Our Review Process

Our proposal review process draws on three groups of experts, each with a distinct role in evaluating proposals and prioritizing research for funding.

1. 1

   Scientific Review Committee (SRC)

   Establishing the scientific foundation.

   The Scientific Review Committee (SRC) brings together more than 160 experts, including world-renowned pediatric oncologists, physician-scientists, and cancer researchers from leading academic medical centers and research institutions. Their collective expertise spans childhood cancer biology, translational research, and clinical care, bringing a broad range of perspectives to the evaluation of proposed research.

   Members provide rigorous, independent peer review, examining the scientific rationale, strength of supporting evidence, innovation, and rigor of the proposed approach, as well as each project’s potential to address unmet needs and improve outcomes for children with cancer.

   Their assessments help identify the strongest proposals for further review and inform the evaluations that follow. This expert scrutiny establishes a strong scientific foundation for CureSearch’s funding decisions, helping direct philanthropic support toward research with the potential to deliver better, safer treatments for children.

2. 2

   Industry Advisory Council (IAC)

   Great science isn’t enough. It has to reach children.

   Scientific promise is only the beginning. Before CureSearch makes significant investments, we bring in experts who understand what it takes to turn a discovery into a treatment.

   Our Industry Advisory Council brings expertise from pharmaceutical, biotechnology, drug development, and clinical research organizations to examine promising research through a real-world development lens.

   They ask the questions that can determine whether an extraordinary scientific idea has a viable path forward:

   • Can it reach a clinical trial?
   • What regulatory hurdles stand in the way?
   • Can it be manufactured at the scale and quality required?
   • Is there a realistic development and commercialization path?

   The result: We evaluate not only the strength of the science, but its potential to become a treatment.

   Leading Acceleration Initiative and Catapult proposals undergo this additional layer of review before CureSearch makes an investment decision.

3. 3

   Scientific Advisory Council (SAC)

   Identifying the science worth betting on.

   The Scientific Advisory Council brings together leading pediatric cancer researchers and clinicians from world-renowned institutions. They examine the strongest proposals through a scientific and clinical lens, weighing the evidence, innovation, unmet need, and potential impact for children.

   They ask the questions that determine whether promising research rises to the top:

   • Is the science rigorous and compelling?
   • Is the approach truly innovative?
   • Does it address a critical unmet need?
   • Could it meaningfully change outcomes for children?