The Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) is collaborating with Tempus to support a postdoctoral research fellowship focused on accelerating kidney cancer research through artificial intelligence and precision medicine. Applications for this fellowship are open now.
The selected postdoctoral fellow will be hired as a Tempus employee and receive funding to complete a research project over 2 years. The fellow will benefit from a panel of expert mentors and access to Tempus’ library of de-identified multimodal data and its powerful analytical platform, Lens, to achieve their research objectives.
“Through this exciting collaboration, the KCA can bring access to Tempus’ comprehensive clinicogenomic database to world-renowned kidney cancer experts,” said Dr. Salvatore La Rosa, the KCA’s Chief Scientific Officer. “In collaborating with Tempus and key subject matter experts to delve into and analyze de-identified patient data, we are excited about the possibility of potentially initiating new projects in the future that could ignite further research and lead to progress in kidney cancer treatment and understanding.”
“This fellowship is a great opportunity to work hand-in-hand with the KCA to support a fellowship focused on kidney cancer research,” said Justin Guinney, PhD, Senior Vice President of Cancer Genomics at Tempus. “We look forward to equipping the selected fellow with Tempus tools and data to help advance their research.”
The fellow will bring their own research strengths and interests to projects that could include, for example, how kidney cancer responds to immunotherapy, improving the accuracy of RCC diagnoses, and exploring the genetics of rare kidney cancer types.
An expert panel will guide and mentor the fellow, including:
Gigi Cohen and her husband Michael Levin have generously committed to support this fellowship. Cohen, who was diagnosed with a rare type of kidney cancer called chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC), holds a degree in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University and is an executive at Magid Glove & Safety, a personal protective equipment company. The fellowship appealed to her technical background as well as her belief in data-driven paths to cancer cures. Cohen will also represent the crucial patient voice on the mentorship panel.
“Having personally faced chromophobe kidney cancer, this is an exciting partnership with Tempus,” Cohen said. This partnership combines the expert panel’s knowledge and insights with Tempus’ powerful analytical platform and comprehensive database. It’s a privilege to support this exciting work.”
Over 600,000 people live with kidney cancer in the US and nearly 82,000 people are expected to receive a kidney cancer diagnosis this year. While kidney cancer is among the top 10 cancers diagnosed in the US annually, it is underfunded compared with other top 10 cancers such as melanoma or pancreatic cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.[1]
“People with kidney cancer, particularly those diagnosed with a rare type or at an advanced stage, have fewer options when it comes to treatments, access to clinical trials, and maintaining good quality of life,” La Rosa said.
The postdoctoral research fellowship is an open position, and interested candidates can apply here. Supporters who want to continue to advance kidney cancer research are encouraged to make a donation to the Kidney Cancer Association.
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About Tempus
Tempus is a technology company advancing precision medicine through the practical application of artificial intelligence in healthcare. With one of the world’s largest libraries of clinical and molecular data, and an operating system to make that data accessible and useful, Tempus enables physicians to make near real-time, data-driven decisions to deliver personalized patient care and in parallel facilitates discovery, development and delivery of optimal therapeutics. The goal is for each patient to benefit from the treatment of others who came before by providing physicians with tools that learn as the company gathers more data. For more information, visit tempus.com.
About the Kidney Cancer Association
The Kidney Cancer Association is a global community dedicated to serving and empowering patients and caregivers, and leading change through advocacy, research, and education in order to be the universal leader in finding the cure for kidney cancer. Founded in 1990 by Eugene P. Schonfeld and a small group of patients and doctors in Chicago, Illinois, the KCA has grown into an international non-profit organization based in Houston, Texas. The KCA promotes scientific advances through two annual research symposiums and a robust grant program, participates in legislative advocacy, and seeks to be a source of education and resources for patients, caregivers, and anyone impacted by kidney cancer.
[1] Current grants by cancer type. American Cancer Society. (2024, February 1). https://amp.cancer.org/research/currently-funded-cancer-research/grants-by-cancer-type.html
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