The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) connects over 100 academic cancer centers through collaboration and communication. There is strength in numbers, and we are better together.

Through the Defending Cancer Research Digest, AACI is keeping members informed and educating the public on the tangible benefits of research funded by the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute.

Please read through these stories and share them widely on social media, through your institutions' communication channels, and in your communities. And continue to send us stories and videos from your cancer centers and local media, especially those featuring patients.



Follow AACI on social media and tag us in your posts. Please our hashtags, #DefendingCancerResearch and #CancerResearchSavesLives to help amplify our messages.

Dr. Sachin Apte on the Importance of Cancer Research at Huntsman Cancer Institute

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

Sachin Apte, MD, MBA, MS, chief clinical officer and physician-in-chief of Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah, explains how cancer research is "at the bedrock" of cancer care at HCI, throughout the U.S., and across the globe. Video courtesy of ‪‪@huntsmancancerinstitute7914‬‬. Watch Video

United States

Clinical Trials and Research Training Stalled as Billions in NIH Funds Sit Idle

AAMC

A new AAMC analysis shows that the NIH committed to U.S. institutions nearly $5 billion less in research grants in the past year than in the year before, the result of disruptions and slowdowns in the processes for awarding federal grants. This growing gap in grant funding begs the question: Why leave money for medical research unused when people are still waiting for cures? Read More

Trump Illegally Froze 1,800 NIH Medical Research Grants, Congress Watchdog Says

Government Executive

President Donald Trump's freeze on $8 billion of congressionally appropriated funding to the National Institutes of Health was illegal, the Government Accountability Office reported. Orders Trump signed in the early days of his return to office and related administration directives violated the Impoundment Control Act by failing to spend money that Congress, which holds the power of the purse under the Constitution, had approved, the GAO report said. Read More

American First? Not When it Comes to Your Health.

New York Times

They hoped to make tomorrow’s medicines. Then came Trump. Watch Opinion Video

Rhode Island

Dr. Wafik El-Deiry, director of the Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University.

Wafik El-Deiry Advocates for State Support of Cancer Research to Better Serve Rhode Island Communities

OncoDaily

The Rhode Island state budget included zero support this year for the cancer center we have been building for the people of Rhode Island. Despite years of requests, we have been denied any support as we work towards achieving and sustaining the highest national standards for research, clinical trials and community programs. Such national designation (National Cancer Institute or NCI designation) has been supported by state budget line items in many other states for decades. Read More



The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) strongly supports the cancer research components of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) bill.

Approved July 31 by a vote of 26-to-3, the bill includes $7.374 billion for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), an increase of $150 million over FY25, and $48.7 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a $400 million boost compared to the previous fiscal year, according to an analysis by Democrats on the committee. It also provides $1.5 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, known as ARPA-H.

AACI extends its gratitude to U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), chair of the Senate LHHS appropriations subcommittee, and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), ranking member, who collaborated on the bill. Read the Full Statement

Since the passage of the National Cancer Act in 1971, Congress has demonstrated unwavering bipartisan support for cancer research. Americans have seen significant returns on these investments, including a reduction in deaths from cancer by 34 percent over the past 30 years. But the Fiscal Year 2026 federal budget proposal could erase decades of progress with the stroke of a pen. 

The proposed budget would slash funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by over 40 percent – from $47 billion to $26.7 billion. Continued reductions in force and the termination of numerous grants and contracts also threaten the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Cancer Centers Program, which have driven major advances in cancer screening, prevention, and treatment for over 50 years. These cuts will have disastrous consequences for the future of biomedical research, and for patients with cancer.

Copyright 2025 | Association of American Cancer Institutes