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Active challenges

Challenges which have a funded team actively addressing them.

2026

Cancer avoidance challenge icon

Cancer avoidance

Understand the mechanisms by which certain high-risk populations or the extremely aged are resistant to developing cancer.

2023

Cancer inequities icon

Cancer inequities

Understand the mechanisms through which genetics, biology, and social determinants affect cancer risk and outcomes in diverse populations, to motivate interventions to reduce cancer inequities. This challenge is being tackled by team SAMBAI.
Early onset cancers icon

Early-onset cancers

Determine why the incidence of early-onset cancers in adults is rising globally. This challenge is being tackled by team PROSPECT.
Solid tumours in children icon

Solid tumours in children (2023)

Develop therapeutics to target oncogenic drivers of solid tumours in children. This challenge is being tackled by teams KOODAC and PROTECT.
T-cell receptors challenge icon

T-cell receptors

Decipher the T-cell receptor cancer-recognition code. This challenge is being tackled by team MATCHMAKERS.

2020

Cachexia challenge icon

Cachexia

Understand and reverse cachexia and declining performance status in cancer patients. This challenge is being tackled by team CANCAN.
Extrachromosomal DNA challenge icon

Extrachromosomal DNA

Understand the biology of ecDNA generation and action, and develop approaches to target these mechanisms in cancer. This challenge is being tackled by team eDyNAmiC.
Normal phenotypes challenge icon

Normal phenotypes

Understand how cells and tissues maintain “normal” phenotypes whilst harbouring oncogenic mutations and how they transition to become a tumour. This challenge is being tackled by team PROMINENT.

2017

Microbiota challenge icon

Microbiota

Improve treatment responses by manipulating the composition and status of the microbiota. This challenge is being tackled by team OPTIMISTICC.

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PRECISION DCIS challenge

Concluded challenges

Learn about the challenges which were being tackled by teams whose funding period has now come to an end.

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Unfunded challenges

We don't fund teams against every challenge we set. Explore the challenges that are currently unfunded and have no teams working on them.