Uniting for a Cure: Chicago’s Bold New Model to Transform Breast Cancer Research
September 2, 2025
The Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium represents a bold new model: hospitals that once worked independently are now aligned to tackle breast cancer together, with the full support of philanthropy and the community. If successful, this approach could expand nationally, changing not just how breast cancer is studied and treated in Chicago, but across the country.
On September 2, the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation convened a powerful conversation at the City Club of Chicago, moderated by breast cancer survivor and Lynn Sage Executive Director, Kirstin Chernawsky. The panel featured Cancer Center Directors from each member institution of the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium: Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center; Leonidas C. Platanias, MD, PhD, Director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University; and Amina Ahmed, MD, Director of the RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center.
“The Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium is more than a partnership,” noted Kirstin Chernawsky. “It’s a proof point for how collaboration accelerates discovery and equity in breast cancer care.”
Expanding Access to Clinical Trials
The Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium is a groundbreaking partnership that unites the city’s three leading cancer centers to align research efforts, share data, and coordinate clinical trials. By coming together, the institutions are breaking down barriers that once limited patients to the clinical trials available only at their treating hospital. Now, patients across Chicago can access innovative trials without leaving the care of their trusted doctors.
“Clinical trials really are the engine room for discovery and for a cure,” said Dr. Odunsi. “It has important implications for our patients, allowing patients from all parts of Chicago to have access to innovative trials from these three preeminent institutions.”
The Power of Collaboration
By joining forces, Chicago’s leading cancer centers are breaking down silos to ensure discoveries move faster from the lab to the patients who need them most. Speakers emphasized that while each institution has long been a leader in oncology, collaboration is what will accelerate progress.
Dr. Odunsi shared his excitement: “I am so excited about this collaboration. It’s unique. It’s innovative. It’s transformative.”
As Dr. Amina Ahmed noted, “Chicago is a small big city. We’ve always collaborated informally. Now, with the Consortium, we have a shared platform to formally align and strengthen our impact.”
Dr. Leonidas Platanias added: “To coordinate this effort is a big deal and creates a new standard. This is an important first step that will make a big difference. Bringing together three major institutions with a specific goal is a big step, incentivizing the doctors to work together as one team. It also allows diversification of the clinical trials in larger groups in the different parts of the city that are covered by these institutions.”
As he explained, collaboration also fuels innovation: “Cancer is a complicated disease, so having a more diverse group of scientists and doctors who work together to develop clinical trials allows for the exchange of more new ideas.”
Innovation Driving Hope
The conversation also looked ahead to cutting-edge innovations transforming cancer care, including:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): helping physicians analyze vast amounts of research, identify clinical trial candidates, and personalize treatments.
- Cell therapies: reprogramming patients’ own cells to fight tumors.
- Next-generation prevention strategies: including the potential of early interventions that could stop cancer before it starts.
The Role of Philanthropy
While scientific innovation is moving rapidly, government funding remains uncertain. Currently, NIH R01 grants–the backbone of cancer research funding–are down considerably over the past year.
Philanthropy, through organizations like the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation, plays a critical role in bridging that gap. “We can’t push cancer research forward without the help of foundations,” said Dr. Ahmed.
Why Chicago, Why Now
Chicago faces stark health inequities. Breast cancer disproportionately impacts women of color, yet these populations remain underrepresented in clinical trials–the very studies that shape treatment options. Dr. Kunle Odunsi underscored the stakes: “If a drug is tested on 250 patients, and only two of them are African American, how can we be sure the treatment works equally well for everyone?”
The Consortium is designed to change that reality. By sharing data, aligning clinical trials, and ensuring research reflects the diversity of Chicago, the group is building a model that could one day be replicated in other cities nationwide and to address other forms of cancer.
Survivorship at the Center
Cancer research isn’t only about treatments–it’s about life after treatment. Survivorship is a growing area of focus as more patients live longer with or beyond cancer. The panelists highlighted the need for clinical trials that not only extend life but improve quality of life, supporting both physical and emotional well-being.
“Patients are living longer, and we want them to live better,” Dr. Amina Ahmed emphasized, underscoring the Consortium’s potential to support survivorship research.
Hope Through Collaboration
At Lynn Sage, we believe breast cancer can and will be eradicated through intentional, collaborative investment in research. The City Club event reaffirmed that belief, showcasing how Chicago’s brightest minds are working together to deliver hope, equity, and progress.