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Friends of Cancer Research

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Washington D.C., DC
Friends of Cancer Research

Friends of Cancer Research powers advances in science and policy that speed life-saving treatments to patients.

Mission
Friends of Cancer Research powers advances in science and policy that speed life-saving treatments to patients. About Us
Friends of Cancer Research aims to accelerate cutting edge cancer care that both extends and improves quality of life for patients. To accomplish this, we leverage groundbreaking collaborations, generate scientific evidence, and integrate patient input to shape public po

licy. How we work at Friends of Cancer Research:
We identify problems standing in the way of the best science reaching patients. We generate the evidence necessary to understand a problem. We create policy solutions to address and overcome that problem.

06/11/2026

Happening now! Our “Advocates Webinar: Unlocking Next-Generation Therapies” is live on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4oq2TKv.

Hear our experts translate complex scientific, manufacturing, and regulatory concepts into clear actionable takeaways for patient advocates—highlighting key themes, clarifying outstanding questions, and emphasizing patient-focused next steps.

Join live now or watch on-demand later.

06/10/2026

Jeff Allen, President and CEO, will be speaking at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research and Hood College Symposium's “Reproducibility in Science: Elevating Standards to Strengthen Research” on June 17.

Jeff will be joining the panel, Genomic Data from Liquid Biopsies, to speak on the Friends of Cancer Research ctMoniTR Project, a multi-stakeholder collaboration focused on generating the evidence needed to support circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) changes as an early endpoint in clinical trials and regulatory decision-making. The project has aggregated patient-level data across multiple clinical trials, demonstrating a consistent association between ctDNA changes and improved long-term outcomes.

The symposium brings together leaders across scientific fields to collaborate on building and reinforcing standards that enhance reproducibility in research. The event is free and open to the public. Registration closes soon: https://bit.ly/4au4hVM.

06/08/2026

Last chance to register! Join us for our free “Advocates Webinar: Unlocking Next-Generation Therapies” this Thursday, June 11 at 1:00PM ET.

Cell and gene therapies hold promise for patients, particularly those with rare cancers or limited treatment options. But getting these therapies from development to patients requires navigating complex scientific, manufacturing, and regulatory considerations. This webinar is designed to translate those complexities into clear, actionable takeaways, with a focus on patient-centered next steps.

➡️ Register now: https://bit.ly/49Fjl3I
➡️ Watch the May 6 public meeting on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4wfm10Y
➡️ Submit your questions in advance: https://bit.ly/497j2hp

06/04/2026

Friends of Cancer Research has released a new policy white paper recommending ways to strengthen the FDA’s Biomarker Qualification Program (BQP), the primary pathway for qualifying tools to support the evaluation of drug safety and efficacy.

Biomarkers play a central role in modern drug development, enabling more efficient clinical trials, supporting precision medicine, and informing regulatory decision-making. However, as of July 2025, fewer than 15% of biomarkers accepted into the BQP have completed qualification, with the majority remaining stalled in the program for years. Issues related to transparency, review timelines, and limited ability to incorporate prior evidence have constrained the program’s effectiveness.

Developed with input from a multi-stakeholder working group, the white paper identifies opportunities to strengthen the BQP by:

▪️ Improving predictability, transparency, and accountability throughout the qualification process.
▪️ Strengthening alignment around how to interpret qualified biomarkers and apply them in regulatory decision-making.
▪️ Modernizing the BQP to support a more flexible, risk-based qualification framework that builds on prior knowledge, regulatory experience, and the maturity of available evidence.

Together, these recommendations aim to make the BQP a more practical and consistent pathway across modern drug development to help patients get safe and effective therapies faster. Read the full white paper: https://bit.ly/4u8ZdO8.

The conversation will continue at our June 9th virtual Hill briefing, featuring opening remarks from U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and an expert panel discussion about biomarker development and qualification to explore how FDA and Congress can make the BQP more efficient, consistent, and useful across drug development programs.

View the agenda and register: https://friendsofcancerresearch.org/event/virtual-hill-briefing-strengthening-fdas-biomarker-qualification-program/.

Thank you to our working group members for their time and contributions.

06/02/2026

Friends of Cancer Research is hosting a free webinar for patient advocates on cell and gene therapy development on Thursday, June 11 at 1:00PM ET.

Join Lola Fashoyin-Aje, Tony Newberne, Rosanna Ricafort, and Nirali N. Shah as they build on discussions from our May 6 public meeting on next-generation therapies and translate complex scientific, manufacturing, and regulatory concepts into clear, actionable takeaways for patient advocates. The webinar will highlight key themes, clarify outstanding questions from the meeting, and emphasize patient-focused next steps.

Register today: https://bit.ly/49Fjl3I.

06/01/2026

What does it take to build a credible external control arm (ECA) in oncology?

In a new interview with The Evidence Base, Bernat Navarro-Serer, Senior Science Policy Analyst, discusses findings from the ECA Pilot Project, recently presented at ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. The pilot examined how ECAs can be constructed across multiple external data sources using a common target trial in metastatic pancreatic cancer.

ECAs are gaining attention as a potential approach to support evidence generation in areas of high unmet need, including rare cancers, settings where randomized controlled trials may not be feasible, or clinical contexts where available treatment options remain limited. However, building an ECA that can support meaningful comparisons depends on whether the data can identify a comparable patient population, capture the necessary clinical information, and support transparent analysis.

Findings from the ECA Pilot Project showed that independent ECA construction is feasible under a shared statistical analysis plan, while highlighting how attrition, variation in data completeness, missing baseline covariates, and analytic implementation can impact cohort composition, comparability, and interpretation of results.

Read the full interview from the Evidence Base: https://bit.ly/4dVbGPz.

05/30/2026

Friends of Cancer Research is pleased to announce the election of Dr. Richard Pazdur to the organization’s Board of Directors. During his 26 years at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including as founding director of the Oncology Center of Excellence, Dr. Pazdur built and led the regulatory framework that defines how cancer therapies are developed and approved in the United States. He now brings that experience directly to our mission to advance regulatory science and accelerate patient access to innovative treatments.

Ellen Sigal, Chair and Founder, said “Few people have done more to modernize cancer drug development and bring meaningful therapies to patients than Rick Pazdur [who] combines scientific rigor, urgency, and an unwavering focus on patients in a way that has shaped the field for decades. We are honored to welcome him to the board and excited for the perspective and leadership he will bring to Friends of Cancer Research.”

Learn more about Dr. Pazdur and our full Board of Directors: https://bit.ly/4dB9Y74.

05/29/2026

Mark your calendars. Friends of Cancer Research has a full lineup for the second half of 2026! Upcoming meetings will cover critical topics in cancer drug development, from biomarker qualification and novel endpoints to clinical decision-making frameworks.

▪️June 9: Strengthening FDA's Biomarker Qualification Program and the pathways needed to support more efficient development and broader adoption of biomarkers and novel endpoints
▪️June 11: Translating cell and gene therapy concepts—including regulatory approaches and innovative development frameworks—into clear, actionable takeaways for patient advocates
▪️July 15: Interpreting interim overall survival data and how simulation-informed frameworks can support more consistent regulatory and clinical decision-making
▪️September 15: Optimizing dosing strategies for radiopharmaceutical therapies and fit-for-purpose approaches to support safe and effective clinical development
▪️November 10: Our flagship Annual Meeting will convene leaders across federal health and regulatory agencies, academic research, industry, and patient advocacy to advance evidence-based solutions to the most pressing challenges in drug development
▪️November 17: Translating key takeaways from the 19th Annual Meeting on drug development challenges into accessible insights for patient advocates

Join us for one or all as we work together to generate evidence and advance policy solutions that accelerate innovative cancer treatments for patients: https://bit.ly/3LDUe80.

05/28/2026

Ryan Hohman, Vice President, Public Affairs, will join the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI)'s two-day virtual training, Essentials of Working with the FDA for Patient Organizations, on June 16–17, moderating the panel "Hot Topics: A Look at What to Watch for Patient Advocates" with speakers Jamie Sullivan, Jenny Luray, and Kate Rawson.

The panel will cover recent newsworthy developments at the FDA relevant to patient advocates, including updates on the federal budget and workforce reductions, tariffs, drug repurposing, drug shortages, cell and gene therapies, and the Commissioner's National Priority Voucher (CNPV) pilot program.

This free training is open to staff and volunteers of 501(c)(3) patient and disease organizations and is designed to equip participants with practical strategies for engaging with FDA. Topics span FDA regulatory processes, AI in drug development, clinical trial design, and more.

Learn more and apply: https://www.fdli.org/2026/06/2026-essentials-of-working-with-fda-for-patient-organizations/.

05/27/2026

Chicago, see you soon! Friends of Cancer Research’s Ellen Sigal, Jeff Allen, Mark Stewart, and Hillary Andrews will be at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

From immunotherapy combinations and radiopharmaceuticals to ctDNA-guided decision-making and patient centered endpoints, the science at this year’s meeting is moving fast, and making sure the regulatory and policy frameworks keep pace to get these advances to patients is exactly what we work on every day.

If you are attending, we hope to see you there.

Address

1800 M Street NW
Washington D.C., DC
20036

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

(202) 944-6700

Website

https://friendsofcancerresearch.org/

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