Professor Xin Lu at Ludwig Oxford has been selected for the final stages of the Cancer Grand Challenges selection process as part of team Cancer Antibody Atlas.
The shortlist of 12 multidisciplinary, global teams is now competing for up to £20m each, with the aim of delivering breakthroughs that no single researcher, lab, institute or country could achieve alone.
Cancer Grand Challenges is the only initiative of its kind in cancer. By bringing together leading researchers from different disciplines and institutes around the world, global super teams are formed to take on the most complex challenges in cancer research.
In March, Cancer Grand Challenges announced seven new challenges. A record 227 bold submissions were received from world-class teams – from turning AI on cancer to rewiring cancer cells. Cancer Antibody Atlas are amongst the 12 shortlisted teams, bringing together unique expertise and uniting researchers from around the world. In a show of Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research's approach to global collaboration, Ludwig's own Professor Chi Van Dang (CEO and Scientific Director) and his team at Johns Hopkins University are also integral members of the team.
Each team will now receive £30k in seed funding to allow the team to come together and develop their full research proposal and compete for up to £20m in funding, empowering it to rise above the traditional boundaries of geography and discipline and transform outcomes for people affected by cancer.
If successful, Cancer Antibody Atlas would seek to tackle the challenge of Cancer Avoidance. The funded teams will be announced in March 2026 at the Cancer Grand Challenges Summit in London.
Find out more at: https://www.cancergrandchallenges.org/meet-the-finalists-looking-to-take-on-cancers-toughest-challenges
Director of Cancer Grand Challenges, Dr David Scott, said:
The global scientific community responded with extraordinary enthusiasm to our new challenges, with a record number of proposals that push the boundaries of cancer research, from harnessing AI to reprogramming cancer cells. Congratulations to the 12 finalist teams who now have the opportunity to drive the next major breakthroughs in cancer research, as part of this pioneering global initiative.”
- Dr David Scott
Being part of a group with such incredible team members, made possible thanks to Cancer Grand Challenges, has opened our eyes to the power of the possibility of collaboration. Seeing people from all over the world row as hard as they can in the same direction is beautiful and inspiring.”
- Dr Paul Bastard, Cancer Antibody Atlas Team Lead, Institut Imagine