The Colorectal Cancer Alliance today announced $500,000 in total funding for two colorectal cancer (CRC) studies through its Chris4Life Research Program.

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Vinay Varadan, PhD, will investigate how multifactorial mechanisms involved in colon tumor progression in African Americans contribute to higher colon cancer burdens in that population. African Americans have the highest colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates in the United States.

Varadan will discover and validate whether these colorectal cancer disparities are influenced, in-part, by biologic factors within patient tumors. The study is designed to decode the role of tumor biology as well as socio-demographic factors that jointly contribute to racial disparities in colorectal cancer outcomes. Overall, the study will inform the development of new biomarkers and therapeutic strategies.

"African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with and to die as a result of colon cancer than any other ethnic group in the United States. These significant racial disparities are likely due to a confluence of socio-demographic and biologic mechanisms that are decipherable only through the use of integrative multi-scale mathematical models,” said Varadan, an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine who leads a Translational Systems Biology Laboratory at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. "This timely grant from the Colorectal Cancer Alliance will enable us to couple our unique systems biology approaches with large-scale primary tumor molecular profiles and preclinical models in order to develop interventional strategies that can improve health equity in this disease.”

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH, also received funding to investigate how the microbiome is different in CRC patients diagnosed with CRC at an age younger than 50 years old, compared to older patients and healthy individuals, and then examine whether those differences lead to worse tumor growth and weakened immunity against cancer, particularly among the youngest patients in their 20s and 30s. 

As Cleveland Clinic's Aaron Gerds, MD, finishes his term as chair of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Committee on Communications, he will assume the role of Editor-in-Chief of ASH Clinical News, the organization's magazine for American Society of Hematology members and non-members alike – offering news and views for the broader hematology/oncology community.

In an interview with ASH News TV, Dr. Gerds expands on his past experiences "growing up" with ASH and says he is, "thrilled to be taking over this role and continuing to work with ASH and help the membership stay in touch with the world of hematology." He also shares his vision for ASH Clinical News, continuing its success and expanding its reach internationally, among trainees and engaging a variety of healthcare professionals beyond physicians.

Hear from Dr. Gerds about his past experience and new role in his most recent interview on ASH News TV

Umut Gurkan, PhD, the Warren E. Rupp Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University, and Alexa Abounader, a student at Cleveland Institute of Art, were recently named winners of the BioArt Scientific Image competition hosted by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

Their illustration represents the entanglement of the root cause and the impact on red blood cells in sickle cell disease. Dr. Gurkan is a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Anant Madabhushi, PhD has been named a National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellow.

The NAI fellows program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.

The Cancer-focused Summer Undergraduate Research Program (CanSUR) is accepting applications for summer 2021. This program, which launched in 2019, supports 32 undergraduates for a 10-week period (June through August) each summer. Undergraduates will be accepted from colleges and universities from across the country to work with one of 82 Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) researchers.

The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center's Office of Cancer Training, Education and Research is hopeful that the 10-week summer program for 2021 will take place and will accept applications through January 15, 2021.

Please contact Education Program Manager Gena Richmann at [email protected] with any questions.

Each summer, the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center trains and supports medical students interested in cancer research. This program offers a valuable opportunity for medical students to participate in extensive, direct experience in laboratory research while completing their medical training.

Each award will provide $3,000 as a trainee summer stipend, and an additional $500 will be given to the hosting laboratory for research materials and supplies. Mentors are expected to match this award with a commitment of at least $500 for research supplies and materials for the trainee summer project as well.

The Bosarge Family Foundation-Waun Ki Hong Scholar Award for Regenerative Cancer Medicine represents a joint effort to encourage and support postdoctoral or clinical research fellows to conduct highly novel and provocative research in the field of regenerative cancer medicine and to establish a successful career path in this field. The research proposed for funding may be translational, clinical, or epidemiological in nature and must have direct applicability and relevance to enhancing the physiology or function of cancer survivors using regenerative medicine techniques.

This award provides a two-year grant of $120,000 to support the salary and benefits of the fellow while working on mentored research focused on regenerative cancer medicine. A partial amount of funds may be designated for non-personnel expenses, such as research/laboratory supplies, equipment, publication charges for manuscripts that pertain directly to the funded project, and other research expenses. Indirect costs are not permitted.

AICR’s Grant Program is dedicated to funding research on cancer prevention, treatment and survival related to diet, nutrition, body composition and physical activity. This document provides the key information you need to apply for funding from the AICR Grant Program.

Applications to the Investigator-Initiated Research Grant Program must address either the Cancer Prevention or the Cancer Survivors Research Area and align with at least one of the Research Themes (Biological Mechanisms or Host Factors/Susceptibility); for research in the area of Cancer Survivors, applications are invited to address a third theme of Exposure-Outcome Relationships. Applications must also adhere to AICR's research principles.

Individual grants offer a maximum funding of $150,000 plus 10 percent indirect costs provided over a two-year term.

The Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA) is pleased to announce a research funding opportunity to provide one-year grants in the amount of $50,000, to support translational science research on the etiology, molecular biology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of human sarcomas. The grants are awarded on an annual cycle from June 1 to May 31 (the annual period of performance). Grant awards for the 2021 cycle will be made on June 1, 2021.

In support of SFA's overall mission to fund research and increase awareness and advocacy for sarcoma patients and their families, the goal of the SFA grant program is to encourage research that results in improved therapeutic options for sarcoma patients. The SFA encourages applications that focus on the following areas of research for the 2021 cycle:

For each awarded grant, funding of up to $50,000 in total cost is available to cover equipment, supplies and other expenses in support of research within the period of performance.

The Leukemia Research Foundation exclusively funds New Investigator grants for blood cancer research projects that focus on leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and/or MDS.

For the 2021-2022 funding cycle, grants up to $100,000 will be awarded.