December 2025

Dear Friends,

NETRF’s 2025 Margie and Robert E. Petersen Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Symposium in November was a powerful reminder of what research and community can accomplish together—and a celebration of 20 years of NETRF’s progress. As the premier conference devoted to neuroendocrine basic and translational research, it brought together scientists from four continents and 11 countries. This is the frontline of researchers that patients and families rarely see, who are working every day on your behalf. Each year, the Symposium strengthens global collaboration and highlights how NETRF funding is expanding our understanding of neuroendocrine cancer and driving the development of new treatments.

In this issue of NETRF News, we’re excited to bring the Symposium to you. Watch powerful patient presentations, read news about exciting scientific advancements, and learn about our hopes for the future. 

I encourage you to check out our keynote presentation by Dr. Pamela Kunz, Medical Oncologist at Yale Cancer Center and a leading expert in neuroendocrine cancer. She reflected on NETRF’s growth and how far the field has come since 2005.  

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all our supporters and sponsors. You make the Symposium possible, and your generosity fuels the research that is shaping the future of neuroendocrine cancer care. As you make your year-end giving plans, we hope you will include NETRF, so we can continue to support the scientific community devoted to improving the lives of patients and their families. 

With gratitude and wishes for a joyful holiday season, 

Elyse Gellerman
CEO, NETRF

Watch this brief video featuring highlights from this year's research symposium, and hear patients and researchers share why NETRF's mission is so important.

Dr. Pamela Kunz reflects on 20 years of progress in neuroendocrine cancer research and treatment and speaks to the challenges and opportunities ahead. 

Each year, the Margie & Robert E. Petersen NETRF Research Symposium brings together leading scientists, clinicians, and NETRF leadership—including members of our Board of Scientific Advisors and Board of Directors—people who are united by a common goal: to improve the lives of everyone affected by neuroendocrine cancer.

Here are a few of the most exciting research updates. Read more. 

Drugs like Ozempic®, Wegovy®, and Mounjaro®, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, are now widely used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. They work by mimicking a natural gut hormone that helps control blood sugar, slows digestion, and reduces appetite.

As these medications become more common, some people who take them will also have neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs), tumors that start in hormone-producing cells. That overlap raises an important question: could GLP-1 drugs also affect tumor cells? A new lab study presented at the NETRF symposium explores that question. Read more.

Watch the moving and inspiring speeches given by neuroendocrine cancer patients Nancy Lewis and Jake Dawson at this year’s symposium. 

Research has been at the heart of NETRF’s work for 20 years—and patients are the reason that work matters. Every study we fund is meant to move the field forward in ways that improve the lives of patients and caregivers.

In this episode of NETWise, we’re bringing the 2025 NETRF Research Symposium directly to the patient and caregiver community. You’ll hear from leading researchers as they discuss what’s changed over the past year, what those discoveries mean in real life, and how today’s science is shaping tomorrow’s care. Tune into Episode 50: Year-in-Review 2025 – Neuroendocrine Cancer Research and Clinical Progress, Live from the 2025 NETRF Research Symposium.

For 20 years, progress in neuroendocrine cancer research has been driven by one powerful force – the belief that together, we can change what’s possible. The discoveries shared at our Research Symposium are a glimpse of that progress and of the hope that drives our Research Roadmap forward.

From early detection to new therapies and personalized treatments, scientists around the world are working tirelessly to transform neuroendocrine cancer research. Your gift makes that work possible. You power the ideas, experiments, and breakthroughs that move us closer to a future where every patient has better options and new hope.

Make your gift by year-end to power next year’s research and accelerate progress to find it earlier, treat it better, and cure it faster.

Join us in achieving Breakthroughs Today and Cures Tomorrow.

NET Research Foundation
100 Hancock Street,
Third floor
Quincy, MA 02171
(617) 946-1780 info@netrf.org

The mission of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation is to fund research to discover cures and more effective treatments for neuroendocrine cancer. NETRF is the largest global funder of neuroendocrine research and a preeminent resource for expert patient education and support.



NETRF is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.