UC Irvine Anti-Cancer Challenge funds 35 novel research projects
Landmark event has raised $7.7 million for 190 promising pilot studies and early phase clinical trials since 2017
Irvine, Calif. — The UC Irvine Anti-Cancer Challenge has kicked off its 10th anniversary event by announcing grants for a new and diverse range of innovative cancer research projects at the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and its pediatric cancer affiliate, CHOC, part of Rady Children’s Health.
With $1.6 million raised in 2025 by a record 4,600 dedicated participants, donors and supporters, the Anti-Cancer Challenge awarded grants to 35 pilot projects and early phase clinical trials. That brings the total of investigator-initiated projects to 190 since 2017, when Orange County’s premier run, walk and ride community fundraising event was founded.
Dr. Richard A. Van Etten, director of the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Anti-Cancer Challenge founder, reflected on the progress made possible by nine years of community support for the event, which will be held this year on Oct. 10.
“It has succeeded beyond my wildest dreams in terms of what we’ve been able to accomplish with the funds raised by the participants,” Van Etten told the crowd of community supporters, physicians and research scientists.
New grants highlighted
Van Etten highlighted several of the new projects made possible by last year’s fundraising success, including:
- A pilot project to try to increase the anti-cancer effect of innate lymphoid immune cells across several tumor models led by Jianhua Yu, PhD, with the UC Irvine School of Medicine’s Division of Hematology-Oncology.
- An observational study called LIFT led by Dr. Gary E. Deng, the cancer center’s director of Integrative Oncology, to examine the effects of lifestyle modifications in diet, sleep, physical activity and psychological stress on tumor immune response in melanoma and urothelial cancer patients.
- An investigation into a potential link between ovarian cancer and exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) in drinking water, led by postdoctoral researcher H. Carolina Villaneuva, PhD, with the UC Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health.
- An exploration to determine whether blocking a signaling pathway called RNA exosomes in cancer cells can improve response to immunotherapy led by Ivan Marazzi, director of the UC Irvine School of Medicine’s Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism.
The awards were announced Thursday at the Anti-Cancer Challenge’s annual community kickoff event, held at the UC Irvine Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building, a new 215,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art center designed for collaborative "bench-to-bedside" research. It is home to the Hsia Family Laboratory for Cancer Research, where many of the challenge grant awardees conduct their work.
The event also featured UCI Health radiation oncologist Dr. Jeremy P. Harris, who offered attendees a firsthand look at his study on the effects of variable-dose radiation to treat large, difficult-to-reach tumors of 5 centimeters or greater, using artificial-intelligence driven adaptive radiotherapy technology.
The phase 1 clinical trial, supported by a grant from the 2024 Anti-Cancer Challenge, aims to explore alternating high- and low-dose radiation in a matrix pattern across tumors, which has been shown to dramatically improve treatment response rates and reduce side effects, Harris said.
Driven by research
The cancer center's designation as one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center underscores its commitment to integrating world-class research, prevention and the most advanced diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation programs to provide the best possible care for patients and their families.
Van Etten noted that since 2017, awardees have leveraged more than $7.7 million in grants to secure over $80 million in external funding, a return of $15 to $18 dollars for every participant-raised dollar.
“This has given our researchers the resources to accelerate their progress, making significant strides in cancer research that will lead to improved therapies and treatments for cancer patients everywhere,” he said.
The 2026 Anti-Cancer Challenge invites the community to participate in this landmark 10th anniversary event. Whether participating as an individual, forming a team or partnering as a corporate sponsor, 100% of funds raised directly support transformative cancer research projects like those announced this year.
Visit anti-cancerchallenge.org to register for the 10th annual event, to be held Oct. 10, 2026, at UC Irvine's Aldrich Park.
Donors interested in supporting cancer research and participating in the event may reach out at anti-cancerchallenge@uci.edu.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).