Press Releases

Feb 21, 2018--The American Cancer Society (ACS) is partnering with the Atlanta-based Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) to more rapidly bring groundbreaking research from the lab to the clinic.

The American Cancer Society conducts research and funds research through grants to hundreds of scientists and health professionals nationwide. Bridging the gap between early research and actual treatment can often be very challenging.

It its role, GCMI will to bring together members of the medical device community, including universities, research centers, hospitals, clinicians, and investors, to accelerate commercialization of innovative medical technologies that come out of ACS-funded research, while reducing the time and cost of bringing new ideas to market.

“Fostering efficient, rapid innovation from the bench to the bedside in cancer care is a high priority for the ACS,” says Bill Chambers, Ph.D., senior vice president, Extramural Research for the American Cancer Society. “This new partnership will allow GCMI and the ACS to identify, develop, and promote technology innovation from among projects within the ACS portfolio of funded research.”

“This partnership provides further testimony to the health of the med-tech development ecosystem in Atlanta,” says GCMI CEO Tiffany Wilson. “Our collective resources should enable us to de-risk innovation bringing new products to market capable of improving cancer treatment. Ultimately this should translate into reduced ‘time-to-cures’ and lower cost of development and care.”

Three to five projects will be identified and launched each year with the goal of initiating one project each quarter.

Project duration will be assessed during the kick-off phase, which includes the identification of resource needs (e.g., external experts, time and materials) and the creation of a timeline for the innovators to reach key developmental milestones.

ACS and GCMI plan to jointly raise $5 million to sustain the program.