The Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University announces the awardees of the 2022 Pilot grant competition. These 10 one-year awards were made after applications were received from throughout Brown University and affiliated hospitals. The goal of the request for pilot grant applications was to encourage collaboration and basic-translational research across the academic medical center and within the Legorreta Cancer Center’s research programs in Cancer Biology, Cancer Therapeutics, and Population Science. In addition, a special request was made for projects addressing the role of nutrition, metabolism, and cancer. Two progress reports are expected from the awardees (at 6 months and at the end of the award) who will also be invited to present updates of their research at Cancer Center venues. Below is a list of the projects that have been approved for funding:
Project Title: Manganese Excess and Colorectal Cancer
Awardee: Tom Bartnikas, MD, PhD, Cancer Biology Program, Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School
Project Title: Pilot Trial of Supplemental Vitamin A and Nicotinamide and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma among Kidney Transplant Recipients
Awardee: Eunyong Cho, ScD, Population Science Program, Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University, Department of Dermatology, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health
Project Title: Armored TRUCK Runs Over Colorectal Cancer
Awardee: Xiaoqun Dong, PhD, Cancer Therapeutics Program, Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School
Project Title: The role of complement system in the pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms
Awardee: Patrycja Dubielecka-Szczerba, PhD, Cancer Biology Program, Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Rhode Island Hospital, The Warren Alpert Medical School
Project Title: Sexuality and Intimacy in Patients with Advanced Cancer Receiving Palliative Care
Awardee Title: Dana Guyer, MD, Population Science Program, Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University, Division of Hematology/Oncology Rhode Island Hospital, The Warren Alpert Medical School
Project Title: Chi3l1 regulation of p53 in lung cancer
Awardee: Suchitra Kamle, PhD, Cancer Biology Program, Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University, Dept. of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, The Warren Alpert Medical School
Project Title: Better Nutrition for Cancer Prevention: Breastfeeding promotion and reducing tobacco use and exposure during pregnancy
Awardee: Patricia Risica, DrPH, Population Science Program, Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University, Dept. of Behavioral & Social Sciences, Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health
Project Title: In Situ Assessment of Microenvironment-Dependent Chemoresistance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia using High-Definition Spatial Transcriptomics
Awardee: Diana O. Treaba, MD, Cancer Biology Program, Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University, Dept. of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School
Project Title: Feasibility and acceptability of a highly translatable web-based intervention for increasing physical activity among cancer survivors
Awardee: Jessica Unick, PhD, Population Science Program, Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School
Project Title: Network Analysis Approach to Discover Potential Cancer Drug Targets
Awardee: Ece Uzun, PhD, Cancer Biology Program, Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School
2022 Legorreta Cancer Center Pilot Grant Review Panel
Expert panel was assembled based on the submitted proposals
Wafik El-Deiry, MD, PhD, Panel Chair
Panel members:
Benedito Carneiro, MD, Brown and Lifespan
Paul DiSilvestro, MD, Brown and Care New England
Mary Anne Fenton, MD, Brown and Lifespan
Richard Freiman, PhD, Brown and Care New England
Stephanie Graff, MD, Brown and Lifespan
Jonathan Kurtis, MD, PhD, Brown and Lifespan
Olin Liang, PhD, Brown and Lifespan
Rishi Lulla, MD, Brown and Hasbro Children’s Hospital
Jennifer Sanders, PhD, Brown
Howard Safran, MD, Brown and Lifespan
William Sikov, MD, Brown and Care New England
Nikos Tapinos, MD, PhD, Brown and Lifespan
Anatoly Zhitkovich, PhD, Brown