There are two categories of awards offered this spring for the UNC Lineberger Developmental Funding Award: Pilot Awards of up to $50,000 for one-year projects involving one principal investigator, and Stimulus Awards of up to $100,000 per year for one or two years for projects that enhance our scientific understanding of cancer basic mechanisms or clinical and public health practice.
The UNC Lineberger Developmental Funding Program is accepting applications for the next round of funding.
Through the program, UNC Lineberger awards grants semi-annually for cancer research to center members, UNC-Chapel Hill faculty and their collaborators.
This spring, there are two awards offered: Pilot Awards of up to $50,000 for one-year projects involving one principal investigator, and Stimulus Awards of up to $100,000 per year for one or two years for projects that enhance our scientific understanding of cancer basic mechanisms or clinical and public health practice. The deadline to apply for this round of funding is March 15.
“With these awards, UNC Lineberger supports pilot research that will lead to external grants led by UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, as well as projects conducted in collaboration with our colleagues at other UNC system schools,” said Anne Menkens, PhD, UNC Lineberger assistant director of collaborative research.
In addition to the general request for applications, UNC Lineberger leaders are making a targeted call for applicants proposing research using the Carolina Health Assessment & Resource Tool, known as CHART.
CHART is an online resource developed with University Cancer Research Fund support that allows researchers to assess patients for behavioral risk factors for cancer such as their eating habits, physical activity, tobacco use and emotional health, as well as to improve their awareness and motivation to lower their risks. The program then allows researchers to launch interventions to reduce patients’ behavioral risks.
“The purpose of a request targeted to particular areas of research is to stimulate new work in priority areas or leverage UCRF or other funding of initiatives and resources,” Menkens said. “Applications for the targeted request are generally from the same pool of funds, and have the same level of review.”
In the past, UNC Lineberger has had targeted requests in the areas of chemistry and cancer biology, use of the Biomedical Imaging Research Center (BRIC), cancer disparities, and biomedical collaborations with North Carolina State University.
“Collaborations with N.C. State, N.C. Central, and East Carolina University are always welcomed, as is any cancer-related proposal,” Menkens said.
For the fall, UNC Lineberger granted 11 awards totaling $897,693. The winning projects were selected from a pool of 48 applicants who had requested $6.3 million. The funded projects spanned population, clinical and basic sciences, and addressed scientific questions in breast, colorectal, prostate, and HIV-associated cancers, as well as a variety of patient populations.
Principal investigators awarded funding in the fall were:
Yuri Fedoriw, MD, associate professor, Pathology & Lab Medicine, Tier 1: “Whole Exome Sequencing of HIV-associated Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphomas from Malawi.”
Caterina Gallippi, PhD, associate professor, Joint UNC & NC State University Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tier 1: “ARFI, VisR, and DDAI Ultrasound for Improving Discrimination of Malignant and Unresponsive Breast Cancer.”
Jennifer Lund, PhD, assistant professor, Epidemiology, Tier 1: “Generalizing colorectal cancer trial results to real world populations: A pilot study.”
Jesse Raab, PhD, assistant professor, Genetics, Tier 1: “SWI/SNF mediated genome regulation in SChLAP1-dependent prostate cancer.”
Andrew Smitherman, MD, fellow, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (sponsored by Bill Wood), Tier 1: “Patterns of cancer care and clinical trial enrollment among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) in North Carolina.”
Hong Yuan, PhD, associate professor Radiology, Tier 1: “Imaging tumor hypoxia in brain metastasis: a step closer towards personalized therapy.”
Antonia Bennett, PhD, assistant professor, Health Policy & Management, Tier 2: “Pedometry as a Reflection of Symptoms and Function in Advanced Cancer.”
Laura Hanson, MD, MPH professor, Geriatric Medicine, Tier 2: “Palliative and Oncology Collaborative Care for Advanced Cancer.”
Lindsey James, PhD, assistant professor, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Tier 2: “Discovery of Novel Chemical Probes for Polycomb Complexes for Cancer Therapy.”
Yueh Z. Lee, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Radiology, James Coghill, MD, assistant professor, Medicine, Tier 2: “18-FLT PET/MR Imaging to Predict Graft Failure and Graft Versus Host Disease in Bone Marrow Transplant Patients.”
Matthew Parrott, PhD, assistant professor, Radiology, Benjamin Vincent, MD, assistant professor, Medicine, Tier 2: “TIL-PET – Positron Emission Tomography of Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes.”
Questions can also be sent via email to Menkens.