The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Awards Over $1 Million to Five Early Stage Career Researchers Pushing the Boundaries of Cancer Science

PICI has now awarded more than $23.5 million total to fund 58 research projects, powering the next generation of cancer immunotherapies

The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI), a collaborative consortium of the world’s leading immuno-oncology experts that bridges scientific discovery and commercialization of cancer therapies, today announces its 2025 class of Early Career Researcher awardees. The five investigators in this year’s class will receive over $1 million in combined funding to support their research projects, which will leverage highly advanced scientific techniques to accelerate the development of breakthrough immune therapies to create impact for all cancer patients.

In its ninth year, the Early Career Researcher Awards program has now distributed over $23.5 million to fund 58 research projects. By granting some of the most ambitious scientists access to financial support, collaboration with PICI’s scientific network, and leading-edge technology, PICI aims to fuel the next generation of immunotherapy treatments.

“PICI is proud to award this year’s Early Career Researchers, five scientists who aren’t afraid to explore bold ideas in service of lifesaving cancer discoveries,” said Karen Knudsen, PhD, CEO of PICI. “These are some of the brightest minds in the field and the next generation of superstar scientists. By providing them with the resources they need to complete their most ambitious work, PICI is creating the pathway to the future of cancer treatment.”

Four of this year’s awardees are Parker Scholars, early career scientists entering their first postdoctoral appointment in a high-impact area of cancer immunotherapy. PICI has also recognized one Parker Senior Fellow, an investigator who recently completed their MD or PhD and is ready to establish a laboratory or independent program in cancer immunotherapy.

Previous awardees have gone on to become prominent researchers at the world’s most renowned academic research institutions. Ansuman T. Satpathy, MD, PhD, a 2017 Parker Bridge Scholar, now holds a range of prestigious positions at Stanford University, including as Co-Director of the PICI Center at Stanford Medicine, Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Director of the Stanford Center for Immunotherapy Design, and Co-Director of the Immunotherapy Program in the Stanford Cancer Institute. He is also an Affiliate Investigator in the Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, a co-founder of several life sciences companies, and a venture capitalist.

“The PICI Bridge Scholar award was truly transformative for my science and career,” said Dr. Satpathy. “It immersed me in a global network of elite cancer immunologists, who have profoundly shaped my research while becoming my closest friends and collaborators. Most importantly, PICI empowered me to bridge the gap from bench to bedside – providing the vision, entrepreneurial spirit, and support to translate my basic scientific discoveries into companies developing first-in-class medicines that may be able to provide true impact for cancer patients.”

• Parker Scholar Mehdi Benzaoui, PharmD, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medicine, who aims to bridge gaps in CAR-T treatment efficacy between solid and liquid tumors. Dr. Benzaoui and his team will explore differences in how these tumor types metabolize CAR-T therapies, and whether the differences reduce the efficacy of CAR-T therapies in solid tumors.
• Parker Scholar Alisa Dietl, MD, PhD, of Gladstone Institutes, who is developing models to explore and advance CAR-T therapies for gastrointestinal tumors. Dr. Dietl’s model and immune cell tracking strategy will profile the ways CAR-T cells interact with immunosuppressive cells in the tumor microenvironment.
• Parker Scholar Lindsey Draper, MD, PhD, of University of California, San Francisco, who is exploring whether a novel gene fusion could lead to a more effective and less toxic cell therapy for people with epithelial ovarian cancer. This discovery could revolutionize tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy by addressing an unmet need and creating a path for safer and more accessible cell therapy across tumor types.
• Parker Scholar Hyuncheol Jung, PhD, of University of California, San Francisco, who is using a new toolbox to break down barriers to engineering human myeloid cells for solid tumor immunotherapies. Dr. Jung’s approach allows scientists to engineer these cells with unprecedented precision and preserved cell functionality, unlocking new frontiers for understanding and harnessing human myeloid cells to treat solid tumors.
• Parker Senior Fellow Theodore Roth, MD, PhD, of Stanford Medicine, who is exploring whether using multiple cell modifications in a cell immunotherapy could lead to more durable cures for solid tumors. Dr. Roth will use CRISPR-All, a next-generation model he developed, to rapidly and simultaneously test genetic modifications head-to-head in solid tumor models, then determine whether top-performers work best alone or when pooled with other modifications to fight solid tumors.

Since 2016, PICI’s Early Career Researcher program has awarded scientists from a highly competitive field of applicants across PICI’s network of leading cancer research centers. Awardees are selected based on their project’s proposed scientific approach, the potential impact it will have on the field of cancer immunotherapy, and its alignment with PICI’s mission to accelerate the development of breakthrough immune therapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases.

To learn more about PICI and how to support innovative research, visit parkerici.org/donate.

About the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI)
The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization driving the next generation of cancer treatment by accelerating the development of breakthrough immune therapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases. Founded in 2016 through the vision of Sean Parker, PICI unites the nation’s top cancer centers into a collaborative consortium that fuels high-risk, high-reward science with shared goals, data, and infrastructure. Unlike traditional research models, PICI goes beyond discovery by actively advancing promising innovations through clinical testing, company formation and incubation, and commercialization. PICI has supported more than 1,000 investigators across its network and has a portfolio that includes 17 biotech ventures with over $4B raised in capital. PICI is uniquely positioned to close the gap between scientific discovery and patient access. By integrating scientific excellence with entrepreneurial execution, PICI is reimagining how cures are made, and accelerating their path to the people who need them most. | Learn more about PICI: www.parkerici.org | Learn more about the Early Stage Cancer awardees: https://www.parkerici.org/network/directory/