-- Since 2018, The Mark Foundation ASPIRE program has provided more than $48M to fund 118 awards for high-risk, high-reward research that cuts across multiple cancer types and scientific disciplines. NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research announced 16 outstanding projects in its latest class of ASPIRE awards, granting more than $5 million for research that aims to answer key feasibility and proof-of-concept questions in an accelerated time frame, and scaling for impact based upon initial success. The high-risk nature of these projects, often based on new ideas that have generated limited preliminary data, tends to place them outside the scope of other funding opportunities. The Mark Foundation's commitment to interdisciplinary research and global collaboration is also embodied by these new grants, with many different fields of study represented including genetics, chemical biology, artificial intelligence (AI), immuno-oncology, biophysics, and cancer prevention. For example, two of the projects will apply state-of-the-art technologies in AI and structural biology to study the T-cell receptor, a signaling node that is key for successful cancer immunotherapies. Another project brings together laboratories from the United Kingdom and Australia working on lung cancer and breast cancer to collaborate on cancer prevention and protection. "These ASPIRE awards will enable trailblazing approaches to help solve some of the biggest challenges in cancer research today," said Ryan Schoenfeld, CEO, The Mark Foundation. "I'm excited to see these projects embracing the high-risk / high-reward spirit of the program and covering such a broad range of important scientific questions and different cancer types that represent areas of high unmet need for patients." Launched in 2018, The Mark Foundation ASPIRE Award program has provided 118 grants totaling over $48 million across 63 different research institutions in 12 countries.
Understanding and targeting microbial triggers for myeloma Chemical-induced proximity for control of STAT transcription factor networks
Induction of tumor-eradicating systemic immunity via leukocyte-targeted cytokine therapy Taha Merghoub, PhD, and Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine
Andrea Ventura, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Defining the Roles Of ecDNAs In Cancer Initiation and Progression Antigen Presentation Inhibitors for Cancer Immunotherapy Discovery of E3 ligase substrate adapters of overlooked forms of protein damage
Dissecting molecular mechanism(s) of ATR-inhibitor and CHK1-inhibitor sensitivity and resistance Redefining cancer drug resistance and replication timing at nucleotide and nanoscale resolution Tumor promotion and protection About The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, a charitable organization based in New York City, actively partners with scientists around the world to accelerate research that will transform the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Since 2017, The Mark Foundation has awarded more than $200 million in grants to over 100 academic institutions across 13 countries, with research programs focusing on early career support, team science collaboration, new technology innovation, and therapeutics discovery. Additionally, The Mark Foundation maintains a growing portfolio of investments in early-stage cancer diagnostics and therapeutics companies, including several that have transitioned from grantee projects into commercial development. To learn more please visit www.TheMarkFoundation.org. SOURCE The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research