Israel Cancer Research Fund - CT Chapter

In case you missed it, watch ICRF-funded physician-scientist Dr. Albert Grinshpun discuss how liquid biopsies are helping transform cancer treatment monitoring and advancing more personalized care for patients.

Dr. Grinshpun is an ICRF Clinical Research Career Development Award recipient and leads the Breast Cancer Oncology Program at Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

Watch the webinar recording: https://www.icrfonline.org/news/breast-cancer-research-in-israel-latest-discoveries-innovations/

We are grateful to Sharsheret for partnering with us on this important discussion.

Did you know that more than 90% of cancer patients experience side effects from treatments like chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation?

For many survivors, the challenges don’t end when treatment does, they evolve. Too often, these lasting effects are accepted as a “new normal,” even though specialized rehabilitation can help improve recovery, function, and quality of life.

That’s why this June, Cancer Rehabilitation Month, we’re highlighting the critical role of rehabilitation and the research that helps survivors move forward.

At ICRF, we fund scientists working to advance our understanding of cancer and improve patient outcomes. As survival rates continue to improve, so does the importance of helping patients live well during and after cancer.

Immunotherapy continues to reshape how cancer is treated, and ICRF-funded research is helping expand its potential even further.

ICRF grantee Dr. Yuval Shaked, Ph.D. of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology co-authored a study showing that anti-PD-1, a form of immunotherapy, can temporarily open the blood-brain barrier to improve chemotherapy delivery for patients with metastatic brain cancer.

Published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the findings suggest a promising new approach to helping treatments reach tumors more effectively and improve outcomes for patients.

As Cancer Immunotherapy Month continues throughout June, we are proud to highlight another important discovery by ICRF-funded scientists.

Past ICRF grantee Prof. Ziv Shulman and his team at the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered that memory B cells can recognize and attack ovarian tumors, opening the door to a promising new vaccine-based approach to cancer immunotherapy.

The study, published in the journal Immunity and featured by The Times of Israel, was funded in part by the Beverley Librach Abshez Initiative for Ovarian and Female Reproductive System Cancers.

The article also includes insights from current ICRF grantee Dr. Ruth Perets, who discusses the potential implications of these findings for the future of ovarian cancer immunotherapy.

Read the article: https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-a-world-first-israeli-scientists-find-memory-b-cells-can-target-ovarian-tumors/

The ICRF Connecticut Women of Action event was a meaningful and uplifting celebration of leadership, philanthropy, and impact. We were proud to honor Julie TelRav and Tamar Links, two extraordinary women whose dedication and generosity have made a lasting difference in our community and beyond.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined us and helped advance ICRF’s mission of supporting life-saving cancer research in Israel.

It’s not too late to support the event and help drive the next generation of cancer breakthroughs. Donate here: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/ctwomenofaction2026/event/2026womenofactionbrunch/

June is Cancer Immunotherapy Month, and throughout the month we are proud to highlight innovative immunotherapy research and the ICRF-funded scientists driving these discoveries.

Prof. Yifat Merbl, recipient of the ICRF–Cancer Research Institute Collaborative Technology Impact Award, is a renowned leader in systems immunology and cancer biology. Her groundbreaking research has revealed previously unknown connections between cellular protein degradation and immune surveillance, opening new avenues for understanding cancer and the immune system.

Recently recognized with the inaugural Trailblazer Cancer Research Grant from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and named to Nature's 10 list for global impact, Prof. Merbl's work is helping redefine how scientists think about immune responses and cancer progression.

Read more about Prof. Merbl here: https://www.icrfonline.org/news/professor-yifat-merbl-uncovering-a-hidden-layer-of-immune-control/

Research funded in part by ICRF has been featured in the news, as the findings of a promising new study could help reshape the future of cancer treatment by using nanoparticles instead of traditional cancer drugs.

A research team at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, supervised by ICRF-funded researcher Dr. Assaf Zinger, developed innovative nanoparticles that successfully slowed the growth of aggressive triple-negative breast cancer tumors in preclinical studies. The nanoparticles work by interacting with the tumor environment and the immune system, helping prevent tumors from recruiting cells that support their growth.

Published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano, the research shows a potential new approach to cancer therapy and highlights the bold, innovative science taking place in Israel.

ICRF is proud to support Dr. Zinger and all our researchers who are pursuing breakthrough ideas with the potential to improve cancer care for patients worldwide.

Read the Ynet Global article here: https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/bkdpnarbfx

Photo credit: Rami Shelush, Technion Spokesperson’s Office

Today, on National Cancer Survivors Day, we honor the millions of survivors whose lives have been changed by advances in cancer research.

Many of today’s treatments—from immunotherapy to targeted therapies and precision medicine—were made possible through decades of scientific discovery. Through the support of our generous community, ICRF-funded scientists continue advancing the breakthroughs that help patients live longer, healthier lives.

We honor survivors, remember those we have lost, and remain committed to a future where more lives are saved through cancer research.

It was inspiring to see a strong Israeli delegation, including several ICRF-funded scientists, at this week’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. ASCO brings together more than 44,000 of the world’s leading oncology professionals to learn, collaborate, and advance the future of cancer care.

Several ICRF-funded researchers presented their work at this year’s meeting, including Prof. Irit Ben-Aharon MD, PhD., Director of the Fishman Oncology Center at Rambam Health Care Campus, who shared her important research on long-term child outcomes following cancer during pregnancy.

While in Chicago to present at ASCO, ICRF-funded researcher Dr. Yaacov Richard Lawrence of Sheba Medical Center, recipient of the ICRF Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation Collaborative Project Grant for Pancreatic Cancer, also met with ICRF supporters. In a conversation with ICRF Executive Director Alan Herman, he discussed how his precision radiotherapy research is bringing new hope to patients facing pancreatic cancer.

We are proud to support groundbreaking research that advances cancer treatment and care while ensuring that Israeli science remains at the forefront of the global fight against cancer.

Photo credit for Prof. Irit Ben-Aharon: Fishman Oncology Center