AACR Grantees Share their Findings
We are extremely proud of our past and present grantees who presented and published their findings this past year. Their accomplishments have been made possible through the support of the AACR and its funding partners.
January
Targeted nanoparticles for the treatment of pancreatic cancer
- Target-specific nanoparticle polyplex down-regulates mutant Kras to prevent pancreatic carcinogenesis and halt tumor progression Jill P. Smith, MD, 2019 AACR-Bayer Innovation and Discovery Grant
Overcoming the blood brain barrier with tumor treating fields
- Tumor treating fields (TTFields) induce cell junction alterations in a human 3D in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier Carsten Hagemann, MD, 2020 AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields Research Grant
February
Epigenetic age and lung cancer risk
- Epigenetic age and lung cancer risk in the CLUE II prospective cohort study Dominique S. Michaud, ScD, 2018 AACR-Johnson & Johnson Lung Cancer Innovation Science Grant
Advancing smoking cessation and physical activity among Latinos
- Understanding the perspectives of Latino adults who smoke on physical activity: a qualitative study Francisco Cartujano, MD, 2021 AACR-Genentech Cancer Disparities Research Fellowship
A new therapeutic strategy for p53-inactivated triple negative breast cancer
- Targeted MDM2 degradation reveals a new vulnerability for p53-inactivated triple-negative breast cancer Christine M. Eischen, PhD, 2017 AACR-Bayer Innovation and Discovery Grant
Targeting chromosomal instability tolerance in metastatic prostate cancer
Harnessing transcriptionally driven chromosomal instability adaptation to target therapy-refractory lethal prostate cancer Veronica Rodriguez-Bravo, PhD, 2018 Friends of the AACR Foundation Early Career Investigator Award
March
Host factors that influence papilloma virus-induced disease
- Stress keratin 17 and estrogen support viral persistence and modulate the immune environment during cervicovaginal murine papillomavirus infection Wei Wang, PhD, 2020 AACR-Genentech Immuno-oncology Research Fellowship
Molecular basis of cancer health disparities in head and neck cancer
- Molecular Subtypes of Head and Neck Cancer in Patients of African Ancestry Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, PhD, 2020 AACR-The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research “Science of the Patient” (SOP) Grant
April-May
Role of the glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle in cancer
- Uncoupled glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle in kidney cancer reveals that cytosolic GPD is essential to support lipid synthesis Conghui Yao, PhD, 2020 AACR Anna D. Barker Basic Cancer Research Fellowship
Oral health and lung cancer risk
- Circulating IgG antibodies to periodontal bacteria and lung cancer risk in the CLUE cohorts Dominique S. Michaud, ScD, 2018 AACR-Johnson & Johnson Lung Cancer Innovation Science Grant
Molecular signatures of response to neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade in bladder cancer
- Expression-based subtypes define pathologic response to neoadjuvant immune-checkpoint inhibitors in muscle-invasive bladder cancer Joshua J. Meeks, MD, PhD, 2019 AACR-Bayer Innovation and Discovery Grant
Dr. Daniel Arango, recipient of the 2022 AACR Career Development Award to Further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Cancer Research, discusses his work with fellow AACR grant recipient, Dr. Francesca Citron (2022 AACR-AstraZeneca Stimulating Therapeutic Advances through Research Training (START) Grant) at the 2023 AACR Annual Meeting Grantee Poster Reception.
June
The role of adjuvant endocrine therapy in racial disparities in survival
Kimberley Lee, MD, MHS, 2021 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Award to Promote Diversity and Inclusion
Phase I clinical trial on immunotherapy combination in uveal melanoma
- A phase I, randomized, controlled, multicentre trial of isolated hepatic perfusion in combination with ipilimumab and nivolumab in patients with uveal melanoma metastases (the SCANDIUM 2 trial Roger Oloffson Bagge, MD, 2021 AACR-Ocular Melanoma Foundation Career Development Award, in honor of Robert C. Allen, MD
July
Remodeling of the tumor microenvironment in Ewing sarcoma
- Cancer-associated fibroblast-like tumor cells remodel the Ewing sarcoma tumor microenvironment Emma Wrenn, PhD, 2022 AACR-QuadW Foundation Sarcoma Research Fellowship, in Memory of Willie Tichenor
August
Molecular insights on response to tumor treating fields in glioblastoma
- Tumor treating fields alter the kinomic landscape in glioblastoma revealing therapeutic vulnerabilities Christopher Douglas Willey, MD, PhD, 2020 AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields Research Grant
Novel assay to elucidate glucosome assembly
- High-throughput screening identifies cell cycle-associated signaling cascades that regulate a multienzyme glucosome assembly in human cells Songon An, PhD, 2016 AACR-Bayer Innovation and Discovery Grant
September
RNA splicing in pancreatic cancer
“RNA switches” in pancreatic cancer: Expression, splicing and RNA-based therapeutics Luisa Escobar-Hoyos, 2021 AACR Career Development Award to Further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Pancreatic Cancer Research
October
HRD effect on T-cell exhaustion in ovarian cancer
T-cell exhaustion is an independent predictive biomarker of clinical outcome in high grade serous ovarian cancer regardless of homologous recombination deficiency status Anna Salvioni, PhD, 2023 AACR-AstraZeneca Ovarian Cancer Research Fellowship
November-December
Interrogating the impact of tumor treating fields
- Treatment with tumor treating fields (TTFields) suppresses intercellular tunneling nanotube formation in vitro and upregulates immuno-oncologic biomarkers in vivo in malignant mesothelioma Emil P. Lou, MD, 2019 AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields Research Grant
- Tumor treating fields increases blood-brain barrier permeability and relative cerebral blood volume in patients with glioblastoma Chirag B. Patel, MD, PhD, 2022 AACR-Novocure Career Development Award for Tumor Treating Fields Research