Grants at a glance
> NCI award supports research regarding melanoma and sarcoma
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded a five-year, $1.4 million grant to Richard Jove, Ph.D., director of City of Hope’s Beckman Research Institute and deputy director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center. Jove’s research will set the stage for testing a new generation of antitumor and antiangiogenesis therapeutics. The research aims to develop more effective molecular-targeted therapies for melanoma and sarcoma.
> H.N. & Frances C. Berger Foundation continues graduate school support
Four high-achieving, first-year graduate students at City of Hope’s Graduate School of Biological Sciences received H.N. & Frances C. Berger Fellowship awards. The H.N. & Frances C. Berger Fellowships for Outstanding Performance will support the students’ first-year expenses as they pursue careers in biomedical research. The H.N. & Frances C. Berger Foundation has supported City of Hope’s graduate program since 2002.
> Leukemia and Lymphoma Society funds survivorship research
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
awarded a three-year, $600,000 grant to Smita Bhatia, M.D., M.P.H., chair of the Division of Population Sciences. Bhatia
focuses on how cancer therapy may affect patients even long after they finish treatment. She studies how to prevent and detect these effects, as well as the therapy’s influence on quality of life. In addition, she develops ways to improve patients’ quality of life and better manage their symptoms. Since its founding in 1949, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has invested more than $550 million in research specifically targeting blood cancers.
> Phase One Foundation grant supports translational research
The Phase One Foundation awarded a two-year, $500,000 grant to fund City of Hope collaborative projects, clinical trials and experimental protocols in translational research — studies that quickly turn scientific discoveries into potential new therapies. The grant is overseen by Robert Figlin, M.D., Arthur and Rosalie Kaplan Professor of Medical Oncology, chair of the Division of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research and associate director for clinical research in City of Hope’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. Founded in 1991, the Phase One Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Santa Monica, Calif., is committed to supporting phase 1 clinical trial research and treatment programs for cancer patients.
> Sidney Kimmel award supports research into liver regeneration
The Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research awarded a two-year, $200,000 grant to Wendong Huang, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Gene Regulation & Drug Discovery. Huang’s research will further the study of an important metabolic defect involving farnesoid X receptor, or FXR. Huang studies the role that FXR plays in liver regrowth, which may eventually boost treatments for liver diseases, including cancer. The Kimmel Awards were created in 1997 to further the careers of gifted, young scientists involved in cancer research. The Sidney Kimmel Foundation has contributed more than $350 million to cancer centers and cancer research.