Progress. Support. Together. Annual Impact Report 2025
global community dedicated to serving and empowering patients and caregivers, and leading change through advocacy, research, and education. Our vision is to be the universal leader in finding the cure for kidney cancer.
and CEO and Board Chair Our leadership remains committed to advancing science, strengthening patient support, and building a collaborative global community. The Kidney Cancer Association is a driving force in the global kidney cancer community. Together with patients, families, clinicians, researchers, and many other advocate partners, it’s our privilege to work to ensure that no one faces kidney cancer alone. Our role is to connect people with the resources that accelerate progress, deliver meaningful care, and make an impact for patients today and in the future. In 2025, we made important strides toward better outcomes for people affected by kidney cancer. With your support, we invested in innovative research that is expanding scientific understanding and shaping the next generation of treatments. We supported collaborative, data-driven initiatives that are translating research discoveries into realworld advances and improving how kidney cancer is understood and treated. Equally important, we strengthened support for patients and caregivers at every stage of the cancer journey. By expanding our trusted education, global resources, and peer connections, we reached more individuals and families than ever before. Through strong international partnerships and advocacy efforts, we amplified the voice of the kidney cancer community and championed increased government investment in research that will benefit patients for years to come. Progress against kidney cancer is made possible through collaboration. Whether you are a patient, caregiver, researcher, healthcare provider, industry partner, or advocate, your commitment drives this momentum forward. Together, we are building a future defined by innovation, support, and hope—one where advances in research translate into longer, better lives for all affected by kidney cancer. With gratitude and hope, Gretchen E. Vaughan President and CEO
expand its reach, accelerating research, enhancing mentoring for budding kidney cancer advocates, amplifying our voice in legislative advocacy, and building innovative programs that directly support patients and families. I was personally pleased to participate in a number of initiatives driving kidney cancer education. On the patient side, countering misinformation with evidence-backed information offered in creative ways across our website, social media, and patient meetings was a major theme. For our scientific community, we continued to host our flagship International Kidney Cancer Symposia and offer research grants, but with a renewed focus on early-career clinicians who will be the innovators and leaders of tomorrow. As both a physician and a member of the KCA community, I know that true hope comes from individuals on the ground facing the incredible challenge of living each day with kidney cancer. It is their courage that gives me hope and fuels our passion for a better future. It is forever my honor to serve at the forefront of this extraordinary organization dedicated to that better future. Working alongside a dedicated team as well as clinicians, researchers, patients, caregivers, advocates, and industry partners, we share a single, unwavering mission: improving the lives of those affected by kidney cancer and ultimately eliminating this disease. Thank you for your belief in our purpose and your commitment to our mission! Gratefully, Dr. Bradley C. Leibovich Chair, KCA Board of Directors
to transform ideas into treatments and tools that directly impact patient care. 100 LIFETIME RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS $7+M IN LIFETIME INVESTMENTS 100 LIFETIME GRANTS FUNDED Brief description here about the above? Nobit, is explaci denimeturi aut quiam sit des enimossequis arunt labor rent molupta tusdae solorest ducilit omnimus, ut hil inulpa audanissi volo mod ulloreserum fugiat que landam et quod quat laut ab iunt explias rehent min natur, ut aut as ius nonsendi ut aut quia voloreprem voluptaspis dolectur re.
Trailblazer Award $75,000 Trailblazer Award $75,000 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Nuclear Speckles as Prognostic and Predictive Indicators in ccRCC MD Anderson Cancer Center Interrogating the Role of TRIP13 in Sarcomatoid Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma Katherine Alexander, PhD Interdisciplinary Medicine Focus Award in partnership with the Michael and Ina Korek Foundation $75,000 Ken Batai, PhD Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Investigation of relationship between weight history and abdominal adiposity and their influence on survival Niki Zacharias Millward, PhD Trailblazer Award in partnership with Kure It Cancer Research $75,000 Miguel Zugman, MD City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Stool microbiome assessment in a randomized phase I trial of nivolumab and ipilimumab with or without EXL01 in the first-line treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) Pediatric Kidney Cancer Focus Award in partnership with Joey’s Wings Foundation $75,000 Ritesh Kotecha, MD Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center GPNMB-CAR T Cell Therapy for Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma Kidney Cancer AssociationCancer Research Institute Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program Investigator $150,000 Sidi Chen, PhD Yale Cancer Center Initial development of a CART-drug conjugate against solid tumor and application in kidney cancer
Research takes time, and sustained support turns ideas into progress for patients. Support for our research into NPRL2 loss in renal cell carcinoma has led to a deeper understanding of the intersection between DNA repair mechanisms, “danger signals” like STING, and the makeup of the immune microenvironment in renal cell carcinoma. This data helps us understand treatment response and may lead to novel treatment approaches. The KCA, through its Advanced Discovery Award and other award mechanisms, is encouraging investigators to push the boundaries of discovery and innovation in kidney cancer research. ERIC JONASCH, MD MD Anderson Cancer Center 2019 KCA Research Award Recipient
of the KCA through a 2020 Young Investigator Award, I was able to fund a novel research program that interrogated unique splicing events from RNA in renal cell carcinoma. This project opened many doors for my career, my team, and, hopefully in the not-toodistant future, my patients. I am forever grateful to the KCA and its supporters for giving me and my team this amazing opportunity. BRANDON MANLEY, MD Moffitt Cancer Center 2020 KCA Research Award Recipient Support from the 2021 Advanced Discovery Award enabled us to systematically map frameshift neoantigens in RCC and link them to immune checkpoint response, turning a hypothesis into a testable biomarker pipeline. We are excited to translate these signatures into trials that match the right therapy to the right tumor biology. PAVLOS MSAOUEL, MD MD Anderson Cancer Center 2021 KCA Research Award Recipient
Fleepit Digital © 2021