DOverview
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute provides cancer treatment and research services in Boston, serving both adult and pediatric patients. It combines patient care with a broad program of clinical trials and basic, translational, and collaborative research to advance cancer treatments. Treatments include personalized care and access to more than 700 clinical trials, aiming to tailor therapies to the patient’s tumor profile and disease type, often through targeted therapies, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical options offered at multiple treatment centers and satellite sites. The Institute differentiates itself through its affiliation with Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, its long history of cancer research breakthroughs, nationwide and international reach, and the Jimmy Fund to support patients and research. Its goal is to defeat cancer by delivering expert care while rapidly translating research discoveries into new treatments for patients everywhere.
Work here?Claim your company
About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Industries
Company Size
5,001-10,000
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$54.9M
Headquarters
Boston, MA
Founded
1947
Get referred to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's take
What believers are saying
- The October 24, 2026 DeLLphi-305 data extended overall survival 8+ months versus durvalumab alone.
- Dana-Farber's June 24, 2026 FDA wins on sacituzumab and PATINA validate its translational engine.
- The October 29, 2026 Nature Medicine colorectal study strengthens its research brand with collaborators.
What critics are saying
- The December 16, 2025 DOJ settlement admitted falsified NIH grant publications across 14 articles.
- That fraud history threatens NIH trust, grant renewals, and faculty recruitment through 2027.
- Mass General Brigham's rival cancer institute and new buildings intensify competition for surgeons and referrals.
What makes Dana-Farber Cancer Institute unique
- On October 19, 2026, Dana-Farber opened Lavine Bekenstein, the region's only dedicated inpatient cancer hospital.
- Its October 2026 BIDMC transition moves breast oncology outpatient care and surgery into one system.
- Jacob Sands' October 24, 2026 ESMO result made Dana-Farber a first-line small-cell leader.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Funding
Total Funding
$54.9M
Above
Industry Average
Funded Over
4 Rounds
Benefits
- Remote Work Options
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
15%1 year growth
16%2 year growth
16%Immunotherapy combo extends survival for patients with aggressive small cell lung cancer, based on trial results presented by Dana-Farber at ESMO Congress 2026. Posted date October 24, 2026 Results suggest that introducing tarlatamab, a bispecific T-cell engager, earlier in treatment could meaningfully extend survival for a broader group of patients. In patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), tarlatamab, a bispecific T-cell engager, plus durvalumab as first-line maintenance therapy extended median overall survival by more than eight months, more than tripled progression-free survival, and reduced the risk of death by 58% compared to durvalumab alone, according to results of the phase 3 open-label, multicenter, randomized DeLLphi-305 study, which was presented by Jacob Sands, MD, Associate Chief of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, during the Presidential Symposium at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 in Madrid, Spain, on Oct. 24. Overall survival benefits were consistent across subgroups, including patients with brain and liver metastases. The landmark interim phase 3 results were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine. "This trial is positive in every way. We have seen substantial improvement in median progression-free survival, substantial improvement in median overall survival, and we're improving the time of disease control substantially for a broader group of patients than what we've seen from any prior study and any prior treatment," says Sands. "This immunotherapy combination sets a new standard of care with tarlatamab plus durvalumab in the maintenance setting after induction chemotherapy plus durvalumab." The DeLLphi-305 is the first phase 3 study including a bispecific T-cell engager therapy to demonstrate an overall survival benefit in the first-line maintenance setting for ES-SCLC. Tarlatamab is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a later line of therapy, and this study shows it may be even more effective in the first-line maintenance setting. ES-SCLC is one of the most aggressive forms of lung cancer and advances to metastatic disease earlier than other types of lung cancer. Approximately 80% of patients with SCLC are diagnosed with extensive-stage disease. Standard initial treatment combines chemotherapy and an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Median survival with first-line therapy has been 12 to 13 months, and frontline gains have been limited. This is what makes the median overall survival in DeLLphi-305 of 21.1 months so meaningful. The trial included 563 patients with ES-SCLC who had received standard first-line treatment with durvalumab plus platinum and etoposide chemotherapy and had not progressed. Patients were randomized one-to-one to receive first-line maintenance therapy with either tarlatamab plus durvalumab or durvalumab alone. Tarlatamab is a bispecific T-cell engager designed to bind to CD3 proteins on immune cells called T cells and to DLL3 proteins on small cell lung cancer cells. The drug is designed to pull the cell types closer together and enhance the anti-cancer effects of the immune system. At one year, nearly 80% of patients treated with the combination therapy remained alive compared to 53% with durvalumab alone. At a median follow-up of 13.9 months, the combination therapy reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 66% compared to durvalumab alone, with a median progression-free survival of 7.4 months versus 1.9 months. Six times as many patients showed anti-cancer activity with the combination compared with durvalumab alone. "Given the aggressive nature of small cell lung cancer, many patients quickly relapse on current therapy and never reach second-line treatment," says Sands. "These patients do not have time to wait, making substantial progress in the first-line setting critically important. Today's remarkable results signify the opportunity to help significantly more patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer achieve meaningfully longer survival." Side effects of the combination therapy were consistent with individual agents and included low and abnormally low neutrophil count, decreased appetite, fatigue and weight loss. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) occurred in 49.6% of patients and was most commonly grade 1 or 2, and most were resolved with supportive care. The DeLLphi-305 trial is sponsored by Amgen, with partial funding and durvalumab provided by AstraZeneca. Related Doctors and Researchers Media Contacts If you are a journalist and have a question about this story, please call 617-632-4090 and ask to speak to a member of the media team, or email [email protected]. The Media Team cannot respond to patient inquiries. For more information, please see Contact Us. Jacob Sands, MD, Associate Chief of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, presented data in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer in the Presidential Symposium at the ESMO Congress 2026.
Basser Center for BRCA awards 2026 Global Prize to Judy Garber. Posted date October 23, 2026 Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH, of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute is the recipient of the 2026 Basser Global Prize. Awarded by the Basser Center for BRCA at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, the Basser Global Prize recognizes a leading scientist who has advanced BRCA1 and BRCA2-related research. Individuals with mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are at an increased risk of breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. Garber is a pioneering cancer geneticist and medical oncologist whose work has transformed the care of people with inherited BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. She has helped establish cancer genetics as a core part of breast cancer care, leading efforts to identify people at high genetic risk, improve prevention strategies, and develop more effective treatments. Through her research and clinical leadership at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Garber has helped translate discoveries about BRCA-related cancers into treatments and care guidelines that are now used around the world. "The Basser Global Prize honors leaders whose discoveries have changed the course of BRCA-related cancer research, and Dr. Judy Garber's contributions have been instrumental in that progress," said Susan M. Domchek, MD, executive director of the Basser Center for BRCA. "For decades, Dr. Garber has combined scientific insight, clinical innovation, and unwavering dedication to patients to advance our understanding of inherited cancer risk and improve care for people with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. Her leadership has shaped the field of cancer genetics and helped bring life-changing therapies to patients." Influencing new standards of care for BRCA cancers One of Garber's most important contributions was recognizing how the biology of BRCA-associated cancers could be used to guide treatment. She led the first neoadjuvant clinical trial using the chemotherapy medicine cisplatin for patients with basal-like breast cancer, an aggressive subtype that is common among women with BRCA1 mutations. The trial showed promising rates of complete tumor response and helped lay the foundation for a new approach to treating these cancers. Her research program subsequently expanded into larger national and international studies evaluating therapies that target DNA repair weaknesses in BRCA-associated tumors. Garber also played a key role in advancing PARP inhibitors, a class of drugs designed to exploit DNA repair defects in cancer cells. Her translational research focuses on the evaluation of novel agents targeting DNA repair defects in breast cancer, including PARP inhibitors for treatment and prevention of breast cancer and other BRCA-associated cancers. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2021, the study demonstrated significant clinical benefit and led to olaparib becoming a standard treatment for many patients with inherited BRCA mutations. Garber is the Susan F. Smith Chair and Chief of the Division of Cancer Genetics and Prevention at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and founder of the Dana-Farber Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic. She received her MD and MPH from Yale University School of Medicine and completed medical residency and fellowship training in hematology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and in medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "I am tremendously honored to be recognized by the Basser Center, whose leadership in accelerating effective options for BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers has also raised the profile of inherited cancer internationally, ensuring progress in early detection, interception and treatment for this growing community," said Garber. Garber will give the keynote address at the 15th annual Basser Center Scientific Symposium, taking place April 13-14, 2027. The Basser Global Prize provides $100,000 in unrestricted support of the winner's BRCA1 and BRCA2-related research efforts, a Basser sculpture, and a $10,000 personal prize, which will be awarded at the symposium. The Basser Global Prize was established and endowed by Shari Potter and Leonard Potter, following the establishment of the Basser Center in 2012 by University of Pennsylvania alumni Mindy and Jon Gray in memory of Mindy and Shari's sister Faith Basser, who died of ovarian cancer at age 44. Cancer Genetics Related Doctors and Researchers Media Contacts If you are a journalist and have a question about this story, please call 617-632-4090 and ask to speak to a member of the media team, or email [email protected]. The Media Team cannot respond to patient inquiries. For more information, please see Contact Us. Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH
Breast Cancer Research Foundation investigators gather to discuss latest breakthroughs. Investigators from around the world met to connect and collaborate on groundbreaking breast cancer research The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) held its annual scientific conference on October 15. This year's day-long retreat was the largest in BCRF's history, attended by a record-breaking 200 researchers. Presented by the Foundation's research team, the event is an opportunity for BCRF's global network of scientists to collaborate with their colleagues and share important updates in breast cancer research. For early career investigators building their research careers, the conference is an opportunity to network, connect with established peers, and showcase their own work. This year's Jill Rose Award was presented to Dr. Kornelia (Nelly) Polyak, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Polyak received the award in recognition of her pioneering research on cancer development and the immune microenvironment. Most recently, she builds on her body of work to focus on breast cancer in younger women. Dr. Polyak has been a BCRF investigator since 2008. Breakout groups allowed investigators to discuss current topics in breast cancer research and present their work in smaller, more focused sessions. The groups were divided into a wide range of research interests, including AI in breast cancer research, early onset breast cancer, immunotherapy, disparities in treatment outcomes, prevention, and more. Support research with a legacy gift. Sample, non-binding bequest language: I give to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, located in New York, NY, federal tax identification number 13-3727250, ________% of my total estate (or $_____). Knowledge is power. Connect on social. Follow BCRF on all the major platforms for research news, inspiring stories, and more.
Dana-Farber, Beth Israel begin construction of new $1.68 billion cancer hospital. The milestone marks a new phase in their escalating competition with Mass General Brigham over cancer care. By Marin Wolf Globe Staff, Updated October 19, 2026, 1 hour ago Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Lahey Health began construction Monday on their new $1.68 billion Boston hospital to treat cancer patients, the only medical center of its kind in New England. The clanking of cranes slated to descend over the Longwood site also brings the impending divorce of Dana-Farber and its longtime partner, Brigham and Women's Hospital, one step closer. Meanwhile, Brigham's parent, Mass General Brigham, has launched its own rival cancer institute and is constructing new buildings and renovating other spaces to compete. "We've been talking about it an enormous amount, what the hospital will mean, what we will be able to accomplish with a cancer-focused hospital," said Dr. Benjamin Ebert, Dana-Farber's chief executive. "But seeing the construction and really imagining what it's going to look like and what we're going to be able to do is motivating."
BIDMC and Dana-Farber bring new care model and treatment advances to breast cancer patients as part of collaboration. October 16, 2026 BOSTON - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute announced that on October 19, clinical services for breast oncology will fully transition to a new model that delivers outstanding multidisciplinary care as part of a clinical collaboration between the two hospitals. Outpatient breast oncology services will be provided at Dana-Farber, home to the largest clinical breast cancer program in New England, while breast cancer surgical services will be provided by a renowned team of surgeons at BIDMC from Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC (HMFP). Breast oncology is the first treatment center to transition as part of a phased approach that will happen over the next several years. The surgical team is led by Elizabeth Mittendorf, MD, PhD, MHCM, Chief of the Division of Breast Surgery at BIDMC; chief of Multi-Disciplinary Oncology at Dana-Farber; and co-leader of the Breast Program for the Harvard Cancer Consortium. Mittendorf also serves as President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), a role in which she helps shape and inform oncology care across the country. She is internationally recognized as a groundbreaking innovator in immunotherapy for breast cancer. Previously, Mittendorf was the Rob and Karen Hale Endowed Chair of Surgical Oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "I've had the privilege of working side-by-side with this team of breast surgeons and can confidently say they are among the best in the world - passionate about delivering the best possible care for our patients while also collaborating with our multi-disciplinary colleagues to drive clinical excellence and future innovations in breast cancer care," said Mittendorf. "Our new care model allows us to deliver extraordinary, highly personalized care to patients while pushing the boundaries of innovation in cancer research." More personalized care with AI mammography. BIDMC was the first hospital in the country to offer Clairity Breast, the first FDA-authorized artificial intelligence software that analyzes a woman's routine mammogram to help determine whether they are at risk of developing breast cancer in the future. Clairity Breast supplements the standard screening mammogram to generate an individual's five-year risk of developing breast cancer. "Incorporating Clairity is part of our broader breast cancer screening effort to make risk assessments more accessible," said Mittendorf. "We are the first hospital in the country to offer this service, which will hopefully allow us to find breast cancers in the earliest and most treatable stages, and deliver more personalized screenings for women." To date, 125 women have utilized the Clairity screening tool at BIDMC with 550 additional screening appointments scheduled in the coming months. Largest portfolio of Breast cancer clinical trials continues to grow. Dana-Farber is home to the largest portfolio of breast cancer clinical trials in New England. These scientific studies are designed to evaluate new and promising treatments - including drugs, diagnostic procedures, and other therapies - in patients to help determine their safety and effectiveness. Nearly all cancer drugs in use today have undergone testing in clinical trials. "Clinical trials are the bedrock of cancer research, helping to advance new medicines and further improve care practices," said Sara Tolaney, MD, MPH, Chief of Breast Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "Importantly, clinical trials also give our patients the opportunity to benefit from new and potentially groundbreaking therapies, in many instances, long before they are approved by the FDA. We are proud to offer a large and growing portfolio of clinical trials for every type of breast cancer so that our patients have access to the best possible medicines and practices." Clinical trials are available at Dana-Farber for every type of breast cancer - from early-stage to metastatic disease, as well as rare subtypes such as male breast cancer and inflammatory breast cancer. Surgical clinical trials are also available at BIDMC to help alleviate lymphedema, improve breast reconstruction, advance less invasive surgical techniques and enhance quality of life. In just the past year, three new breast cancer therapies have been approved by the FDA based on Dana-Farber-led clinical studies which have set a new standard of care for HER2+ metastatic breast cancer, triple-negative metastatic breast cancer and hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. Multidisciplinary, patient-centered care. "Breast cancer is not one disease, but rather a series of very specific subtypes that require different therapies and approaches, each tailored to the individual patient," said Mittendorf. "As surgeons at BIDMC, we are working hand-in-glove with our colleagues in breast oncology at Dana-Farber, and radiation oncology, pathology, reconstructive surgery, and across other disciplines to deliver the best possible care and outcomes for our patients." Beyond expert surgical and clinical care, breast cancer patients at Dana-Farber and BIDMC have access to fertility preservation services to help women undergoing cancer treatment preserve their ability to start a family, psychosocial support, genetic testing to inform future cancer risk and guide treatment decisions, expert geriatric care, and complementary therapies to ease treatment-related symptoms. Dana-Farber has also established leading evidenced-based programs and centers of excellence to support patients with specific breast cancer types such as Young and Strong which offers tailored support for the unique needs of young women with breast cancer, EMBRACE for patients living with metastatic breast cancer, the program for older adults with breast cancer, among many others specialties. Meanwhile, BIDMC is home to the Boston Lymphatic Center which provides leading care for patients effected by lymphedema, a common and difficult breast cancer side effect, as well as Comprehensive Breast Care Center which offers multidisciplinary, comprehensive risk assessment, surveillance and prevention program for women known to be at increased risk and for those interested in learning about their risk for breast cancer. "No two patients are exactly alike, which is why we design our therapies and support programs for each individual we care for," said Tolaney. "We are excited to offer our patients an even broader portfolio of resources and expert care through our collaboration with our colleagues at BIDMC and to further grow our personalized breast cancer care model." About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a leading academic medical center, where extraordinary care is supported by high-quality education and research. BIDMC is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a healthcare system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education. Director, Media Relations Sarah finlaw. Please note: The contact information above is for journalists and news media only. For patient care and all other inquiries, please contact your doctor or hospital directly.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is Hiring for 311 Jobs on Simplify!
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today
Don't see your dream role? Check out thousands of other roles on Simplify.Browse all jobs
About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Industries
Company Size
5,001-10,000
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$54.9M
Headquarters
Boston, MA
Founded
1947
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is Hiring for 311 Jobs on Simplify!
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today
Don't see your dream role? Check out thousands of other roles on Simplify.Browse all jobs