Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) announced today that they have committed $150,000 per year for a three-year research fellowship to study clinical data at Tempus, a leader in artificial intelligence and precision medicine. The awarded researcher will receive access to Tempus de-identified datasets and analytical platform to identify insights and gaps that are occurring in colorectal cancer (CRC) clinical research.

“Colorectal cancer has historically been understudied and underfunded even though it is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths and by 2030 is projected to be the leading cause of cancer deaths in those ages 20-49,” said Anjee Davis, Fight CRC President. “I am thrilled to see this project move forward. We partnered with Tempus to think outside of the box and together we worked to find a way to increase access to the data to benefit colorectal cancer patients and the cancer research community. We will be working very closely with the post-doctoral fellow who is awarded with this role. This is an important step forward on our Path to a Cure.” 

Part of the fellowship involves furthering biomarker testing, which has become an indispensable step in treatment planning for colon and rectal cancer patients. The patients’ treatment possibilities have been greatly extended due to the advancements in biomarker testing, although more research is needed to better understand biomarkers. The awarded researcher will have access to one of the world’s largest databases, which will allow them to explore real-world data to improve the understanding of CRC and patient outcomes. GI medical oncologist Dr. Scott Kopetz, MD Anderson Cancer Center; Dr. Rich Goldberg, former West Virginia University Cancer Institute’s (WVUCI) Director; and Andrea Dwyer from the University of Colorado Cancer Center, advisor to Fight CRC, will provide mentorship and collaboration for the fellowship. 

“Tempus is excited to partner with Fight CRC in this first-of-its-kind postdoctoral program,” said Justin Guinney, Senior Vice President of Cancer Genomics at Tempus. “By enabling direct access to Tempus' large, real-world multimodal database, we hope to develop new insights into colorectal cancer to support physicians in optimizing patient care while also furthering therapeutic research."

Since 2008, Fight CRC has allocated reserved research dollars to convene researchers, train research advocates, and directly fund research such as the Tempus research fellowship. The fellowship is primarily supported by generous donors who give toward Fight CRC’s annual Climb for a Cure event and those who designate that their gift to Fight CRC go directly to research. 

"Tempus, Fight CRC, and researchers at leading cancer centers united in their goal to improve outcomes for people with CRC have partnered to create this opportunity to support a committed candidate so that they can hone their skills in the integration of genomics, AI techniques, and clinical/translational research as preparation for a productive career employing these tools to improve patient outcomes,” said Dr. Rich Goldberg, Fight CRC Board Member. “This is a spectacular opportunity for an early career investigator to acquire skill sets crucial to achieving better outcomes." 

The postdoctoral research fellowship is an open position, and interested candidates can apply here. Supporters who want to continue to advance colorectal cancer research are encouraged to make a donation to Fight CRC.