Lopker Family Foundation
Accelerating Cures through Translational Medicine
Strategic Mission
The Lopker Family Foundation is dedicated to bridging the “Valley of Death” in cancer research. We provide the critical funding required to move promising laboratory discoveries through the rigorous transition to first-in-human clinical trials.
Our core philosophy is simple: Maximize the capital working in the lab to bring cancer cures to market as quickly as possible.
The Translational Gap
Most breakthrough therapies stall because academic grants often stop at discovery, while venture capital waits for human data. We fund the critical “Middle Mile”:
- Safety & Efficacy: Toxicity and efficacy studies.
- Regulatory Milestones: Pre-IND and IND (Investigational New Drug) applications.
- Clinical Readiness: Moving from a lab setting to first-in-human trials, novel combinations of investigational or approved drugs, or studies of breakthrough diagnostics to guide therapy.
Portfolio of Impact
We partner with public universities in cancer research that are NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers. We prioritize institutions that lead in innovation despite having smaller unrestricted endowments than their private counterparts.
Stewardship & Efficiency
With $100M in assets and $5M in annual donations, we maintain a lean, high-impact operational model.
- Grant Size: Typically $200,000 - $300,000 per project.
- Scientist-Led: All projects are vetted by a board of volunteer scientists ensuring technical merit and clinical viability.
- Administrative Cap: To maximize the capital working in the lab, we cap administrative/indirect costs allowed from our donations at 5%, up to a maximum of $20,000. This cap represents the total allowable amount for overhead; the department will not be expected to cover any additional difference to meet a university set rate.
Selected Funding Portfolio
The following projects represent selected current commitments to high-potential therapies currently moving through the translational pipeline or active clinical trials.
| Institution | Focus | Key Project / Trial |
|---|---|---|
| Fred Hutch | Pancreas | Phase 1b Trial: Investigating CDK7 inhibitors in aggressive basal-subtype pancreatic cancer. |
| Fred Hutch | Leukemia | Combination Therapy: Venetoclax + CLAG-M trial for relapsed/refractory AML. |
| Fred Hutch | Prostate | PSMA Upregulation: Using epigenetic modifiers to make “low-PSMA” tumors vulnerable to radioligand therapy. |
| UCLA (JCCC) | Ovarian | CATALINA-2 Trial: Targeting the CLDN6 (Claudin 6) protein in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. |
| UCLA (JCCC) | Breast | Next-Gen Antibody-Drug Conjugates and CDK inhibitors to bypass treatment resistance. |
| U. Washington | Prostate | Selective Glycolysis Inhibitors Research: Molecular drivers of advanced prostate cancer. |
| U. Maryland | Thoracic | Surgical Innovation: Laboratory validation for lung/esophageal cancer surgical outcomes. |