FARF Research Grants - Cancer Preclinical Models

Award Amounts: $100,000 - $500,000 (varies by project)

Geographic Scope: United States and international

Focus Areas:

• Development of preclinical models for FA-related cancers
• Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models
• Organoid development from FA patient cells
• Drug screening and therapy testing
• Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC)
• Cancer prevention strategies

Development and Characterization of FA-HNSCC PDX Models

• Amount: $100,000
• Year Funded: 2022
• Principal Investigators: Jenny Grandis and Daniel Johnson (University of California San Francisco)
• Focus: Develop patient-derived xenograft models from FA head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tumors; characterize tumor-specific genetic alterations; perform drug screening studies
• Rationale: Young adults with FA face limitations in treatment due to DNA repair defects; need for non-DNA damaging FA cancer therapies

Modeling the Role of Environmental Responses in Fanconi Anemia Epithelial Stem and Progenitor Cells in FA Squamous Cell Carcinoma

• Amount: $500,000
• Year Funded: 2022 (via Joel Walker Cancer Ideas Lab competition)
• Principal Investigators: Ken Weinberg (Stanford University), Hiro Nakagawa (Columbia University), Frank Ondrey (University of Minnesota), Daria Mochly-Rosen (Stanford University), Craig Elmets (University of Alabama at Birmingham)
• Collaborators: Markus Grompe (Oregon Health and Science University)
• Focus: Develop models using non-primate animal models and organoids from FA patient cancer cells to understand squamous cell carcinoma; test cancer prevention strategies targeting aldehyde/retinoid metabolism and immune factors

How to Apply

1. Initial Contact: Contact Isis Sroka, Scientific Director at isis@fanconi.org
2. Proposal Submission: Submit research grant proposal with full project description
3. Review Process: FARF Scientific team evaluates proposals for scientific merit and relevance
4. Award Decision: Grants awarded based on evaluation

Competition Opportunities:

• Joel Walker Cancer Ideas Lab (special competition for FA cancer research ideas)
  • Format: 5-day virtual workshops for scientists to brainstorm and form interdisciplinary research teams
  • Prize: Up to $500,000 in grant funding
  • Sponsorship: Funded by the Walker family in memory of Joel Walker

Required Materials:

• Research proposal
• Project objectives and methods
• Budget and justification
• Researcher credentials and institutional affiliation