Kristen Dahlgren, former NBC Correspondent and Cancer Vaccine Coalition founder, joins PICI as Chief External Affairs Officer
SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) today announced a strategic integration with the Cancer Vaccine Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing next-generation cancer immunotherapies, to accelerate the development and delivery of cancer vaccines, one of the most promising frontiers in cancer research. This integration comes as cancer vaccines—designed to train the immune system to recognize and attack tumors—enter a new phase of progress, marked by scientific breakthroughs, increased investment, and growing public and private support.
Together, PICI and the Cancer Vaccine Coalition will work to accelerate cancer vaccine research and development, helping to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and patient access. The partnership will support high-impact research, advance clinical trials, and back the most promising vaccine strategies with the greatest potential to benefit patients, particularly those at high risk of cancer recurrence.
“This is truly a ‘better together’ partnership, and we are thrilled to have Kristen and the Cancer Vaccine Coalition join PICI. The PICI mission to develop and increase access to breakthrough cancer therapies includes a major focus on therapeutic cancer vaccines, which are showing great promise in the clinical setting,” said Dr. Karen Knudsen, MBA Ph.D., CEO of PICI. “This integration of effort will allow our combined entity to support more groundbreaking discoveries, and will accelerate our ability to realize near-term patient benefit. Kristen and the Cancer Vaccine Coalition share our sense of urgency to turn all cancers into curable diseases, faster.”
As part of this partnership, Cancer Vaccine Coalition founder Kristen Dahlgren will join PICI as Chief External Affairs Officer, where she will lead efforts to expand awareness, mobilize resources, and accelerate progress in the field. Prior to forming the non profit Cancer Vaccine Coalition in 2024, Dahlgren was a long time Today Show and NBC Nightly News correspondent and a breast cancer survivor.
“We are seeing real momentum in cancer vaccine research—but as a survivor, I know how urgent it is to get that progress to patients,” said Dahlgren. “Joining forces with PICI, and its world-class network of investigators who are at the forefront of cancer vaccine research, allows us to move the most promising treatments even faster. I am more hopeful than ever that, together, we can transform what it means to face cancer.”
About the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI)
The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization driving the next generation of cancer treatment by accelerating the development of breakthrough immune therapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases. Founded in 2016 through the vision of Sean Parker, PICI unites the nation’s top cancer centers into a collaborative consortium that fuels high-risk, high-reward science with shared goals, data, and infrastructure. Unlike traditional research models, PICI goes beyond discovery by actively advancing promising innovations through clinical testing, company formation and incubation, and commercialization. PICI has supported more than 1,000 investigators across its network and has a portfolio that includes 17 biotech ventures with over $4B raised in capital. PICI is uniquely positioned to close the gap between scientific discovery and patient access. By integrating scientific excellence with entrepreneurial execution, PICI is reimagining how cures are made, and accelerating their path to the people who need them most. | Learn more about PICI: www.parkerici.org
About the Cancer Vaccine Coalition
The Cancer Vaccine Coalition (CVC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing next- generation cancer immunotherapies. Founded by survivors, scientists, and advocates, CVC is the only nonprofit organization solely focused on accelerating the development of cancer vaccines to treat cancer and prevent recurrence in cancer survivors. CVC supports the most promising research with the greatest potential for patient impact. To learn more, visit www.cancervaccinecoalition.org.
Media Contact:
Kate Kaminsky
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
(475) 213-3198
[email protected]
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SOURCE Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
