NFCR was co-founded in 1973 by Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Albert Szent-Györgyi and lawyer and entrepreneur Franklin Salisbury, Sr.  Since then, we have grown into a world-renowned organization supporting nearly 50 laboratories that have helped make possible many cancer treatments that are saving lives today.  In fact, chances are, you know someone who has benefited from advances made possible by our scientists.  Click here to learn more.

Our Story

The late lawyer and entrepreneur Franklin Salisbury, Sr. read an article in 1971 about Dr. Szent-Györgyi, who had won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of vitamin C.  At the time, the famous scientist was working on his "bioelectronic theory" concerning the cause of cancer, but major funding bodies considered it too risky to warrant backing.  Parts of his theory have fallen by the wayside over years, but his thinking is nevertheless seminal to the study of free radicals and antioxidents, a field now occupying thousands of scientists in cancer research and in the study of many other diseases.

Salisbury was familiar with "unconventional" scientific ideas:  in 1949, he was a founding director of Atlantic Research Corp., the world's leading rocket fuel manufacturer.  After reading about Szent-Györgyi, Salisbury sent him a $25 donation.  He received a heartfelt reply from the Nobel Prize winner:  "I am deeply touched by your generosity and compassion."

Over the next two years, Salisbury and Szent-Györgyi joined forces and focused on their common qualities - idealism and a willingness to take calculated risks - to form the National Foundation for Cancer Research, a "laboratory without walls" dedicated to supporting the promising cancer research of great scientists.

Looking back at our 39 years of progress, we are proud of how far cancer research has advanced as a result of our efforts. Looking ahead, we are more committed than ever to funding innovative research and accelerating the pace at which new treatments are brought to the patients who need them most.  Now more than ever, we are confident that our laboratory research will one day bring us a cure for all types of cancer.  To learn more about our research, click here.