Research Portfolio

Diverse and ambitious projects

NETRF is pursuing multiple paths to discover improved treatments for neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). We have an evolving portfolio of diverse basic, translational, and clinical projects, covering a plethora of challenging but crucial research areas within NENs.

We focus on ideas that will give us tangible results and have translational potential, while also investing in areas that have direct impact on patients’ lives (theranostics – PRRT) and/or have been successfully applied in other types of cancers (CAR T-cell therapy).

We continue to build on past successes in areas such as genetics/epigenetics (e.g., DAXX/ATRX mutations in pancreatic NETs) and develop tools for the entire community (e.g., organoids/spheroids, cell lines, mouse models, patient-derived xenograft models).

We have a long-standing interest in understanding the molecular basis of NENs and the mechanisms that drive tumor initiation and progression. We fund proposals that suggest innovative ways to study NENs in the absence of conventional models, as well as proposals to create new or optimize existing experimental models. We can fund small clinical and adaptive studies, therapeutic sequencing studies, and correlative studies that may build on existing clinical trials.

Our portfolio includes research aimed at understanding NEN genetics and epigenetics, and deciphering its molecular and cellular basis to identify vulnerabilities that can be exploited to interrupt NEN development/progression.  We wish to understand the immune microenvironment and exploit technologies that will trigger an immune response; develop reliable disease models for laboratory experiments to discover new drug targets, improve the safety and efficacy of potential treatments,  identify new drug targets, and discover diagnostic/prognostic markers that can guide clinical treatments.