OUR STORY
The Journey. The Cure.
FROM THE FOUNDER
Redefining Access to Cancer Care
In 1953 my father, Oliver R. Grace Sr., together Helen Coley Nauts, founded the US based Cancer Research Institute (CRI) with a grant from Nelson Rockefeller, Thanks to generous philanthropic donations since, the CRI pioneered the funding of cancer immunology research at a time the field was only just emerging, and essentially kept the field alive in the early years.
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I grew up being inspired by the visionary approach of the scientists around me. Today, I am immensely proud to see the tangible impact their work is producing today.
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Yet there is still so much to be done, which is what drove me to create the Impact Cancer Foundation dedicated to the ground-breaking activities of the Swiss Cancer Center Léman (SCCL) in cancer immunology. I am confident that we can help transform the SCCL into one of the most innovative and impactful cancer centres in Europe, with a solution for each and every patient.
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John Grace
Founder & President
Impact Cancer Foundation
1890-1936
SPONTANEOUS REMISSION OF TUMORS OBSERVED
Dr. Willam B. Coley pioneers the non-surgical treatment of cancer and keeps extensive unpublished notes on patient records where he observed spontaneous remission of tumours in a considerable number of cases.
Dr. William B. Coley
The "Father of Cancer Immunotherapy"
1936 - 1953
Helen Coley Nauts with her Father, Dr. William B. Coley
HELEN COLEY PUBLISHES HER FATHER'S RESULTS
Helen Coley Nauts came across her father's unpublished patient records after his death. Without a medical education nor financial backing, Helen spent decades reviewing her father's work and published her findings. Her work caught the medical community's interest in exploring the link between cancer and the immune system.