$1.375 Million Awarded to Seven Teams of Researchers
The Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) presented two Advanced Discovery Awards, four Young Investigator Awards, and one Focus Award: Psychosocial to researchers who are working to uncover and refine treatment and care strategies for kidney cancer. The awards represent a total of $1.375 million in funding.
“We’re thrilled to support these extraordinary researchers to discover even more about kidney cancer and what can be done to treat it,” said Gretchen E. Vaughan, President and CEO of the KCA. “Their important work is directly tied to our vision to lead the way to curative therapies for the patients and families in our community.”
This year the KCA introduced a special Focus Award: Psychosocial in response to the need from both patients and researchers for a better understanding of the psychosocial issues facing people impacted by kidney cancer such as mental and emotional health. This award grants one researcher $75,000.
“Expanding the scope of our award program was really important,” said Sallie McAdoo, MS, CGC, the KCA’s Medical Director. “Addressing the psychosocial needs of people with kidney cancer is a critical part of our mission to provide support and education across the spectrum of kidney cancer. The better we can understand these needs and how to serve them, the better we’ll be able to support more patients and families.”
In addition to the new Focus Award: Psychosocial, the KCA granted two $500,000 Advanced Discovery Awards for collaborative research between established clinicians and basic scientists that will make an immediate impact in kidney cancer and four $75,000 Young Investigator Awards to promising researchers in urology and clinical oncology who are planning to pursue an investigative career in kidney cancer.
“We had a tremendous number of exciting projects to consider this year,” said Dr. Jose Karam, Chair of the KCA’s Grant Review Panel, member of the KCA’s Medical Steering Committee, and a urologic oncologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. “The 2021 awardees represent some of the most innovative thinkers in the kidney cancer field whose research has the potential to make great impacts on patients’ lives.”
Advanced Discovery Awards
Toni Choueiri, MD – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Rizwan Romee, MD – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Research project: Adoptive cytokine-induced memory-like NK cell therapy alone or in combination with avelumab for immunotherapy-refractory advanced renal cell carcinoma
Jianjun Gao, MD, PhD – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Pavlos Msaouel, MD, PhD – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Research project: Identification of Tumor Frameshift Neoantigens to Accurately Predict Response to Immune Checkpoint Therapy in Renal Cell Carcinoma
Young Investigator Awards
Elshad Hasanov, MD, PhD – University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Eric Jonasch, MD (Mentor) – University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Research project: Investigating genomic drivers of immune checkpoint inhibitors resistance in RCC brain metastasis: implications for immunotherapy
Eric C. Kauffman, MD – Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
James Mohler, MD (Mentor) – Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Research project: Biology of spontaneously regressing renal cell carcinoma primary tumors
Nirmish Singla, MD, MSCS – Johns Hopkins University
Chetan Bettegowda, MD, PhD (Mentor) – Johns Hopkins Univesity
Research project: Tumor Evolution of Brain-Specific Tropism in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
Yuexin Xu, PhD – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Edus H. Warren, MD, PhD (Mentor) – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Research project: Transcriptomic single-cell and spatial mapping of immune cell infiltration and tumor-associated endothelial cell heterogeneity in renal cell carcinoma
Focus Award: Psychosocial
Cristiane Bergerot, PhD – Instituto Unity de Ensino e Pesquisa, Centro De Cancer de Brasilia
Research Project: Redefining Quality of Life Assessments in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
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About the Kidney Cancer Association
The Kidney Cancer Association is a global community dedicated to serving and empowering patients and caregivers, and leading change through advocacy, research, and education in order to be the universal leader in finding the cure for kidney cancer. Founded in 1990 by Eugene P. Schonfeld and a small group of patients and doctors in Chicago, Illinois, the KCA has grown into an international non-profit organization based in Houston, Texas. The KCA promotes scientific advances through two annual research symposiums and a robust grant program, participates in legislative advocacy, and seeks to be a source of education and resources for patients, caregivers, and anyone impacted by kidney cancer.
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