The Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s Efforts to Improve Screening, Awareness and Outcomes

Colorectal cancer remains one of the most pressing challenges in oncology. Despite being highly preventable and treatable when detected early, it is still the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the US overall. More concerning, recent data from the American Cancer Society show that colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer death among men and women under the age of 50.

Michael Sapienza, CEO, Colorectal Cancer Alliance

To better understand the efforts underway to improve outcomes, Xtalks spoke with Michael Sapienza, Chief Executive Officer of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

In this interview, Sapienza outlines how the organization is building research infrastructure, advancing adaptive clinical trials, expanding data access and addressing long-standing gaps in federal research prioritization.

Building a Research Engine Through Project Cure CRC

At the core of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s scientific strategy is Project Cure CRC, a national research funding initiative designed to accelerate innovation across the colorectal cancer continuum.

Over the past 18 months alone, the Alliance has funded approximately 33 research projects across the US, representing millions of dollars invested into both basic and translational science. These projects span multiple disease stages and biological questions, with the goal of generating actionable insights that can move quickly toward clinical application.

A major next step is the launch of a new adaptive clinical trial platform, designed to support signal-finding studies across several critical settings, including:

Neoadjuvant disease
Minimal residual disease (MRD)-positive patients
Refractory and late-stage colorectal cancer
Additional high-unmet-need populations

By enabling adaptive designs, the platform is intended to generate clearer efficacy signals more efficiently, while providing earlier go/no-go decisions for investigational therapies.

Addressing Screening Gaps and Awareness

Sapienza emphasizes that screening remains one of the most powerful and underutilized tools in colorectal cancer prevention. Delayed or absent screening continues to drive late-stage diagnoses, particularly among younger patients who may not meet traditional screening criteria.

To address this, the Alliance runs extensive screening awareness and education campaigns, including Lead From Behind, a high-profile initiative co-founded by actor and advocate Ryan Reynolds and his marketing agency Maximum Effort. The campaign aims to normalize conversations around screening and reduce stigma, using creative outreach to reach younger and underserved populations.

A Critical Federal Funding Gap in Colorectal Cancer Research

Despite its growing burden, colorectal cancer remains without a dedicated federal research program, a gap Sapienza describes as one of the most significant barriers to progress.

While recent Congressional budgets include increases in overall funding for the National Cancer Institute, colorectal cancer — unlike breast, prostate, pancreatic cancer, ALS and HIV/AIDS — does not have a named, disease-specific program.

“We still don’t have a dedicated program for colorectal cancer. We don’t have a dedicated program for young-onset colorectal cancer,” Sapienza said, referring to the federal research funding landscape.

Sapienza explains that when Congress appropriates funds to a specific program, it creates targeted calls for proposals that often support high-risk, high-reward science. Without this designation, colorectal cancer researchers must compete within broader funding pools at the National Institutes of Health, limiting the volume and diversity of innovative research entering the pipeline.

Collaboration and Data Infrastructure to Support Patient-Centered Research

Collaboration is a core element of how the Colorectal Cancer Alliance advances research, awareness and access to care. The organization works closely with groups such as the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Action Network on colorectal cancer screening, epidemiology and research data, including efforts to better understand the rise of young-onset disease. These partnerships help align priorities across the cancer community while avoiding duplication of effort.

In parallel, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance is investing in data infrastructure designed to better connect patients with research and clinical trial opportunities. A key component of this strategy is Blue HQ, a comprehensive online patient platform focused on biomarker education, clinical trial awareness and navigation and longitudinal patient engagement.

“We partnered with xCures around a new partnership around data sharing through our Blue HQ portal,” Sapienza said, noting that the collaboration is intended to help patients access up-to-date information through their electronic health records.

From an R&D perspective, these collaborations are expected to contribute to a more robust, research-ready data environment. By integrating patient-generated information with clinical and real-world data, the Alliance aims to support both informed patient decision-making and more efficient life sciences research.

How the Life Sciences Community Can Engage

Sapienza views the Alliance’s evolving infrastructure as a shared resource for the broader ecosystem. Through Project Cure CRC, the adaptive trial platform and the growing data lake, the organization is creating opportunities for:

Small biotech companies seeking early efficacy signals
Large pharmaceutical companies evaluating new mechanisms or combinations
Academic researchers exploring translational questions

“What we’re trying to do is give an opportunity to small biotech, large pharma to do signal-finding trials with quicker no-go signals at a cheaper price,” Sapienza said, pointing to the Alliance’s focus on improving efficiency while maintaining scientific rigor.

The intent is to support faster development timelines, lower trial costs and more efficient research execution, while helping patients access new treatments sooner. As Sapienza emphasized, improving survival in colorectal cancer will require not only new therapies, but also the infrastructure, data and partnerships needed to move those therapies through development and into clinical practice more effectively.