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Masonic Cancer Center announces Fall 2024 internal grant awards

The Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota recently announced the awarding of $350,000 in pilot grants through its Fall 2024 Internal Grant Program. Support for these grants is made available by the center through a variety of funding sources, including the Minnesota Masonic Charities. 

The purpose of this program is to promote innovation, spark research collaborations, and support novel research concepts with the goal of answering the toughest cancer research questions. The goal of the program is to fund pilot projects that lead to nationally peer-reviewed grant funding.

Please join us in thanking the Masonic Cancer Center’s support partners and congratulating this year’s award recipients.


Cancer Research Translational Initiative (CRTI) Exceptional Translational Research Awards

Enhancing PARP Inhibitor Sensitivity in SRSF2-Mutant MDS through CDK12/13 Inhibition and iPSC-Based Modeling
Jeremy Allred, MD, Department of Medicine, Medical School
Hai Dang Nguyen, PhD, Department of Pharmacology, Medical School

Development of novel strategies to promote anti-tumor macrophage function in breast cancer
Kaylee Schwertfeger, PhD, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Medical School
Joseph Muretta, PhD, Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, College of Biological Sciences
Andrew Nelson, MD, PhD, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Medical School


Muggee Research Award for Pediatric Cancer

Novel Adenovirus-based Therapies for Pediatric Neuroblastoma
Julia Davydova, MD, PhD, Department of Surgery, Medical School
David Largaespada, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, Medical School
Zuzan Cayci, MD, Department of Radiology, Medical School


Pre-R01 Brainstorm Awards

Dissecting the role of MCT1 in the development and progression of oral cancer in Fanconi anemia
Rajaram Gopalakrishnan, BDS, PhD, Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences, School of Dentistry
Erin Dickerson, PhD, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
Silvia Balbo, PhD, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health

Development of a novel oncolytic virus for the treatment of ER+ breast cancer
Julie Ostrander, PhD, Department of Medicine, Medical School
Zohar Sachs, MD, PhD, Department of Medicine, Medical School
Julia Davydova, MD, PhD, Department of Surgery, Medical School