Young Investigator Grants

Young Investigator grants are designed to fill the critical need for startup funds for less experienced researchers to pursue promising research ideas. Eligible applicants may apply during their fellowship training or early in their research careers but must not have achieved an appointment higher than Instructor. These grants encourage and cultivate the best and brightest researchers of the future and lead to long-term research projects. The Young Investigator grant offers up to $60,000 per year for three years.

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

This project originated at The Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH. Effective July 2017, Dr. Mack has accepted a new position will be completing his Young Investigator project at Baylor.

Background

Principal Investigator Name:

Stephen Mack, PhD

Project Title:

Interrogating the Enhancer Landscapes of Ependymoma to Inform Novel Therapies

Year Awarded:

2016

Cancer Research Category:

Ependymoma

Category of Grant:

Young Investigator Grants

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Medical

Institution:

Baylor College of Medicine

Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Background

Retinoblastoma is a childhood ocular tumor initiated by the inactivation of the RB1 gene and subsequent loss of retinoblastoma protein (pRB). Although pRB loss is the key-initiating event, the molecular mechanisms controlling the transformation of a normal retinal cell into malignancy remain unclear.

Principal Investigator Name:

Sunhye Lee, PhD

Project Title:

Single-cell RNA-seq Profiling of Transcriptional Transition States During Human Retinoblastoma

Year Awarded:

2016

Cancer Research Category:

Retinoblastoma

Category of Grant:

Young Investigator Grants

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Medical

Institution:

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

Background

Principal Investigator Name:

Giedre Krenciute, PhD

Project Title:

Genetically Engineered T Cells as Therapy for Pediatric Glioma

Year Awarded:

2016

Cancer Research Category:

Category of Grant:

Young Investigator Grants

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Medical

Institution:

Baylor College of Medicine

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

Background

Principal Investigator Name:

Madeline Hayes, PhD

Project Title:

A Role for Non-canonical Wnt/PCP Signaling in Growth and Self-Renewal of Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma

Year Awarded:

2016

Cancer Research Category:

Rhabdomyosarcoma

Category of Grant:

Young Investigator Grants

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Medical

Institution:

Massachusetts General Hospital

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Background

Principal Investigator Name:

Amanda DiNofia, MD

Project Title:

Variation in Care and Outcomes in Pediatric Acute Leukemia

Year Awarded:

2016

Cancer Research Category:

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

Category of Grant:

Young Investigator Grants

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Medical

Institution:

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA

Background

Neuroblastoma is an embryonal tumor responsible for 15% of pediatric cancer deaths. Survival rate for high-risk neuroblastoma, which affects the majority of patients, is still dismal despite the use of aggressive therapy. Relapse occurs in over half of patients, with no current prospect for a cure. Therefore, understanding the cause of relapse is critical for enabling the development of effective treatments.

Principal Investigator Name:

David Debruyne, PhD

Project Title:

Molecular Basis of ALK Inhibition Resistance in High-risk Neuroblastoma

Year Awarded:

2016

Cancer Research Category:

Neuroblastoma

Category of Grant:

Young Investigator Grants

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Medical

Institution:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

Background

Wilms' tumor is the most common pediatric kidney cancer. While many patients are cured, children with high-risk disease continue to have poor outcomes. No alternative, targeted therapies have proven effective in Wilms' tumor. One-fifth of Wilms' tumors harbor mutations in the enzymes are responsible for producing microRNAs, small RNA molecules that regulate expression of target genes. These mutations drive tumor formation; leading to a worse prognosis.

Project Goal

Principal Investigator Name:

Kenneth Chen, MD

Project Title:

The Role of MiRNA Impairment in Wilms' Tumor Formation

Year Awarded:

2016

Cancer Research Category:

Wilms Tumor

Category of Grant:

Young Investigator Grants

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Medical

Institution:

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Background

Principal Investigator Name:

Kristopher Bosse, MD

Project Title:

GPC2 as an Oncogene and Immunotherapeutic Target in High-risk Neuroblastoma

Year Awarded:

2016

Cancer Research Category:

Neuroblastoma

Category of Grant:

Young Investigator Grants

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Medical

Institution:

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA

Background

Despite significant improvements in outcomes for children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), today's therapies can cause toxic side effects, and too many young AML patients still relapse and die from the disease. There is an urgent need for less toxic, more effective therapies.

Principal Investigator Name:

Melinda Biernacki, MD

Project Title:

Developing Targeted Immunotherapy Against Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Year Awarded:

2016

Cancer Research Category:

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Category of Grant:

Young Investigator Grants

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Medical

Institution:

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Background

This project focuses on Ewing’s Sarcoma, a cancer of the bone or soft tissue that predominately affects adolescents. Although patients with localized disease are often cured, the prognosis for patients with metastatic disease is dismal, with survival estimates as low as 10%. We do not yet understand why some Ewing’s Sarcoma cells metastasize, and patient outcomes will not improve until we fill this critical knowledge gap.

Principal Investigator Name:

Kelly Bailey, MD/PhD

Project Title:

Micro-environmental Regulators of Ewing sarcoma Metastasis

Year Awarded:

2016

Cancer Research Category:

Ewing Sarcoma

Category of Grant:

Young Investigator Grants

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Medical

Institution:

University of Pittsburgh

Search form

You are here

Principal Investigator Name:

Project Title:

Year Awarded:

Cancer Research Category:

Category of Grant:

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Institution:

Principal Investigator Name:

Project Title:

Year Awarded:

Cancer Research Category:

Category of Grant:

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Institution:

Principal Investigator Name:

Project Title:

Year Awarded:

Cancer Research Category:

Category of Grant:

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Institution:

Principal Investigator Name:

Project Title:

Year Awarded:

Cancer Research Category:

Category of Grant:

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Institution:

Principal Investigator Name:

Project Title:

Year Awarded:

Cancer Research Category:

Category of Grant:

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Institution:

Principal Investigator Name:

Project Title:

Year Awarded:

Cancer Research Category:

Category of Grant:

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Institution:

Principal Investigator Name:

Project Title:

Year Awarded:

Cancer Research Category:

Category of Grant:

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Institution:

Principal Investigator Name:

Project Title:

Year Awarded:

Cancer Research Category:

Category of Grant:

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Institution:

Principal Investigator Name:

Project Title:

Year Awarded:

Cancer Research Category:

Category of Grant:

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Institution:

Principal Investigator Name:

Project Title:

Year Awarded:

Cancer Research Category:

Category of Grant:

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe:

Institution:

Pages

Featured Hero