Casual Beginnings for an Innovative Collaboration

Jun 15, 2015 | News, Research & Innovation

This reflection was written by TCF volunteer Paul Oramasionwu.

On October 29, 2025, I spent the day at TargetCancer Foundation’s Think Tank on Advancing Precision Medicine in Rare Cancers at The State Room in Boston. I was there as a volunteer, managing check-in and keeping speakers on schedule (more nerve-wracking than it sounds), and I stayed through the reception to talk with clinicians, genetic counselors, researchers, and fellow supporters.

A bit of background: I’ve been volunteering with TargetCancer Foundation since 2019, mostly behind the scenes doing IT work. I build apps and scripts for data management and automation, and I troubleshoot tech issues as events come together. I do it because rare cancers are devastating and often overlooked, and it’s meaningful to use my skills in support of this work.

Great coverage of TargetCancer Foundation’s support of an innovative esophageal cancer collaboration at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

What started as a casual conversation over coffee has led to unexpected discoveries that are paving the way for effective use of immunotherapies to treat esophageal cancer.

Read the entire article here.

This article first appeared in Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Inside the Institute and is reprinted with permission.

You can also learn more about TargetCancer Foundation’s ongoing esophageal cancer research funding here.