Dynamic Duo Earns Randy Shaver High Impact and Angel Award

Dynamic researchers Dr. Branden Moriarity and Dr. Beau Webber have spent years working side-by-side to advance innovative cancer therapies. That collaboration has earned them the 2026 Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund’s High Impact Research Award as well as the Angel Award. This double recognition highlights their groundbreaking work developing CRISPR-engineered Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.

Their partnership is built on a simple philosophy: two brains are better than one.

By constantly challenging each other's ideas, anticipating obstacles, and planning multiple steps ahead, Moriarity and Webber have created the perfect cancer-killing partnership. Together, they have accelerated the development of next-generation cell therapies designed to help patients facing some of the most difficult-to-treat cancers.

TIL therapy, which stands for Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte therapy, is an experimental immunotherapy that uses a patient's own cancer-fighting immune cells to attack tumors. The process involves removing immune cells from a patient's tumor, engineering them in the laboratory, and infusing them back into the patient to target and destroy cancer cells.

"This is really the only therapy on the planet that has cured these types of patients," said Moriarity. "It's always the case that the clinical outcomes inform the science, and being able to move these efficiently into the clinic helps the science move more quickly as well."

Their first clinical TIL trial demonstrated remarkable promise. Among 12 patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancers, one patient experienced a complete response and remains cancer-free more than three years later. Every other patient experiences a slowing of their cancer growth for a period of time, followed by progression of their disease.

This award was made all the more special because it was presented by Emma Dimmery, the patient whose life was saved through the team's TIL clinical trial. Her story is a powerful reminder of what is possible when innovative science reaches patients. Watch Emma's speech here: Emma Dimmery Speech.

The Randy Shaver High Impact Cancer Research Angel Award includes $400,000 to help advance the team's work and bring the next generation of TIL therapies closer to patients. As Webber and Moriarity continue refining and improving these treatments, they remain focused on turning encouraging results into lasting cures.

Community support continues to be critical to moving this work forward. While this award provides important momentum, fundraising efforts are ongoing to help launch future clinical trials and bring potentially life-saving therapies to more patients. Every dollar raised helps move us closer to making these transformative treatments available to more people facing cancer and launching the next clinical trial. 

Learn more about the Center for Genome Engineering's TIL therapy program at CGE TIL Therapy Program.