OSF HealthCare, in partnership with the University of Illinois, has awarded two new Jump ARCHES research grants that aim to improve how cancer is detected and how survivors experience care. Both projects are led in part by Jun Zhang, MD, PhD, Vice President of Oncology Research at the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute, and will formally begin on August 16, 2026.
Jump ARCHES (Jump Applied Research for Community Health through Engineering and Simulation) is a long-standing strategic partnership between OSF HealthCare and the Health Care Engineering Systems Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The program brings clinicians and engineers together to develop practical solutions that can improve patient outcomes and strengthen care delivery.
Improving Access to Emerging Lung Cancer Screening Approaches
One project, led by Andrew M. Smith, PhD, Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Dr. Zhang, will explore remote blood collection methods to support microRNA-based approaches for lung cancer screening.
MicroRNAs are small molecules in the blood that can carry information about disease processes. Researchers are studying whether certain patterns of microRNAs may help identify lung cancer earlier. A practical barrier to wider use of these approaches has been the need for convenient, reliable ways to collect blood samples outside of traditional clinic settings. This project will focus on developing and evaluating remote collection methods that could make participation in such screening approaches more accessible for patients.
The work is intended to support future efforts to detect lung cancer earlier, particularly for individuals who may face barriers to frequent in-person testing.
Designing More Accessible Tools for Cancer Survivors
The second project focuses on designing an accessible care tool developed with input from cancer survivors. The research team includes Sharifa Sultana, PhD, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Rachel Adler, PhD, Associate Professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Yildiz Esener, PhD, Assistant Professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and Dr. Zhang.
Many cancer survivors continue to navigate complex follow-up care, symptom management, and long-term health needs after treatment ends. This project will use human-centered design approaches to create a tool that is easier to use, more inclusive, and better aligned with the real-world needs of survivors. By involving survivors directly in the design process, the team aims to develop something that is not only technologically sound but also practical and respectful of the lived experience of people after cancer.
Advancing Practical Innovation in Cancer Care
Together, these two projects reflect OSF’s commitment to pairing clinical expertise with engineering and design innovation. One focuses on making emerging molecular screening approaches more practical and accessible. The other focuses on improving the tools and experiences available to people living beyond a cancer diagnosis.
Both efforts are supported by the Jump ARCHES endowment and align with OSF’s broader goal of bringing thoughtful, patient-centered advances into the communities it serves.