June 17, 2026: This month, Across the Consortium highlights the clinical research contributions Big Ten cancer centers made during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting as well as some unique research programs that are paving the way for future clinical breakthroughs. In addition, we celebrate significant milestones across the Big Ten, from NCI designation renewal to new collaborations that will change the course of clinical care.

But first, we are pleased to annouce registration is now open for the Big Ten CRC Summit on Friday, October 2. Register at: bigtencrc.org/summit.

 
University of Illinois Cancer Center: Two Onc Docs, a podcast co-hosted by Cancer Center member Karine Tawagi, MD, and Samantha A. Armstrong, MD, partnered with OncLive On Air to provide an in-depth review of findings from the phase 3 RASolute 302 trial (NCT06625320). Presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, the landmark study demonstrated that daraxonrasib (RMC-6236) should become the new standard of care for the second-line treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Read more

 
Cancer Center at Illinois: Fresh off the heels of the Basic Cancer Center designation by the National Cancer Institute, the Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) met with a delegation from Carle Health to fortify a key local partnership in the fight against cancer. While the two institutions have collaborated in the past through initiatives such as the former CSTAR program, leadership from the CCIL and Carle Health recognized an opportunity to more systematically align their respective strengths for a new era of collaboration — one that delivers better cancer diagnostics, treatment, and patient outcomes. Read more.

 
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center: Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers shared their findings and expertise at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting. Findings on lung, bladder, breast, prostate, and testicular cancers were among the 45 abstracts by cancer center researchers during the May 29-June 2 meeting in Chicago. Read more.

 
University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center: At The V Foundation for Cancer Research V Summit 2026, researchers from across the U.S. and Canada gathered to collaborate, connect, and advance cancer research. We’re proud to share that Holden member James Byrne, MD, PhD, paired with a pediatric surgeon from the University of Kentucky, won the summit’s cancer therapeutics and diagnostics collaborative challenge, each receiving $10,000 in research funding. Read more.

 
University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center: Andrea Levine, MD, MS, a doctor at the University of Maryland Medical Center, was diagnosed in 2024 with astrocytoma while she was six months pregnant. Before her diagnosis, she managed up to 30 patients at a time with ease. While she can no longer work with patients, she is focused on being a mom, which she said is exactly what she wants to do. Levine has found connection and support through the Maryland Half Marathon and 5K, which benefits the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. Read more.

 
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center: Mats Ljungman, PhD, professor of radiation oncology and environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan, received a $528,728 award from the Little Warrior Foundation to further research using a gene editing system to target a gene fusion involved in Ewing sarcoma. Ljungman and his laboratory have developed KLIPP (the Swedish word for “cut”), a next-generation CRISPR-based therapeutic platform designed to target cancer-specific structural variant junctions (gene fusions). Read more.

 
Michigan State University Cancer Research: A forester, psychologist and microbiologist meet with each other in the woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula … No, this isn’t the start of a sappy joke. However, the story about to be told is sappy. Jesse Randall, PhD, director of the Michigan State University Forestry Innovation Center, is working with a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional team of researchers across the U.S. to study the One Health properties of maple sap. Read more.

 
Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota: Researchers at the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, including Martin Felices, PhD, Jeffrey S. Miller, MD, and first author Rih-Sheng Huang, PhD, have developed a highly efficient genome editing platform that could improve how natural killer (NK) cells are engineered for cancer immunotherapy. The approach allows scientists to precisely reprogram immune cells with built-in genetic circuits designed to help the cells better target, survive, and respond to cancer within difficult tumor environments. Read more.

 
Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center (University of Nebraska): The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center reached a major milestone recently as a state-of-the-art proton beam therapy system arrived at Nebraska Medical Center. It’s the first proton beam system in Nebraska, marking a significant step forward in bringing advanced cancer treatment to the state and region. Once operational, the system will deliver highly targeted radiation therapy designed to precisely treat tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Read more.

 
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University: A Northwestern Medicine study has offered new clues as to why immunotherapy works well for some bladder cancer patients but fails for others, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. In the study, scientists investigating Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) — the standard immunotherapy treatment for high-risk bladder cancer — uncovered immune system biomarkers that distinguish patients who respond to treatment from those who do not. The findings could pave the way for more personalized therapies and improved outcomes. Read more.

 
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute: Researchers from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) presented new findings at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, including a program that helps patients get donated oral drugs faster, new insights into colon and breast cancer, and ongoing accessibility gaps across communities in clinical trials. Read more.

 
Penn State Cancer Institute: In a study published in Nature Communications, a team of researchers from Penn State College of Medicine found that the EXO1 gene is overexpressed in 20% to 30% of breast and ovarian cancers as well as in melanoma, testicular, cervical and hepatobiliary cancers, which develop in the liver, gall bladder and bile duct. Tumor cells with high levels of EXO1 protein exhibit characteristics similar to cells with a BRCA mutation, a genetic code change known for its link to hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. That means that these tumor cells behave like BRCA-mutant cells — including their response to the chemotherapies and other drugs — even when there is no BRCA mutation present, a finding the researchers said hasn’t previously been established. Read more.

 
Purdue University Institute for Cancer Research: The Purdue Institute for Cancer Research (PICR) has received $9.4 million in renewal of its National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG), extending nearly five decades of continued federal recognition for excellence in cancer research and setting the institute on a course to reach 50 consecutive years of NCI designation in 2028. The award affirms PICR’s standing as one of just 74 NCI-designated cancer centers in the United States, and one of only eight designated as a Basic Laboratory Cancer Center. Read more.

 
Rutgers Cancer Institute: Physician-scientists from Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health presented practice-changing research and emerging treatment approaches across a range of cancer types at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting. Highlights included findings from a late-breaking abstract, Neo-adjuvant rilvegostomig (R) + trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in high-risk HER2-negative breast cancer: Results from the I-SPY 2.2 trial. Read more.

 
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center: Veena Shankaran, MD, MS, co-director of the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR) at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, has been awarded the newly established Lert Family Endowed Chair. A gastrointestinal cancer specialist, she is also a professor at Fred Hutch and UW Medicine. Randy Lert, a patient in Shankaran’s care, and his wife, Joyce, established the chair to accelerate her nationally recognized research connecting financial hardship and patient outcomes. Read more.

 
University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center: Dr. Christoph Lee is co-leading a clinical trial at University of Wisconsin and six other academic research centers in the U.S. to validate the use of an artificial intelligence platform as a new tool to help radiologists interpret mammograms. Their goal is to improve accuracy in mammogram screening across all health care settings and help diagnose breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages. Read more.

 
About the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium was created in 2013 to transform the conduct of cancer research through collaborative clinical trials and observational studies that seek to improve the lives of cancer patients in the diverse communities we serve by leveraging the scientific and clinical expertise of Big Ten universities. The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium creates a unique team research culture to drive science rapidly from ideas to treatment and prevention. Within this innovative environment, today’s research leaders collaborate with and mentor the research leaders of tomorrow. Since its founding, the Big Ten CRC has activated nearly 40 clinical trials across a wide range of cancer types, more than 1,000 participants have enrolled in Big Ten CRC studies, and more than 500 researchers have joined Big Ten CRC Clinical Trial Working Groups.

 
About the Big Ten Conference: The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional, and undergraduate teaching, and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness, and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 18 Big Ten institutions provide direct financial support for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.