MrBeast, LeBron James, and Amgen Join Forces to Launch Pediatric Cancer Dream Team and Global Fundraising Campaign
Key Insights
MrBeast's Beast Philanthropy (search), Stand Up To Cancer (search), and Amgen have launched a global awareness and fundraising effort to accelerate pediatric cancer research.
The collaboration supports a new Stand Up To Cancer (search) Pediatric Cancer Dream Team uniting scientists across institutions to speed new treatments to young patients.
MrBeast's video "I Helped 100 Kids Fight Cancer" features LeBron James and aims to grant wishes while raising funds for scientific research.
A groundbreaking collaboration between the world's largest content creator, a basketball icon, and the biotechnology industry is bringing unprecedented visibility to pediatric cancer research. Beast Philanthropy (search), the charitable organization founded by Jimmy Donaldson — known globally as MrBeast — has joined forces with Stand Up To Cancer (search) (SU2C) and Amgen to create a global awareness and fundraising effort aimed at accelerating the next generation of breakthroughs for cancers affecting children, adolescents, and young adults.
The centerpiece of the collaboration is the launch of a Stand Up To Cancer (search) Pediatric Cancer Dream Team, a new research project dedicated to advancing discoveries for children with cancer. The Dream Team model unites top scientists and researchers from different institutions and disciplines to, as organizers describe, "speed up the pace at which new treatments get to patients who need them."
"Every year, more than 105,000 kids around the world lose their lives to cancer, and we're working to change that," said MrBeast. "Behind every life saved is an army of doctors, researchers, volunteers and organizations — like Stand Up To Cancer (search), which raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers, and St. Baldrick's, where heroes and volunteers shave their heads in solidarity with kids fighting cancer — as well as companies like Amgen, who are developing the next generation of cancer treatments."
The campaign launched alongside MrBeast's latest video, "I Helped 100 Kids Fight Cancer," which debuted on his YouTube channel and features a surprise appearance from NBA superstar LeBron James. The video departs from MrBeast's usual high-stakes challenge format to focus on children and young adults who are or have been fighting cancer, granting wishes while raising funds and awareness for scientific research.
LeBron James and the I PROMISE School
In the video, LeBron James teams up with MrBeast to surprise six local St. Baldrick's kids and other pediatric cancer survivors at the LeBron James Family Foundation's I PROMISE School in Akron, Ohio. The children shared a basketball court with James, who also participated in a head-to-head shoot-out with MrBeast. James opened the doors of his foundation's House Three Thirty development — described as a destination "to bring dreams to life" through dining, retail, arts, entertainment, and mentorship — for activities, followed by a tour of the LeBron James museum and dinner.
"It means a lot to me and my foundation to be a part of uplifting these amazing kids and giving them a day to just have fun," said James. "It was an honor to share the court with them, and even better to share our space and create incredible memories alongside their families. We just wanted them to know they are real life superheroes."
A spokesperson for the LeBron James Family Foundation added, "We all know someone who's been impacted by cancer, so this is something that resonates for all of us. The LeBron James Family Foundation works to uplift people in any way we can, so to be part of such a tremendous effort with a reach of this magnitude is an honor."
The Research Behind the Hope
For Amgen, a biotechnology company with more than 45 years of investment in research across oncology, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, rare diseases, and obesity and related conditions, the collaboration represents an opportunity to introduce millions of people to the role scientific research plays in improving patients' lives.
"Research is how we turn hope into something real for patients," said Jay Bradner, Amgen's Executive Vice President of R&D and AI&D, who appeared on camera with Donaldson. "Every breakthrough brings us closer to changing what's possible for children and families facing cancer."
The Stand Up To Cancer (search) Pediatric Cancer Dream Team will bring together scientists and physicians working across institutions to accelerate pediatric cancer research with a shared goal: advancing discoveries with the potential to improve outcomes for children and families facing cancer.
A Patient's Perspective
Also joining Donaldson and Bradner on camera was William Yank, who was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (search) at age 21. Like many young people facing cancer, his life suddenly became a series of treatments, hospital visits, and uncertainty. Today, Yank is living beyond cancer, advocating for other patients, and looking toward the future. In the MrBeast video, he shares how research shaped his own journey and why continued scientific discovery offers hope for future patients and families.
Broader Campaign Highlights
The video also features children attending the premiere of Moana, where they met star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson; a Stray Kids performance and meet-and-greet; a Pittsburgh Steelers experience for a child sidelined from sports during treatment; a blood drive in MrBeast's hometown of Greenville, North Carolina, with a goal of saving 1,000 lives; and a visit to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where MrBeast met with Dr. Alan S. Wayne to discuss the need for more cancer research and the importance of giving hope to children in the fight.
Katie Couric, SU2C Co-founder and media entrepreneur, underscored the significance of the campaign's reach. "Most people don't realize cancer is the number one disease killer of kids in the U.S. Each and every child deserves a chance to grow up, and the research we'll fund through this campaign can help make that happen," Couric said. "I'm SO impressed that MrBeast is using this enormous reach, which rivals major live television events, to ask people all over the world to do something that will benefit children and families whose lives have been upended by this terrible disease."
The collaboration also includes the St. Baldrick's Foundation (search), a childhood cancer research organization where volunteers shave their heads in solidarity with children fighting cancer, further broadening the coalition working to accelerate pediatric cancer discoveries.