Funded Research

The Cancer League 2020 Awardees

• Paola Betancur, PhD
  Cracking the Code Linking Inflammation and the Cancer Immune Escape Program in Gynecologic Cancers
• Michael Evans, PhD
  Precision Targeting of Iron for Pancreatic Cancer Imaging and Treatment
• Deanna Kroetz, PhD
  Targeting MRP4-Mediated PGE2 Efflux to Improve Sensitivity to Immunotherapy
• Melissa Reeves, PhD
  Spatial Dynamics of the Immune Response in Heterogeneous Tumors

About The Cancer League

The Cancer League's primary interest is in funding research projects that need seed money to gain traction or to get closer to a clinical trial. In addition, projects that take an existing form of treatment, but make it better or more palatable for the patient population are equally as welcomed.

American Cancer Society Awardees - 2020

• Julian Hong, MD, MS
  Enhanced prostate cancer diagnostics: Intelligent algorithms to improve patient care
• Amar Nijagal, MD
  Single cell characterization and organoid development of pediatric choledochal cysts and hepatoblastoma to understand the link between liver development and hepatobiliary malignancy
• Melissa Reeves, PhD
  Overcoming Heterogeneity-Driven Defects of the Anti-Tumor Immune Response
• Matthew Stachler, MD, PhD
  Characterizing how the inflammatory microenvironment influences preneoplastic progression of Barrett’s esophagus into invasive adenocarcinoma
• Lena Winestone, MD, MSHP
  Determinants of Access to 131l- Metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) Therapy for High Risk Neuroblastoma Patients

About the ACS Individual Research Awards

This program is to make seed funding available to encourage junior investigators to initiate promising new projects in cancer-related research that may enable them to compete successfully for national research grants. Targeted are projects in basic, clinical, health policy, health services, psychosocial and behavioral, epidemiologic, and control research that seek to answer fundamental questions about the development and nature of cancer; have direct application to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer; relate to health policy or delivery of cancer care; investigate the psychosocial and behavioral impact of cancer; or study the circumstances under which cancer occurs in populations. Learn more.

Cancer Early Detection/Interception/Prevention RFA

• Maria Wei, MD, PhD
  Non-invasive screening for skin cancer in hereditary cancer syndromes

About this Award:

Through a generous philanthropic gift, we sought applications for funding for research into Early Detection, Interception, or Prevention of cancer in people genetically predisposed to cancer. Applications focused on at least one of these areas and described innovative approaches that have the potential to have clinical impact.

RAP Awardees

Spring 2020 awardees will be announced in late May.

About the RAP Awards

The Resource Allocation Program (RAP) is a campus-wide program whose aim is to coordinate intramural research funding opportunities for the UCSF community. Through RAP, the Cancer Center and other UCSF agencies provide seed funding to encourage clinical investigators, especially those at the beginning of their career, to initiate promising projects that may enable them to compete successfully for national research grants. Targeted areas are innovative pilot and phase I/II studies and other projects in clinical, health policy, health services, and psychosocial and behavioral research.