As diagnoses climb and innovation accelerates, major federal funding cuts are forcing a shift toward private biotech — and retail investors are taking notice.

The United States government once declared a “Cancer Moonshot.” But the new fiscal reality tells a different story.

According to recent reports, the Biden administration’s proposed 2025 budget could slash funding for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by as much as 40% — representing one of the steepest cutbacks in cancer research funding in modern history.

This comes at a time when the disease burden is surging.

Statista projects that global cancer diagnoses will increase by 20% by 2030 and by a staggering 75% by 2050.

Even more alarming is the rise of aggressive cancers among younger adults. A growing number of studies and news outlets are reporting significant upticks in colorectal, appendix, and other rare cancers among Millennials and Gen X — a trend some experts are calling “a new cancer epidemic”.

Yet, as federal dollars retreat, private-sector innovation is accelerating.

At this year’s ASCO conference, researchers showcased new breakthroughs in liquid biopsy, immune-driven therapies, and personalized treatment regimens — many of them funded or developed by smaller biotechs, not large public institutions.

Meanwhile, tech giants like Alphabet (Google) are beginning to pour capital into cancer detection and data analysis tools, with top executives publicly citing oncology as one of the greatest challenges — and opportunities — of the next decade.

For investors, this tectonic shift in who drives oncology innovation has opened the door to several high-upside opportunities...

Keep reading to discover why early detection blood tests, immune-based therapies, and AI-driven treatment design are reshaping the fight against cancer — and why private-sector biotech companies may now carry more responsibility for innovation than ever before.

Click here to read a bonus report on a late-stage immunotherapy company showing dramatic survival gains in multiple hard-to-treat cancers — a breakthrough not covered in this article.

Cancer Stocks to Watch:

While much of the public discourse focuses on funding cuts and policy shifts, innovation in oncology continues to thrive in the private sector.

A handful of emerging and mid-stage biotech companies are quietly advancing novel cancer therapies, diagnostics, and immunotherapies that could shift the treatment landscape in the years ahead.

· Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NKTR) – While best known for its immunology pipeline, Nektar continues to push into oncology through NKTR-255, an IL-15 receptor agonist designed to enhance the body’s natural cancer-fighting immune response. In a recent collaboration with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, NKTR-255 combined with CAR T-cell therapy yielded enhanced T-cell expansion and durable complete responses in patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma — findings selected for oral presentation at the 2025 EHA Congress. With additional bispecific antibody programs (NKTR-0165 and NKTR-0166) moving through preclinical development, Nektar remains a quietly active immuno-oncology player to watch.

· Imunon, Inc. (NASDAQ: IMNN) – Fresh off a Phase 2 clinical win at ASCO 2025, Imunon is advancing a novel IL-12 DNA-based immunotherapy for ovarian cancer that has now shown a 13-month survival advantage over standard care. The treatment, IMNN-001, helped double the rate of complete histopathological response and significantly extended overall survival in HRP, HRD+, and BRCA-mutated patients. With no serious immune-related adverse events and favorable synergy with PARP inhibitors, IMUNON is already enrolling for its pivotal Phase 3 trial — building on its proprietary TheraPlas® platform that aims to transform how intraperitoneal cancers are treated.

· Akoya Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKYA) – As the leader in spatial proteomics, Akoya is quietly reshaping how cancer is diagnosed and understood at the tissue level. The company’s tech was recently selected as the core platform for a global Cancer Grand Challenges initiative targeting inequities in oncology, and its PhenoCode panel is already being deployed in Singapore to predict real-world immunotherapy responses. With nearly 1,900 scientific publications citing its systems and a growing installed base of PhenoCyclers and PhenoImagers, Akoya’s tools are becoming essential in the design of next-generation cancer treatments — just as it prepares to merge with proteomics peer Quanterix.

· PMV Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PMVP) – With a mission to restore the function of one of cancer’s most commonly mutated genes, PMV is advancing a first-in-class small molecule therapy that reactivates p53 in patients with TP53 Y220C-mutant solid tumors. Its Phase 2 PYNNACLE trial is now fully enrolling across multiple cancer types — including ovarian and endometrial — and an interim readout covering around 50 patients is expected mid-year. The drug, rezatapopt, was recently spotlighted in Cancer Discovery for its tumor-suppressor reactivation, and the FDA has already granted it Fast Track designation. Backed by $165.8M in cash and a clear path through 2026, PMV is one of the few aiming at a mutation shared by half of all cancers.

The Bottom Line for Investors

Public dollars may be tightening, but scientific momentum is accelerating — and the next decade of cancer breakthroughs will likely be written by nimble biotechs and the investors who back them early.

With global oncology spending on track to eclipse US $900 billion by 2034, the companies highlighted above offer just a glimpse of where private-sector ingenuity is heading.

Yet an even more compelling story is unfolding at a separate, late-stage developer poised to unveil pivotal Phase 3 data on its immune-stimulating virus therapy for pancreatic and breast cancers.

Click here to access that exclusive bonus report and see why some analysts believe this under-the-radar candidate could become a cornerstone of next-generation combination regimens.