Anthony Letai, MD, PhD, became the 18th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on September 29, 2025[1][3][7]. He previously served as a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute[3][7]. His work focuses on cell death in cancer, development of treatments and identification of biomarkers[3][7]. The NCI has a current budget of $7.2 billion and is proposing $11.5 billion for fiscal year 2027[3]. Letai stated that the NCI is more stable than perceived and the federal government will not give up on cancer research[1][6]. In an interview with The Cancer Letter, he said, "We are the NCI and we're not going anywhere," affirming the administration's commitment to cancer research[1]. Its aim is to ensure stability for both external and internal research projects despite political and budgetary pressures[1][2][4]. Congress at least ensured stable funding for the NCI[1].