Sparking better journeys in cancer care; that’s what the Astellas Oncology C3 (Changing Cancer Care) Prize is all about. This year the C3 Prize is granting up to $200,000 in total funds, awarding four innovators tackling core challenges in cancer care. All winners will be provided with access to tools and resources to help them develop and advance their idea.

Nine semi-finalists have been chosen from an unprecedented number of innovative and thoughtful submissions to move forward to the next round. After the semi-finalists participate in a thorough interview process with a panel of expert judges who are leaders in business, innovation and healthcare, the judges will select three finalists who will travel to New York City in October to present their ideas live. Ultimately, one Grand Prize winner will be awarded $100,000 and two Innovation Prize winners will receive $45,000 each to advance their ideas.

This year, judges will also choose one Emerging Ideas winner, a first for the program, who will be awarded $10,000. The Emerging Ideas Prize recognizes ideas with high potential impact for patients and caregivers that may need additional cultivation before implementing.

Focusing on the cancer care journey, cancer survivorship, and cancer health disparities, the 2019 semi-finalists submitted groundbreaking ideas that each have the potential to improve the lives of people impacted by cancer. Read about their great ideas.

Grand Prize/Innovation Prize Semi-Finalists

Alan Gross and Jane Townsend - Find-Me-A-Clinical-Trial

Idea: Launch Find-Me-A-Clinical-Trial, an independent organization which will support patients who want to consider participating in a clinical trial by helping them objectively uncover options, organize their information, and coordinate submissions and follow-up.

Audrey Guth, Nanny Angel Network

Idea: Expand the reach and impact of Nanny Angel Network, which trains Nanny Angels to care for children whose mothers have cancer once a week for one year, providing stability, normalcy, and support during a challenging time.

Daniella Koren, ARCHES Technology

Idea: Expand a digital patient education and engagement program called MyCareCompass that provides relevant information and evidence-based education to people impacted by cancer throughout their treatment journey.

Jack Yi, Joseph Nolan, and Ping King - Blend to Mend Nutrition

Idea: Launch a company offering personalized, whole food-based meal replacement smoothies tailored to the nutritional needs, treatments, and schedules of individuals with cancer – so that patients and caregivers don’t have to worry about where or how they’ll get nutrition.

Leslie Schover, Will2Love

Idea: Create tools to empower cancer survivors in specific populations and their loved ones by expanding Will2Love, which provides education and expert guidance on reproductive health to help people impacted by cancer manage their sexual health and fertility.

Dom Raban, Xploro®

Idea: Expand the availability of Xploro, a digital application for young cancer patients designed to deliver health information by using augmented reality, gameplay and artificial intelligence in order to reduce anxiety, educate and foster better engagement.  

Emerging Ideas Prize Semi-Finalists

Robert Downey, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Idea: Test and understand the efficacy of a specialized, tourniquet-style cuff worn by a patient during standard procedures like blood draws and IV insertion, designed to improve the accuracy and ease of vein access, and reduce the rate of painful, unsuccessful vein access failures.

Abby Westerman, b-present Foundation

Idea: Extend the reach of b-there, a web-based patient and supporter connection tool to lower the barrier for young adults with cancer to stay connected with friends, offering a quick, easy, low-stress way to control visits, convey status updates and request needed items.

Amy Westermann, ClinWiki

Idea: Enhance and expand ClinWiki, a website that contains clinical trial information using both publicly available information and crowd-sourced contributions to improve access to clinical trial information for everyone.

Stay Connected

To learn more about this year’s C3 Prize Live Pitch Event and the panel of judges, visit the C3 Prize website. Also, follow #C3Prize and Astellas Oncology on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to see the latest updates – including the finalist announcement in early October.