Cures Within Reach Funds Five Drug Repurposing Trials in Chicago to Address Unmet Medical Needs
Key Insights
Cures Within Reach (search) has approved funding for five clinical trials at Chicago-based institutions testing approved therapies for new indications including Parkinson's disease (search), food allergies, and PTSD (search).
The trials focus on vulnerable populations including veterans and pediatric patients, with investigations ranging from wearable stimulation devices to chemotherapy drug repurposing.
The nonprofit has expanded its Chicago investment from one trial annually to four or five trials per year, emphasizing support for early-stage investigators affected by 2025 research funding cuts.
Cures Within Reach (search) (CWR), a global nonprofit focused on drug repurposing for unsolved diseases, has approved funding for five new clinical trials at Chicago-based research institutions. The trials will test already approved therapies for new medical indications, targeting vulnerable populations including veterans and pediatric patients while supporting early-stage investigators impacted by recent research funding cuts.
Five Diverse Repurposing Studies Launch
The funded trials span multiple therapeutic areas and patient populations. At Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital and CARES, researchers will investigate a wearable leg stimulation device to improve mobility in veterans with Parkinson's disease (search). Lurie Children's Hospital (search) will examine zileuton for preventing pediatric food allergy anaphylaxis (search), while the University of Chicago will conduct three separate studies: treating PTSD (search) in veterans and violence survivors with an ADHD drug, using a chemotherapy drug to reduce post-transplant diabetes (search), and adding lactulose to immunotherapy to improve cancer (search) treatment outcomes.
"Our mission is to leverage the speed, safety and cost-effectiveness of testing approved therapies for unsolved diseases," said Barbara Goodman, President & CEO of Cures Within Reach (search). "With our lead funding partner in Chicago, the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust (search), we are excited to increase our investment in both Chicago and, this year especially, in early-stage investigators (ESI) to support five new trials that are low-risk and high-reward."
Expanding Investment in Chicago Research
CWR has significantly increased its Chicago presence, growing from approximately one funded trial annually just a few years ago to four or five trials per year. The five newly approved trials are already underway or scheduled to begin soon, with CWR opening its next Request for Proposals to select additional Chicago-based clinical repurposing trials by late 2026.
The organization's approach has demonstrated success through previous investments. In 2009, CWR funded a Phase I trial at the University of Chicago led by then early-stage investigator Dr. Scott Eggener and Dr. Aytekin Oto, repurposing a laser device originally used for liver cysts to treat newly diagnosed prostate cancer (search) patients. Following this proof-of-concept and subsequent trials, the University of Chicago has become a global leader in focal therapy, providing improved patient outcomes.
Addressing Research Funding Challenges
The 2026 funding expansion specifically targets early-stage investigators—researchers who have completed their advanced degree or medical residency within the last ten years—who have been negatively impacted by 2025 cuts in medical research funding. Chicago-based donors have increased their funding for ESIs in response to this trend, with hopes that other funders will follow suit in their respective areas of interest.
"We're very excited about the impact Cures Within Reach (search)'s approach can have on transforming not only biomedical research but also patient's lives," said Nydia Searle, consultant to the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust (search). "Cures Within Reach is enormously productive – they have the network, the pipeline, and the expertise to drive clinical results globally."
Global Drug Repurposing Portfolio
CWR's strategy focuses on transforming patient lives through treatments that can be implemented in the near-term by supporting trials that de-risk and catalyze follow-on funding, build clinical evidence required for regulatory approval, or generate support for off-label use. The organization's 2026 initiatives include validating AI drug-disease predictions and conducting clinical trials impacting veterans, pediatrics, and patients in low- and middle-income countries.
The nonprofit currently maintains a global portfolio of 52 funded trials at 39 institutions across 33 diseases in 12 countries. CWR provides seed funds for pivotal studies that, when successful, create a catalytic effect for follow-on funding, enabling trials that build clinical evidence for physician decision-making with patients or for regulatory approval.