The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) and Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) have partnered to help patients gain greater access to potential cancer treatments by participating in clinical trials.
The two-year partnership creates a strong foundation for the two organizations to work together over time to expand access to clinical trials with innovative investigational therapies and improve the overall research experience.
Unique elements to the partnership include dedicated project management, regular communication and shared learning opportunities that provide a broad scope and long-term focus.
While sponsor-site relationships have traditionally focused on individual studies, this partnership is designed to create a more integrated framework built on aligned goals, defined priorities, measurable outcomes and continuous collaboration."
Lauren Wall, MSc, Senior Director of the UCCCC Clinical Trials Support Office
The benefits of close-to-home clinical trials
Clinical trials are structured research studies involving patients. They are designed to safely test investigational drugs, devices, vaccines or ways of using known treatments in a clinical setting that have been approved by regulatory authorities.
"Bringing novel therapeutics to our cancer patients through cutting-edge research is a key piece of our Cancer Center's mission," said Russell Zelig Szmulewitz, MD, Rodin Family Professor in the Wallman Society of Fellows of Medicine and the UCCCC's Associate Director of Clinical Investigation.
"This collaboration will help us open studies more efficiently, expand access to clinical trials, and connect more patients with research opportunities."
The potential benefit to patients from the strengthened collaboration between UCCCC and Lilly include:
- Access to investigational therapies: Clinical trials may offer patients the opportunity to receive potential cancer treatments not yet available outside of a research setting.
- Enhanced care and monitoring: Clinical trial participants often receive frequent assessments, multidisciplinary oversight and structured follow-up.
- Increased patient awareness: Patients are encouraged to speak with their doctor about clinical trial options, including Phase 3 trials, at every stage of their cancer journey – not just as a last resort.
- Discoveries that help others: Participation helps advance science and potentially improve outcomes for broader patient populations.
- Potential for more personalized care: Many cancer clinical trials are biomarker-driven, aligning treatment to tumor biology.
Although increasing enrollment in clinical trials is a key shared goal, there are many barriers to tackle. A study from 2024 estimated that only 7% of patients with cancer in the U.S. enroll in a clinical trial.
The new partnership will close this gap by expanding trial availability across UCCCC's growing network of locations in Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, making research opportunities more accessible closer to where patients live and receive care.
These locations include the new, 575,000-square-foot UChicago Medicine AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion, opening in Hyde Park in April 2027. As Illinois' first and only freestanding cancer facility, it will feature dedicated clinical trial spaces for streamlined access to the latest research.
'Shared responsibility' to advance clinical trials
The partnership, which began in February 2026, will also be guided by shared performance goals focused on getting trials open faster and increasing access to enroll more patients, with progress reviewed quarterly by both organizations.
"Collaboration is critical to advancing the research and development of new treatments, and clinical trials offer one of the most meaningful opportunities for all patients to be part of that progress," said Arjun Balar, MD, Senior Vice President and Head of Oncology Global Clinical Development at Lilly.
"The medicines that oncologists rely on today exist because patients and physicians trusted the clinical trial process, especially Phase 3 trials where the most promising medicines are tested against existing standards of care," Balar said.
"We have a shared responsibility to make that opportunity available to every person diagnosed with cancer."
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