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Gastric Cancer Foundation Awards Two $100,000 Seed Grants to Fuel Novel Drug and Genomic Studies

The Gastric Cancer Foundation is proud to introduce our two newest seed grant recipients, who were each awarded $100,000 in funding for their foundational research. Pradeep Chaluvally-Raghavan, PhD, associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, is developing a novel, two-pronged drug that inhibits a cancer-promoting protein. Ignacio Vázquez-García, PhD, a recently recruited assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, is studying a genetic abnormality that affects a large proportion of patients.

Our seed grant program helps bridge a funding gap that faces many gastric cancer researchers in the early and mid-stages of their careers. By supporting basic research, we aim to provide researchers the backing they need to gather data they can use to apply for larger grants. Ultimately, their research could bring novel diagnostics and treatments to patients facing this challenging diagnosis.

More about our 2026 seed grant recipients:

Pradeep Chaluvally-Raghavan, PhD

Therapies known as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) can be quite effective in combating tumors because they combine cancer-killing medicines with molecules designed to block mechanisms in cancer cells that allow them to grow and thrive. Chaluvally-Raghavan is developing an ADC that targets stomach tumors in a completely new way.

Chaluvally-Raghavan’s research is focused on oncostatin M receptor (OSMR), a protein that’s known to activate signals in cancer cells that help them to grow, proliferate quickly and spread beyond the primary tumor. His Gastric Cancer Foundation-funded project centers around developing an effective ADC to inhibit OSMR.

Ignacio Vázquez-García, PhD

Gastric cancer remains one of the most lethal cancers worldwide, in part because tumors evolve as they grow, developing pockets of cells that resist treatment. Understanding how and when these resistant cells emerge is the focus of Vázquez-García’s research initiative at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS)—the first peer-reviewed grant awarded to Vázquez-García’s brand-new lab.

Specifically, Vázquez-García is studying a phenomenon called “chromosomal instability” (CIN), in which the chromosomes of gastric tumors become rearranged. CIN results in extensive cell-to-cell diversity within the tumor, resulting in cancer cells that are highly heterogeneous and often resistant to treatment. An estimated 40% to 60% of gastric tumors have high levels of CIN, yet the consequences of this instability remain poorly understood.

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Chef Hans and Stacy Martin break down their everyday breakfast routines. From high-protein yogurts with fresh or freeze dried fruit to clever “stacking” tricks and travel friendly oatmeal, they share realistic ideas that fit busy schedules without sacrificing comfort or flavor.

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