial Cancer
Eye Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Genetic Mutation and Repair
Head and Neck Cancers
Immunology and Immunotherapy
Inflammation and Cancer
Kidney Cancer
Lung Cancer
Gut Microbiome and the Tumor Microenvironment
Oral Cancer
Ovarian Cancer
Pain Management and Quality of Life Issues
Pancreatic Cancer
Programmed Cell Death (Apoptosis)
Prostate Cancer
Radiation Therapy and the DNA Damage Response
Skin Cancer
Targeted Therapy
Tumor Blood Vessel Growth (Angiogenesis)
Tumor Metastases
Tumor Suppressor Genes, such as p53
Tumor Viruses
2020-2021 Grant Award Recipients
For the 2020-2021 funding year, ICRF is supporting 71 grants to leading investigators at institutions across Israel:
8 Jacki and Bruce Barron Cancer Research Scholars’ Program Grants
(A Partnership between ICRF and City of Hope)
3 Immunotherapy Promise Grants
(A Partnership between ICRF and Cancer Research Institute)
2 Max Ritvo, Alan Slifka and Desiree Data Fund Grants
(A Partnership between ICRF, Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation and Alan B. Slifka Foundation)
1 ICRF-Conquer Cancer Career Development Award
(A Partnership between ICRF and Conquer Cancer – The ASCO Foundation)
2 Gesher Awards for Academic Excellence
(A Partnership between ICRF and the Israel Ministry of Science and Technology)
2 Brause Family Initiative for Quality of Life Grants
4 Len & Susan Mark Initiative for Ovarian/Uterine Cancers Grants
1 Barbara S. Goodman Endowed Research Career Development Award (RCDA) for Pancreatic Cancer
12 Research Career Development Awards (RCDAs)
17 Project Grants
3 Acceleration Grants
12 Research Professorship Grants
4 Postdoctoral Fellowships
Among the areas of cancer research directly sponsored by ICRF in 2020-2021 are studies in: blood, brain, breast, colorectal, lung, oral, ovarian and uterine, pancreatic, pediatric, and skin cancers; drug development; pain management and quality of life issues; cancer stem cells and cellular reprogramming; imaging and early detection; expression, regulation, and mutation of genes and DNA repair; tumor metastasis; inflammation and cancer; immunology and immunotherapy; proteomics and computational biology; cell signaling and cell-cycle control.
“I am extremely grateful to ICRF. The funding was crucial for us to advance our science on cancer.”
Naama Geva-Zatorsky, PhD, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, ICRF Acceleration Grant Recipient
