Blood Cancer United, a United States-based blood cancer organization, announced on Sept. 15, 2026 that it has received a $7.5 million donation from Royalty Pharma to expand its Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP), a venture philanthropy initiative that makes strategic equity investments and provides hands-on collaboration with biotech companies.
The donation makes Royalty Pharma the first and largest corporate donor under a revised TAP model that accepts direct donations. TAP funds are deployed as venture capital investments in early-stage biotech companies advancing therapies for significant unmet needs in blood cancer. The program also provides scientific, clinical, and business expertise, strategic guidance, and access to a global network of blood cancer experts.
How the funding works#
TAP is structured to produce outcomes aligned with Blood Cancer United’s mission, including positive clinical trial results, regulatory approvals, and new treatment options. Financial returns from TAP are reinvested to support future partnerships and investments.
Dr. E. Anders Kolb, president and CEO of Blood Cancer United, said: “As scientific advances create new possibilities for patients, many promising therapies still fail to reach patients. TAP helps move those therapies forward by supporting companies at a critical stage of development where funding and expertise can determine whether a therapy advances or stalls. This gift from Royalty Pharma will help us continue to advance science, create new treatment options, and ultimately improve outcomes for people with blood cancer.”
Partnership history#
The new donation builds on an existing collaboration. In 2022, Royalty Pharma launched a five-year, $7.5 million alliance with Blood Cancer United focused on healthcare disparities in blood cancer care and treatment, including expanding access to clinical trials for underserved patients. The new gift expands that relationship with a shared commitment to drive the next generation of blood cancer therapies to patients.
Pablo Legorreta, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Royalty Pharma, said: “For nearly 30 years, Royalty Pharma has invested in scientific and medical innovation, including many important advances in blood cancer. We believe that scientific discovery can only transform patients’ lives when it is successfully translated into medicines. This gift reflects both our longstanding commitment to advancing blood cancer innovation and our confidence in Blood Cancer United’s ability to help promising therapies move closer to patients.”
TAP results and other funders#
Founded in 2007, TAP was created to help move promising blood cancer therapies into clinical development faster. As it approaches its 20th year, the program continues to provide funding and scientific, clinical, and drug development expertise to advance therapies at critical stages of development.
Since its launch, TAP has supported six therapies that have received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval or been included in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. More than 30 active clinical studies are currently evaluating TAP-supported therapies.
Troy Wilson, Ph.D., JD, president, CEO and co-founder of Kura Oncology, said: “It takes a lot of determination and smart people, along with a fair amount of good fortune and investors, of course, to develop new treatments, especially for rare diseases. TAP and Royalty Pharma are a formidable pairing that combines all of that. Above all, they share our conviction that patients must remain at the center of every decision we make.”
TAP and Blood Cancer United provided early support for foundational work conducted at the University of Michigan and played a key role in introducing that work to Kura Oncology. Kura then advanced the development of ziftomenib, a member of a new class of drugs known as menin inhibitors. Ziftomenib is now FDA-approved as a targeted therapy for adults with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia with a susceptible NPM1 mutation.
The updated TAP model expands opportunities for collaboration with industry and philanthropic partners. By enabling directed donations to TAP and continuing to reinvest returns, the model is intended to help accelerate the pace of drug development. Royalty Pharma’s commitment is part of a broader effort by a group of inaugural funders supporting this next phase. Other commitments include:
- Blood Cancer UK: $1 million
- Blood Cancer United: $15 million
About Royalty Pharma#
Founded in 1996, Royalty Pharma is the largest buyer of biopharmaceutical royalties and a leading funder of innovation across the biopharmaceutical industry. The company collaborates with academic institutions, research hospitals, non-profits, small and mid-cap biotechnology companies, and leading global pharmaceutical companies. Its portfolio of royalties entitles it to payments based directly on top-line sales of many leading therapies. Royalty Pharma funds innovation both directly and indirectly; directly, it partners with companies to co-fund late-stage clinical trials and new product launches in exchange for future royalties.
