Our academic collaborators’ seminal contributions push the field forward
Our constellation of renowned thinkers and partners
The right collaborators across pharma, biotech and nonprofit
The next generation of scientific leaders in cancer immunotherapy
Stories & Announcements
PICI in the News
From Bench to Fireside
Resources for Press
01
PICI Welcomes New Staff Members
02
PICI Members and Partners Featured at #CARTCR
03
Developing Next-Gen Scientific Leaders: The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Awards up to $2.9 Million to Eight Early Career Investigators
Develop breakthrough immune therapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases faster
The driving force behind PICI’s research and operations
Join us. Change lives.
Mission & Vision
For decades, entrenched infrastructure barriers have slowed progress in the fight against cancer and the development of potent immunotherapies. The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy breaks down these barriers and focuses fully on this durable and promising treatment. The result is groundbreaking new research and an intellectual property model that builds collaboration between researchers, nonprofits and industry all working together to get treatments to patients faster.
We don’t just fund research – we accelerate it. We bring top researchers together, provide them resources to pursue and push their best ideas forward, and eliminate the barriers in their way.
Our philosophy keep us focused on our mission.
A novel approach is not enough on its own. In order to achieve long-term and widespread success, we make sure that everything we do is grounded in our core philosophy.
in our mission to save lives. We don’t shy away from the toughest challenges, because we know lives are at stake.
to catalyze speed, efficiency and impact. By breaking down silos, we work faster – and smarter – to save lives.
that disrupt the field. We take big leaps – not small steps – and tackle the challenges no one else will.
leads to big impact. We’re dedicated to turning potential into reality. We’re here to find cures.
in everything we do. Our work is always in service of the people we work for: patients.
Cancer immunotherapy – using the body’s immune system to recognize, target and kill cancer cells – is not a new idea. As early as 1890, scientists believed the body’s own technology could cure cancer. However, the earliest trial-and-error approaches mostly yielded errors. It seemed a dead-end; most of science moved on.
Yet there was a small group of believers who didn’t give up – visionaries like 2018 Nobel Prize laureate Dr. Jim Allison and cell therapy pioneer Dr. Carl June, who were responsible for immunotherapy eventually moving to the forefront of the cancer revolution. Then, an unlikely partner joined their ranks.
Sean Parker had long been fascinated by immunology and its healing potential, spending years devouring research and seeking out experts, particularly Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone, a leading immunologist in the field. Everything he learned from Bluestone and others convinced him of immunology’s promise to cure disease.
Particularly cancer.
Parker envisioned a new, radical approach: bring the top researchers together, give them everything they need to pursue and push their best ideas forward, and eliminate barriers that stand in their way – all to transform the way cancer research is done. In 2016, PICI launched publicly. We brought together an incredible braintrust of early believers, pioneers and leading academic research institutions, united under one mission: fast-track cancer immunotherapy breakthroughs and save lives.