The Curebound Cancer Challenge, held August 1 at UC San Diego, generated $4.6 million from 3200+ participants, sponsors and donors. Because Curebound’s generous partners underwrite costs of the event, $3.8 million, or 100% of participant-raised funds will go directly to fund bold, collaborative research focused on early detection and personalized therapies to cure adult and childhood cancers.

Gifts of all sizes were powered by 174 community teams that turned out to raise funds and lend support for those battling cancer.

  • Five teams surpassed impressive lifetime fundraising milestones including Bill’s Angels ($4 million), Beaumont’s Cancer Crushers ($3 million), Bill’s Team ($2 million), Cancer Curators ($1 million) and Race for Stace ($1 million).

  • Fitness Quest 10 x Newtopia Cyder, with more than 100 participants, raised over $100,000 and contributed in-kind support through Newtopia Cyder.

  • Ashline Financial grew from a small group into a team of more than 50 participants that raised over $70,000 this year.

  • Joseph’s Lilypads, founded in memory of Curebound advocate Joseph Pangelinan, brought together more than 70 people and raised over $50,000.

The day was marked by moments of inspiration and community. A 100-foot “In Honor Of” wall, generously sponsored by Janux Therapeutics, was filled end-to-end with the names of loved ones who have been touched by cancer. Survivors rang the bell in celebration, spin instructors pushed riders to go harder, and cyclists rode further in loved ones’ honor. As the final cyclist crossed the finish line, the crowd cheered and ushered him in, amidst smiles, sweat, and tears.

Among the day’s most powerful voices was 24-year-old Brenna Pangelinan who took the stage to share her father Joseph’s 5-year battle with cancer, a battle that began when she was in high school and resulted in his recent death due to complications of cancer.

“My dad loved Curebound and everything it stands for,” said Brenna Pangelinan. “The research it funds gave my dad and our family significantly more time together, and that time meant everything. Being here, surrounded by people who refuse to give up, is exactly how he would want to be remembered.”

Curebound CEO Robin Toft says events like the Curebound Cancer Challenge fuel the organization’s growing national footprint, built on the game changing scientific discoveries that originate in San Diego, in collaboration with researchers worldwide. That science unites researchers with committed donors to advance collaborative research into treatments and cures for cancer.

“For the two million Americans who will be diagnosed with cancer this year, it is all about accelerating cures and ultimately long-term survivorship,” said Toft. “At Curebound, we bring top scientific teams together to push boundaries and drive discovery, turning ideas into treatments and transforming bold science into lifesaving cures.”

2026 Curebound Cancer Challenge Sponsors

UC San Diego

Janux Therapeutics

Edward Jones

Genentech (Poseida Therapeutics)

RayzeBio

ResMed

Vividion Therapeutics

Illumina

Salk Institute

Bright

La Jolla Institute for Immunology

San Diego Self Storage

San Diego Biomedical Research Institute

San Diego State University

Lusardi Construction

W.E. O’Neil

Pfizer

Dexcom

J.P. Morgan

Eisai

San Diego County – District 3

Maravai LifeSciences

Bernstein Private Wealth Management

KPRS Construction Services, Inc

Curebound will build on this year’s momentum with an ambitious new fundraising campaign launching in the first quarter of 2027. To learn more or to donate, visit curebound.org.

About Curebound

Curebound is a community-powered cancer research accelerator dedicated to advancing breakthrough science into cures. By breaking down barriers, investing in high-impact cancer studies and forging powerful collaborations among top scientists, advocates, entrepreneurs and philanthropists, Curebound advances bold science toward better detection and treatments to give patients and families more time. Headquartered in San Diego, a leading global hub for life sciences and cancer research, Curebound is building a worldwide footprint, driven by one goal: cures in our lifetime. www.curebound.org.

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