{"id":389544,"date":"2026-04-13T08:53:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T08:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/389544\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T08:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T08:53:08","slug":"damon-runyon-cancer-research-foundation-awards-4-5m-to-emerging-scientists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/389544\/","title":{"rendered":"Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation awards $4.5M to emerging scientists"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Migrating<\/a>image: \u00a9Christoph Burgstedt | iStock
\n The Damon Runyon Foundation is investing $4.5 million in 19 young scientists to explore innovative cancer research. Their work spans high-tech immune cell engineering, the role of diet in tumour growth, and new methods for early ovarian cancer detection, continuing a legacy that has supported 13 Nobel Prize winners.<\/p>\n

The funding is designed to provide independent financial support to postdoctoral researchers<\/a> during the early stages of their careers\u2014a period statistically linked to the most significant scientific discoveries.<\/p>\n

Breakthrough scientists<\/p>\n

The Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists provides an additional $100,000 to existing Fellows who have shown the potential to shift paradigms in cancer prevention and treatment.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s recipients are exploring a wide array of biological mysteries, from how diet influences tumour growth to how cells communicate.<\/p>\n

Intestinal health and diet<\/p>\n

Dr. Fangtao Chi at MIT is investigating the \u201cdouble-edged sword\u201d of dietary nutrients. While certain nutrients help the intestine repair itself after injury, those same regenerative signals can be hijacked by cancer cells to promote tumour formation.<\/a> His work seeks to design specific dietary regimens that aid healing without increasing the risk of colorectal cancer.<\/p>\n

Centrioles and DNA damage<\/p>\n

At the University of Colorado, Dr. Cayla E. Jewett is studying \u201cmulticiliated\u201d cells\u2014cells that have dozens of hairlike protrusions used to move fluid. Interestingly, these cells naturally produce extra centrioles and utilise DNA damage pathways to develop behaviours that would usually cause a cell to become cancerous<\/a>. Dr Jewett aims to find the \u201cstop switch\u201d that keeps these cells from turning into tumours.<\/p>\n

Epigenetics and memory<\/p>\n

Dr. Titas Sengupta of Princeton is looking at how histone proteins (which support DNA) are modified to regulate gene expression without changing the DNA sequence. By studying the nervous system, she has found that even short-term memory is driven by these dynamic epigenetic changes, offering clues into how these same processes go wrong in brain cancers.<\/p>\n

New fellows: Targeting treatment and detection<\/p>\n

The 13 new Fellows are receiving $300,000 each over four years to pursue independent research in the laboratories of senior investigators. Their projects range from engineering immune cells to mapping the earliest genetic \u201ctriggers\u201d of deadly cancers.<\/p>\n

Advanced immunotherapy<\/p>\n

Several researchers are focused on improving CAR T cell therapy, which uses a patient\u2019s own immune system to fight cancer. Dr. Tatsat Banerjee at the Whitehead Institute is decoding the \u201cimmunological synapse\u201d\u2014the physical connection between an immune cell and a tumor\u2014to make treatments more effective against solid tumors like melanoma. Similarly, Dr. Youngmu (Nick) Shin at UCSF is building \u201csynthetic synapses\u201d to teach immune cells how to precisely target diseased tissue while sparing healthy cells.<\/p>\n

Early detection of ovarian cancer<\/p>\n

Dr. Duaa H. Al-Rawi at Memorial Sloan Kettering is investigating why high-grade serous ovarian cancer is so difficult to catch early. She is tracking the very first genetic changes in fallopian tube cells, specifically the loss of the \u201cp53\u201d protector gene and chromosomal instability, to create a roadmap for early screening and prevention.<\/p>\n

Pain management and chemotherapy<\/p>\n

Dr. Sarah W. Cai at UCSF is tackling the side effects of treatment. Many chemotherapy drugs cause chronic pain by hypersensitizing TRP ion channels in the nerves. By using high-resolution microscopy to study how these receptors cluster on cell surfaces, she hopes to develop new strategies for managing cancer-associated pain.<\/p>\n

Legacy<\/p>\n

Since its inception in 1946, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has invested over $491 million in nearly 4,100 scientists. The foundation\u2019s track record is distinguished by its scientific rigour, with 13 of its funded researchers eventually going on to receive the Nobel Prize. By providing funding and freedom to young researchers today, the foundation continues to lay the groundwork for the next generation of cancer breakthroughs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"image: \u00a9Christoph Burgstedt | iStock The Damon Runyon Foundation is investing $4.5 million in 19 young scientists to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":389545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[165,163,185647,85,46,30638],"class_list":{"0":"post-389544","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-cancer","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-health-social-care","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-israel","13":"tag-research-and-science-funding"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}