Dr. Min. Chiu Li and Dr. Roy Hertz were the first people ever to develop a cure for any type of metastatic cancer. In 1956, they cured a type of cancer called
choriocarcinoma. They were ridiculed and Dr. Li was fired from the NCI.(1)
Dr. Li then proceeded to developed the first cure for testicular cancer. He was again ridiculed and fired from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. (1)
Fifty years ago the idea that metastatic cancer could be cured was considered crazy.
A number of types of metastatic cancer are now highly curable. However, the belief that metastatic cancer can be cured remains as radical today as it was in 1956, perhaps even more so.
Today, the goal of cure has largely been replaced with that of chronic control. (see:
NCI 2015 Goal)
A clear and correct goal is vital. If Dr. Li's and Dr. Hertz's goal had been the control of cancer then their patients and thousands of others would not have been cured.
The goal of the Cure Cancer Project is the complete and total cure of all types of cancer without significant side effects.
Cure is a very different goal from that of trying to control cancer. The logic is different. The requirements are different. The solution is different.
Why is the Cure Cancer Project needed?
Last year 570,000 Americans and 7,000,000 people worldwide died from cancer.
Although there are hundreds of cancer research organizations, no existing organization is currently working to develop a specific cure for cancer. Pharmaceutical companies are currently developing several hundred different cancer drugs.
The cure of cancer is a very different problem from making a single drug. No single drug will ever be able to cure cancer. The logic is different. The science is different. The solution is different. Top
What will it take to cure cancer?
The consistent and specific cure of cancer will require a set of approximately 5 to 10 drugs in combination. (As discussed
elsewhere these drugs must target critical properties of cancer.) These drugs need to be designed and developed as an integrated set. This will require a focused, highly coordinated, multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary engineering effort. Top
What is different about the Cure Cancer Project?
Current approaches fail to address the fundamental problem of tumor cell evolution and cannot satisfy the requirements for the specific cure of cancer. By contrast, the Cure Cancer Project is designed to address these requirements. Top
The Cure Cancer Project will be an engineering project with a clear purpose and plan, to develop a specific cure for cancer. It will be the largest drug development project in history. The goal is not to develop a drug, but rather to develop a set of 5 to 10 drugs to be given in combination. Top
Is the Cure Cancer Project overly ambitious?
No. By engineering standards it is a modest sized project comparable to building a bridge or dam. The size of the project is commensurate with the what needs to be done to cure cancer. Top
Will the Cure Cancer Project be a nonprofit organization?
Yes. The Cure Cancer Project will be funded by donations from individuals, foundations, institutions and government grants. Top
Does the Cure Cancer Project now have nonprofit status with the IRS?
No. This is in progress. However, tax-deductible donations to support the formation of the Cure Cancer Project can be made through the
Partnerships for Cures, which is an IRS-approved public charity and which will administer the funds during the formative stages of the organization. Top
Who will do the research and drug development work?
The Cure Cancer Project will fund existing academic and corporate research institutions to do the necessary work. Ideally government labs will also participate. Top
Why will we take this development approach?
The Cure Cancer Project intends to build a collaborative, international, multi-institutional effort to hasten the day when cancer is cured. Time matters. Over 1500 Americans die every day from cancer. Top
Will the Cure Cancer Project be open and transparent?
Yes. The Cure Cancer Project will invite and encourage participation and input from individuals, institutions and organizations that can meaningfully contribute to the goal of developing a specific cure for cancer. Top
Who will own the intellectual property?
The Cure Cancer Project will own the drugs and technologies developed under contract for and paid for by the Cure Cancer Project. Top
Will the Cure Cancer Project need to license technology?
Yes. There will be a need to license technology from other organizations. This is typical of all drug projects. All such licensing agreements will be transparent and in accord with the highest ethical and legal standards. Top
How will the Cure Cancer Project market its drugs?
The drugs will be licensed to one or more major pharmaceutical companies. Top
What will the proceeds be used for?
- To provide affordable drug access to cancer patients
- To fund additional research and development efforts Top
Will participating institutions share in the success?
Yes. There will be monetary flow-back to participating nonprofit institutions. The exact details remain to be defined. Top
How will the Cure Cancer Project be governed?
The Cure Cancer Project will be governed by an active board of directors committed to the cure of cancer. Individuals with proven leadership and organizational skills will be sought as board members. Governance will be transparent. Top
How will the project be managed?
A working paid scientific advisory board will oversee scientific and technical aspects of the project. Professional, experienced management will run the day-to-day operations of the project. There will be a core team of in house scientists. Top
How much funding will be required?
A detailed plan and budget will be formulated. However, we estimate that approximately $150 million over five years will be required to develop a set of drugs to the point of clinical trials for the specific cure of cancer. Clinical trials and development for marketing and manufacturing will require substantially more money. However, this could be provide by one or more major pharmaceutical companies through licensing agreements. Top
How will the Cure Cancer Project be funded?
It will be funded by charitable donations. One million people donating $150 dollars could fund the project up to the point of clinical trials. Top
Why is it necessary to fund the Cure Cancer Project with charitable donations?
The current funding system is unsuited to financing the development of a set of drugs for the cure of cancer.
In aggregate, a significant amount of public money is spent on cancer research every year. Most of the money is spent on a very large number of small projects. A typical grant from funding agencies is in the range of $50,000 to $300,000.
The NCI is currently funding several large budget programs such as the Cancer Genome Atlas. However, given the current
NCI budget crisis, significant government funding of the Cure Cancer Project is unlikely. Top
How long will it take to develop as set of drugs for the specific cure of cancer?
We estimate that with sufficient funding a set of drugs could be ready for clinical trials in approximately 5 to 6 years. There is a very direct relationship between funding and time to completion. The more aspects of the project that can proceed in parallel the faster the drugs can be developed. Top
Is success guaranteed?
No. As a matter of logic it is impossible to know with certainty if the Cure Cancer Project will succeed. The answer resides in the future. Only after we do the work can we know. However, we strongly believe that the specific cure of cancer can be achieved within a decade. Top
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
-- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(1) The Cure of Childhood Leukemia: Into the Age of Miracles, John Lasalo, (1996), , Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, N.J., p.145-147
