Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation

The mission of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation is to fund research to discover cures and more effective treatments for carcinoid, pancreatic, and related neuroendocrine cancers. We also aim to bring awareness to these uncommon cancers as well as provide educational resources for patients and families.

The NET Research Foundation is committed to funding the most promising research in order to discover cures and more effective treatments for carcinoid, pancreatic, and related neuroendocrine cancers. To date, we have awarded over $30 million in large-scale, multi-year research grants to over 80 leading scientists at renowned research institutions around the world to fund neuroendocrine cancer research.

A Commitment to Peer Review
All research grants and requests are reviewed by our Board of Scientific Advisors, which is comprised of distinguished medical leaders who share a commitment to discovering cures for neuroendocrine cancer. The Board of Scientific Advisors provides scientific direction by offering independent, expert advice. All of its members are pioneers in medical research, published authors in the top peer-reviewed medical journals, and leaders of collaborative research projects at top-ranked universities and institutes. We also regularly reach out to aligned organizations and seek partnerships in order to gain new perspectives and approaches.

An Urgent Imperative
With solid science and peer review at our core, the NET Research Foundation Board is equally committed to driving the process to identify and fund projects that have the most potential. All Board members have a direct connection to neuroendocrine cancer and are committed to finding cures as fast as possible. Rigorous scientific review and timely processes allow us to quickly identify and fund projects that have the most promise. Although strong safeguards are essential, we recognize that we have to take risks in funding research in order to drive progress.

Collaboration to Accelerate Progress
We have a strong commitment to collaboration, which can be seen when we convene a broad cross-section of NET researchers at our yearly NET Research Workshop. We are dedicated to accelerating progress for better treatments and potential cures through partnerships with aligned organizations and private foundations; we reach out to the full research community annually with grants we offer through the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). We attract the best minds to the field through requests for proposals, international prizes, and Young Investigator Awards.

A Diversified Portfolio
Our research portfolio has expanded to include an aggressive, diversified portfolio of basic and clinical projects. We pursue multiple pathways for identifying promising research. For example, we are currently funding an ambitious immunotherapy initiative through a NET Research Foundation request for proposals process, offering international prizes for critically needed pancreatic and carcinoid cell lines, and collaborating with the AACR to bring new ideas and researchers to the fight for cures.

All research grants and requests are reviewed by our Board of Scientific Advisors, which is comprised of distinguished medical leaders who share a commitment to discovering cures for neuroendocrine cancer. The Board of Scientific Advisors provides scientific direction by offering independent, expert advice. All of its members are pioneers in medical research, published authors in the top peer-reviewed medical journals, and leaders of collaborative research projects at top-ranked universities and institutes. We also regularly reach out to aligned organizations and seek partnerships in order to gain new perspectives and approaches.

Our research portfolio has expanded to include an aggressive, diversified portfolio of basic and clinical projects. We pursue multiple pathways for identifying promising research. However, there are still many research areas to be pursued.

The lack of well-validated and widely accepted cell lines derived from intestinal carcinoid and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNET) is a significant barrier for research and development of new therapies. The Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation therefore wishes to stimulate a concerted effort to create a “collection" of well-characterized cell lines that faithfully replicate tumor characteristics and genetics. The Foundation has partnered with the Rare Cancer Research Foundation (RCRF), a foundation dedicated to curing rare cancers through strategic investments and innovative collaborations, and the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), the world's largest non-profit cell line repository, to establish a Neuroendocrine Tumor Cell Line collection in their catalog. This challenge requires written documentation, detailed description of each cell line, and sample delivery.

Our 15th anniversary webpage includes a timeline of research accomplishments: https://netrf.org/15th-anniversary/