Accelerating Breakthroughs: The Irving Cancer Drug Discovery Program Bridges Academia and Industry

At the heart of every new cancer therapy lies a discovery—an insight, a “eureka” moment—born in the lab. But the road from discovery to treatment is challenging. Gaps in funding, lack of connection to industry partners, or insufficient support are all potential bumps in the road. As a result, many extraordinary discoveries go no further than the lab, their potential for clinical impact untapped—falling into the “valley of death” between the lab and clinic. 

Almost all the foundational work that fuels this pipeline occurs at academic medical centers like Columbia, where researchers are deeply specialized and equipped to tackle the most complex, high-risk problems in cancer discovery. While academia has been particularly successful in driving the most innovative ideas and transformative discoveries, ensuring these have a chance to impact society requires an altogether new paradigm.

Recognizing the potential—and vulnerability—of this early-stage work, the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) launched the Irving Cancer Drug Discovery Program (ICDDP) to help close the gap between academic research and drug development. Now in its third year, the program is providing a critical bridge, accelerating the development of new cancer therapies.

Nearly 40% of all FDA-approved cancer drugs have academic founders or inventors, and many more have relied on academic insights for their development. These discoveries are essential to the drug development ecosystem—often providing the critical scientific foundation on which biotech and pharmaceutical companies build successful therapies. But while the spark of innovation may happen at the bench, carrying it forward requires significant labor, funding, and infrastructure—much of which falls outside the traditional academic scope. Academic researchers and industry often operate in different worlds, making translation a complex and fragmented process.

“Academic researchers would love to see their discoveries have real-world impact, but often do not have the support needed to move them forward,” says Tannishtha Reya, PhD, director of the ICDDP and associate director for translational research at HICCC. “This program gives them not only the funding but also the technical guidance and infrastructure needed to transform their research into applications that industry partners can support.”

In addition to providing critical seed funding to researchers, the program also offers tailored support, including project management support from seasoned drug developers from industry who serve as one-on-one advisors and access to a distinguished advisory board of leaders in biotech, pharma, and venture capital. Each project benefits from strategic feedback sessions with venture and pharma leaders, some of whom have gone on to advise or partner with the researchers beyond the program, including in launching new startups.

“The access to and involvement of these industry leaders is phenomenal,” says Benjamin Izar, MD, PhD, a 2023 awardee. “Working with such experts this early on in my project has been invaluable. It’s allowed me to rapidly evolve my research into something that is not just scientifically compelling, but also strategically aligned with real-world therapeutic development.”

The program uses an “incubator” model, guiding investigators to quickly identify whether a project has commercial viability—a “fail fast” approach that sharpens scientific focus and prioritizes projects with the greatest translational potential. With this approach, ICDDP helps de-risk early-stage projects, making them more attractive to industry collaborators and investors.

“The program greatly amplifies the impact of Columbia’s groundbreaking medical research on patient care by helping shape early ideas into investable science,” says Joe Walker, member of the HICCC Cancer Advisory Council and the VP&S Board of Advisors. “ICDDP gives researchers the structure, mentorship, and strategic insight they need to translate innovation into new cancer therapies—and to do it in a way that resonates with industry as a way to accelerate the path to patients."

ICDDP supports projects across the full arc of early drug discovery and development—from target validation and hit identification to lead optimization and preclinical studies. The program's outcomes—enabled by funding and industry partnerships—include new intellectual property, active out-licensing negotiations for developed assets and early access for venture capital firms to evaluate promising projects, leading to increased interest in supporting them.

And most importantly, projects supported by ICDDP are accelerating the science to impact patients. Michael Shen, PhD, a 2022 awardee says that “funding from the ICDDP has enabled us to generate preclinical data that will be invaluable in supporting a future clinical trial for drug resistant prostate cancer.”

Beyond individual projects, ICDDP is also enhancing the broader culture of innovation across Columbia. In fall 2024, they launched the Innovation Lecture Series, which invites senior leaders from industry to engage directly with academic researchers in fireside chat discussions about the realities of drug discovery.

The first session featured Jeff Settleman, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Oncology R&D at Pfizer, a global leader in molecularly targeted cancer therapeutics and personalized medicine. “It’s widely recognized that the innovation coming from academic research has fueled many successful drug discovery programs, and the partnerships between academic institutions and biopharma companies can be highly productive,” says Settleman. “There’s a real opportunity for programs like ICDDP to serve as models for that kind of integrated innovation.”

That evolving culture complements and builds upon the existing efforts of Columbia Technology Ventures (CTV), which traditionally helps connect faculty with commercial-ready innovations to external partners. ICDDP fills a crucial upstream role in that pipeline—guiding investigators earlier in their discovery process, de-risking ideas and building the deep “data package” needed for projects to eventually enter more advanced commercialization pathways and launch new clinical trials.

“There is a growing openness among our faculty to engage with industry, and ICDDP is helping catalyze that shift,” says Maria Rahmany, director of business development and lab to market at Columbia Technology Ventures (CTV). “By creating structured opportunities for dialogue and mentorship from industry experts, we’re changing the conversation around industry partnerships.”

As the program enters its third year, ICDDP is expanding its reach—broadening mentorship, building new collaborative pathways, and deepening its ties to both academia and industry. With a strong cohort of projects and a growing network of scientific and strategic advisors, the program is poised for even greater impact.

“Our goal is to change how people think about what’s possible in academic research and make sure that we never miss an opportunity to translate a discovery that could have changed lives,” says Reya. “By building a more connected, translational ecosystem, we can help ensure that the most innovative science moves forward—and ultimately reaches the patients who need it most.”