Since 1993, the AACR has awarded more than $540 million in grants to fund meritorious research projects across the spectrum of cancer science, including basic, translational, and clinical research. See how the AACR grants program has contributed to the AACR's mission.
Landing Page: Supported by a 2016 AACR-QuadW Foundation Sarcoma Research Fellowship, Joanna Przybyl, PhD, showed how ctDNA levels correlated with treatment response in leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer, and uncovered the potential utility of this liquid biopsy approach to other sarcomas.
Despite the surge in new treatments, multiple myeloma remains stubbornly incurable. Patients typically respond to their first treatment for about two years, but subsequent therapies often provide diminishing relief due to overlapping mechanisms of action. This underscores the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies rather than mere variations of existing ones. Amin Sobh, PhD, recipient of the 2019 AACR-Takeda Oncology Myeloma Research Fellowship, identified adenylate kinase 2 as a promising target, particularly for multiple myeloma patients with the t(4;14) chromosomal translocation.
On October 7-8, 2024, the AACR welcomed current research grant recipients to a two-day summit full of engaging science and career development sessions. The collaborative environment fostered networking among numerous stakeholders to support the careers of AACR grantees.
Multiple myeloma disproportionately affects Black Americans, who are twice as likely to be diagnosed with it and its precursor, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Is this disparity related to ethnic ancestry or environmental factors? 2022 AACR-BMS Cancer Disparities Fellow Kara Cicero, MD and her international team observed that the prevalence of conventional MGUS was similar between Eswatini, a country in Africa where 97% of the population is Black, and Olmsted County in Minnesota where 97% of the population is White.
Despite having a lower incidence of breast cancer, Black women in the U.S. face a mortality rate that is higher than that of non-Hispanic White women. Investing in early-career researchers to promote diversity in cancer research and care is crucial for overcoming cancer disparities. Recipients of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Awards to Promote Diversity and Inclusion share the impact of such investment.
Roger Olofsson Bagge, MD, PhD, recipient of the 2021 AACR-OMF Career Development Award, in honor of Robert C. Allen, MD, shares how the recent SCANDIUM-II clinical trial found that isolated hepatic perfusion with melphalan in combination with immunotherapies, ipilimumab and nivolumab was efficacious in the treatment of patients with liver-dominant metastases of uveal melanoma, but associated with severe adverse events.
Costas Lyssiotis, PhD, received the 2013 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network-AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant, 2016 AACR-Bayer Innovation and Discovery Award, and 2017 AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research. Dr. Lyssiotis shares how these three AACR grants helped him and his team discover several mechanisms by which metabolites support tumor growth, immune evasion, and resistance to therapy in pancreatic cancer.
In a war, first-line troops are essential -- such are resident memory T cells (TRM), standing guard at peripheral sites, ready to fight infections and cancer. The Laboratory for Lymphatic Immunobiology, led by 2022 AACR-Bristol Myers Squibb Midcareer Female Investigator Grant Recipient Amanda Lund, PhD, seeks to understand how transport of TRMs through lymphatic vessels helps facilitate critical peripheral immune responses to antigen, whether presented by infectious agents or cancer cells.
Genevieve Kendall, PhD, received the QuadW Foundation-AACR Fellowship for Clinical/Translational Sarcoma Research in 2015. Dr. Kendall discussed how the work funded by this award helped lay the foundation for her independent research program to develop oncology models to understand pediatric sarcoma biology.
Marco Ruella, MD, received the AACR-Bristol-Myers Squibb Oncology Fellowship in Clinical Cancer Research in 2015. Dr. Ruella shared how an AACR Fellowship helped lay the foundation for dual CAR T-cell therapy.