Research
Meet the Researchers

These researchers dedicate their careers to finding new treatments and cures for people with cancer.

Dr. Alison Schram
How Dr. Alison Schram’s Genetic Approach Unlocked Historic FDA Approvals
When Dr. Alison Schram began her oncology fellowship in 2015, the medical landscape was highly compartmentalized. Researchers were traditionally expected to pick one specific organ—like the lung, breast, or colon—and stay within that narrow specialty.
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But Dr. Schram, an early drug development specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, saw a different path forward. She wanted to look past the location of the tumor and focus entirely on its genetic blueprint. She wanted to follow the raw biology.

Specifically, Dr. Schram was fascinated by ultra-rare genetic abnormalities called fusions. These fusions act like stuck accelerators, telling cancer cells to grow and multiply uncontrollably, no matter where they appear in the body, like the lung, breast, or elsewhere.  

“The question that drove me was: what changed in the cancer’s genetics to make it grow, and how do we stop it?” Dr. Schram says. “I wanted to find targeted treatments that didn't just stop the cancer temporarily, but changed the future for these patients entirely.”

A Historic “Double Win” for Rare Cancers

Dr. Schram’s persistent focus on genetic drivers led to a historic milestone. On May 8, 2026, the FDA approved a targeted drug called zenocutuzumab-zbco for patients with a rare, aggressive type of bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) carrying a specific genetic mutation.  

This announcement marks a rare “double win” in oncology, originating from a global clinical trial led by Dr. Schram:

The First Milestone (December 2024): The drug received its initial accelerated approval for advanced lung and pancreatic cancers sharing this exact genetic trait. It represented the first-ever targeted therapy for these specific patient populations.

The Recent Breakthrough (May 2026): The FDA expanded the drug's approval to include bile duct cancer (with this specific genetic trait), proving that this single drug could successfully treat more cancer types if they shared the same genetic driver.

While these specific genetic fusions are ultra-rare (found in less than one percent of most tumors), they are incredibly aggressive cancers. For these patients, Dr. Schram’s work hasn’t just provided a new drug; it has provided a future.

The Human Impact: Ahmet’s Story

No one understands the weight of this scientific progress better than Ahmet. A 41-year-old father of young children, Ahmet was diagnosed with an aggressive, advanced bile duct cancer. When traditional treatments failed to stop the disease, he joined Dr. Schram’s clinical trial. 

Today, Ahmet isn't just surviving; he is "thriving," he has been able to return to his life, his job, and his family. Ahmet’s remarkable response to the targeted treatment was part of the critical data that demonstrated the drug’s power to the FDA. Because of patients like Ahmet and dedicated researchers like Dr. Schram, what was once an unsolved medical mystery is now a treatable condition.

Funding the Potential of Brilliant Ideas

This incredible trajectory was made possible by Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, and the donors who supported Dr. Schram’s scientific vision at the moments that mattered most.  

Conquer Cancer’s selection committee reviews the underlying science of all proposals, looking for high-potential, out-of-the-box thinking. Recognizing the profound potential of her genetically targeted approach, Conquer Cancer awarded Dr. Schram a Young Investigator Award in 2018, followed by a Career Development Award in 2021.

This consecutive early-career funding provided her with the critical runway and resource security needed to stay in academic research, ask big questions, and build an independent research program.

“By funding my research, Conquer Cancer proved they not only believed in my ideas, but they believed in me,” says Dr. Schram.

That early funding fueled a research portfolio that now includes landmark publications in the New England Journal of Medicine and life-changing targeted therapies available for patients worldwide.

For Dr. Schram, the motivation remains deeply personal. “There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a patient respond and get their life back,” she says.

How You Can Help

Breakthroughs like these do not happen overnight. They require a selection model that systematically identifies and backs promising scientific proposals at the very beginning. When we fund the potential of brilliant ideas early, we predictably accelerate the discoveries that shape the future of medicine.

You can support the next generation of researchers by donating to Conquer Cancer. 

Last Updated: 5/26/26