2024 Grants & Researchers
CancerFree KIDS is Awarding $1.4 Million in Research Grants!
This year we are excited to announce that we will be investing a record-breaking $1.4 million to fund 25 research grants at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus! We are funding 22 New Idea Awards and 3 Accelerator Awards to help carry out our mission to find gentler, more effective treatments for kids battling cancer by funding some of the most promising ideas in pediatric cancer today.
This incredible milestone would not be possible without the unwavering support from our CancerFree KIDS community. Thank you to each and every one of you for making this possible, we can't wait to witness the ongoing progress and exciting results of our 2024 grant investment with you.​
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
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New Idea Awards
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100 Mile Challenge Research Grant in honor of Corporate Competition Winner DBL Law - Jay Pundavela, PhD: T cell-directed drug repurposing to prevent progression of nervous system sarcoma
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altafiber Research Grant - Mohammad Azam, PhD: Targeting immune-checkpoint resistance in AML
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Cron-O’Neill Research Grant in memory of Joe, Mike and Dan - H. Leighton Grimes, PhD: Defining the role of DPF2 mutations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
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Dean and Hedy Gregory Research Grant - Mengna Chi: Mechanisms underlying increased risk of hematological malignancy (HM) in sickle cell disease (SCD) Principal Investigator
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Loveland Eagles 3006 Research Grant - Fukun Guo, PhD: Harnessing stemness to improve CAR T cell efficacy in pediatric leukemia therapy
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Paxton’s Grill Golf Outing Research Grant - Nicolas Nassar, PhD/Charles Dirr-Nims: Engineering Forward Genetics Cell Lines for Improved Drug Target Identification
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Sycamore Capital Research Grant - Yi Zheng, PhD: Targeting CDC42 reshapes glioblastoma immune microenvironment to benefit immunotherapy
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Terry Rasch Memorial Research Grant - Kristie Ramos, MD: The use of LINE-1 as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for pediatric cancers
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Visionary Society Research Grant - Daniel Starczynowski, PhD/Emma Uible, BSc: Developing therapies targeting Pro-Caspase-1 in pediatric AML
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The Reader Author Get Together Research Grant in honor of Lori Foster - Ola A. Elgamal, PhD: Identify the impact of targeting DHODH on AML and immune surveillance
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The Interlink Cloud Advisors Research Grant - Chia Sharpe, PhD: Determining the role of leukemia pDC in AML
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Accelerator Awards
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The Wirtz Family Research Grant in memory of Jacob - Mohammad Azam, PhD: Targeting CAR-T cells Immune-resistance in B-ALL
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The TQL Research Grant - Bailee N. Kain, PhD: Investigating recurrent PHIP mutations found in African ancestry Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
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New Idea Awards
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100 Mile Challenge Research Grant in honor of Top Community Fundraising Team Universe Louie, in memory of Louie - Banlanjo Umaru, PhD: Induced telomere dysfunction as a novel approach for radiosensitization and immunomodulation in diffuse midline glioma
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100 Mile Challenge Research Grant in honor of Corporate Competition Winner Approach Marketing, in honor of Hannah - Ryan Roberts, MD, PhD/Charles Treinen, MD: Tumor cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic mechanisms mediating tissue factor dependence during metastatic lung colonization in osteosarcoma
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CancerFree KIDS Columbus Board of Trustees Research Grant - Doyeon Kim, PhD: The therapeutic potential of oHSV expressing TAA-treated DC with oHSV expressing cytokine in a malignant glioma model
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Donatos Pizza Research Grant - Benjamin Sunkel, PhD: Investigating the influence of NR0B1 on nuclear receptor function in Ewing Sarcoma
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Jersey Mike’s Subs Research Grant - Janet L. Oblinger, PhD: Combining HIF-2a inhibition to enhance the effectiveness of bevacizumab in NF2-SWN schwannomas
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Lifetime Impact Award Research Grant in honor of Al Early - Zhuang Wang, PhD: Characterizing the origin, recruitment and function of macrophages in Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)
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Night for the Fight Research Grant in honor of Top Student Fundraiser Eliana Boerner in memory of her brother, Jonathan - Runwei Zhou: Investigating structural insights underlying EWS/FLI-mediated gene expression reprogramming in Ewing sarcoma
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ProMach Research Grant - Sushanta Halder, PhD: Novel drug combination targeting eIF4A and XPO1 to treat MPNSTs
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Volunteer of the Year Research Grant in honor of The Piening Family - Dawn Chandler, PhD: Unveiling the alternative splicing landscape in hepatoblastoma: Enhancing prognostic and therapeutic approaches
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Wilson Family Research Grant - Bhavana Kushwaha, PhD: Enhancing immunotherapy effectiveness in high-risk neuroblastoma through genetic and metabolic approaches
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Wolf Family Research Grant - James Reinecke MD, PhD: Combating treatment-resistant metastatic medulloblastoma through inhibition of adhesion signaling
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Accelerator Awards
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The MC and Mark Anderson Research Grant - Dawn Chandler, PhD: Characterizing and Optimizing Adeno-Associated Viral Delivery of Splice-switching Oligonucleotides: Advancing Novel Therapeutic Approaches for Pediatric Osteosarcoma