Basic cancer center - cancer center at illinois - technological advances over the past few decades have transformed our everyday lives

The National Cancer Institute awarded the University of Illinois $3.38 million on April 1, 2026, under the Cancer Centers Support Grants program (CFDA 93.397) to support the Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL), a research center that integrates engineering and basic sciences to transform cancer research, detection, and treatment.

The CCIL operates under a discovery-to-use paradigm with two core research programs—Cancer Technology & Data Science and Cancer Engineering & Biological Systems—supported by three shared resources and comprehensive educational and mentoring programs. The center drives innovation through convergence of engineering, chemistry, and biology; supports translation of findings to clinical, research, and industrial use; and builds collaborative research communities. As of October 1, 2024, 82 CCIL members were supported by $34.7 million in cancer-relevant direct costs and $53.8 million in total direct costs from external funding sources. The funding supports salaries for scientific leadership, shared resources for center investigators, administrative costs, planning and evaluation, and developmental funds for new recruitments and feasibility studies.

The award covers the period April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2029, with place of performance in Urbana, Illinois. The University of Illinois, operating as the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, is the recipient organization.

A remarkable opportunity also exists to use these advances to engineer solutions to end cancer as we know IT. The cancer center at illinois (CCIL) harnesses the combined power of engineering and basic sciences to transform cancer research, detection, and treatment. Our engineering mindset seeks to resolve problems in cancer through novel technological solutions; our overarching goal is to provide accessible solutions with high capability, high quality, low costs, and increased personalization. Organized under a "discovery-to-use" paradigm, the CCIL's strategic plan (2020-25) prioritizes the following outcomes: (a) drive innovation through the convergence of engineering, chemistry, and biology; (B) support translation of findings to clinical, research, and industrial use; and (C) build a collaborative community that sustains a steep upward trajectory of impact. The CCIL spearheads the institutional cancer research capabilities of university of illinois urbana-champaign (UIUC) by integrating meritorious research and education across boundaries. The two CCIL research programs, cancer technology & data science and cancer engineering & biological systems are supported by three powerful shared resources and are augmented by comprehensive educational and mentoring programs across the career ARC. Organized as a university-level unit spanning traditional colleges and disciplines, the CCIL has robust external funding, interdisciplinary physical space highly conducive to our mission, long-term institutional support, proactive use of developmental funds, and effective leadership. As of october 1, 2024, 82 CCIL members are supported by $34.7M in cancer-relevant direct costs from external peer- and non-peer reviewed funding sources and $53.8M in total direct costs. Among members' peer reviewed publications, 70% were collaborative overall, 24% were within-CCIL collaborations, and 25% were published in high-impact (impact factor ≥10) journals. CCIL members actively translate discoveries, holding >350 patents (108 licensed) and starting 47 companies. Formal partnerships with regional and national clinical centers help move CCIL discoveries to use. Trainees, including over 42 postdoctoral fellows, 163 graduate students, and 133 undergraduates, benefit from CCIL educational and mentoring programs and financial support. A visionary and experienced director leads the CCIL. He serves as a senior campus leader with authority above the level of department heads. CCIL senior leaders form a steering committee and work with highly engaged advisory committees to develop strategy, supported by a dedicated administrative core team for all center operations. With a cancer center support grant, the CCIL will increase the breadth of expertise, intellectual diversity, and research capacity of the national cancer community as the 8TH NCI-designated basic cancer center, and the first new one since 1987. During the proposed project period, the CCIL will increase our research, education, and training portfolio, expand our translational reach, and lead the growth of cancer engineering across the national cancer community.