Clinical trials are led by early-stage investigators and/or impact health equity, veterans and pediatrics
Future funding increased to offset cuts in medical research funding
CHICAGO, April 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cures Within Reach (CWR), a global nonprofit that identifies and funds clinical trials testing approved therapies for unsolved diseases, has approved funding for five new clinical trials led by Chicago-based research institutions to de-risk potential therapeutic options that address unsolved diseases. CWR focuses on transforming the lives of patients living with unsolved diseases with treatments that can be used in the near-term by supporting trials that de-risk and catalyze follow-on funding, build clinical evidence required for regulatory approval, or generate support for off-label use by patients everywhere.
The five Chicago-based clinical trials are:
- Using a Wearable Leg Stimulation Device to Improve Mobility of Veterans with Parkinson’s at Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital and CARES
- Investigating Zileuton to Prevent Pediatric Food Allergy Anaphylaxis at Lurie Children’s Hospital
- Treating PTSD in Veterans and Survivors of Violence with an ADHD Drug at University of Chicago
- Using a Chemotherapy Drug to Reduce Post-Transplant Diabetes at University of Chicago
- Adding Lactulose to Immunotherapy to Improve Cancer Treatment Outcomes at University of Chicago
“Our mission is to leverage the speed, safety and cost-effectiveness of testing approved therapies for unsolved diseases. With our lead funding partner in Chicago, the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, we are excited to increase our investment in both Chicago and, this year especially, in early-stage investigators (ESI) to support five new trials that are low-risk and high-reward,” said Barbara Goodman, President & CEO of Cures Within Reach. “Funding for research is difficult to obtain in the best of times, and with the commitment of the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust and others across Chicago, we are accelerating our investment to find new treatments for diseases that can quickly reach the patients who need solutions, whether through regulatory approval or off-label use.”
CWR has grown the number of Chicago-based trials it has selected for funding from roughly one each year just a few years ago to four or five each year. The five listed above are already underway or due to start soon. CWR has recently opened its next Request for Proposals to select more Chicago-based clinical repurposing trials by late 2026.
An example of a successful clinical trial funded by CWR was conducted at the University of Chicago in 2009. CWR funded a Phase I trial proposed by then ESI Dr. Scott Eggener, along with Dr. Aytekin Oto, to repurpose a laser device used for liver cysts to treat newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients. Now, after this proof-of-concept and other follow-on trials, University of Chicago has become a global leader in this type of treatment, known as focal therapy, providing vastly improved patient outcomes.
In addition, in 2026 CWR will continue to expand its support for funding ESIs (researchers who have completed their advanced degree or medical residency within the last ten years) who have been negatively impacted by the 2025 cuts in medical research funding. As a way to offset this troubling trend, Chicago-based donors have recently increased their funding for ESIs, and hope that other funders follow in their own areas of interest.
“We’re very excited about the impact Cures Within Reach’s approach can have on transforming not only biomedical research but also patient’s lives,” said Nydia Searle, consultant to the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust. “Cures Within Reach is enormously productive – they have the network, the pipeline, and the expertise to drive clinical results globally.”
About Cures Within Reach
Cures Within Reach (CWR) is a US-based nonprofit leader testing already approved therapies for unsolved diseases by leveraging the speed, safety and cost-effectiveness of repurposing: driving more treatments to more patients more quickly. CWR provides seed funds for pivotal studies that, when successful, allow a catalytic effect of follow-on funding for trials that build clinical evidence for physicians to make decisions with their patients (called off-label use) or for regulatory approval. CWR's 2026 initiatives include validating AI drug-disease predictions and clinical trials impacting veterans, pediatrics and LMIC-based patients. CWR currently has a global portfolio of 52 funded trials at 39 institutions in 33 diseases in 12 countries. Visit cureswithinreach.org. Contact Research@CuresWithinReach.org for more information.
