The ARCH program builds upon the ASH Bridge Grant, developed in 2012 in response to federal research fund cuts. This year’s award cohort is the largest yet, sustaining critical hematology research amid an uncertain federal funding landscape.
“The ARCH award will give investigators the resources to stay funded and continue their essential research in a climate where investigators are now having to fill broader and more frequent gaps in funding,” ARCH Study Section at ASH, Kellie Machlus, PhD, of Boston Children’s Hospital, previously told Heme Today.
The ASH ARCH award expands the ASH Bridge Grant’s eligibility criteria by removing the NIH R01 application requirement. This allows investigators of all career levels to apply for the award, according to Dr. Machlus.
“The ASH ARCH funding mechanism was designed to make research in hematology more accessible to investigators like myself hoping to make impactful translational discoveries that have the potential to improve outcomes for patients with blood cancers,” Sheng Cai, MD, PhD, ARCH program awardee and Leukemia Specialist & Early Drug Development Specialist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, told Heme Today.
Dr. Cai is researching concurrent menin inhibition and Ikaros degradation to overcome resistance mutations in the MEN1 gene for patients with relapsed acute leukemia. A phase 1/2 trial will investigate dual targeting of acute leukemia with revumenib and mezigdomide, which targets the Ikaros protein.
“The strategy we are testing is to attack the same leukemia through a second, independent point of vulnerability at the same time,” Dr. Cai explained. “The ARCH award supports the analyses of the bio specimens collected during this trial. We will assess blood and bone marrow throughout treatment and use assays sensitive enough to detect a single resistant cell among roughly 100,000.”
“Receiving the ASH ARCH grant is a tremendous honor and a meaningful validation of our lab’s ongoing work,” added Carol Miao, PhD, a professor of pediatrics at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. “Being recognized by the American Society of Hematology—a community of leading experts and peers in hematology—underscores the importance and potential impact of our research direction.”
The ASH ARCH grant is funding Dr. Miao’s research on redosable nonviral gene therapy for patients with hemophilia A. Her research aims to overcome limitations of current gene therapies, such as vector immunity and declining therapeutic factor levels.
“We are evaluating nonviral platforms, specifically utilizing ultrasound-mediated gene delivery, lipid nanoparticles, and a novel combination of both technologies. Our goal is to establish an efficient, targeted, and repeatable platform for factor VIII gene delivery,” Dr. Miao told Heme Today. “By developing a redosable platform, we hope to make gene therapy more accessible, customizable across a patient’s lifespan, and safer, ultimately moving us closer to a long-term, functional cure for individuals living with hemophilia A.”
In the past year, ASH has doubled its funding to approximately $50 million to support awards, career development, and mentorship, including an additional $25 million for the #Fight4Hematology initiative launched in 2025.
“This group of researchers represents the best of the best, and their science has the potential to make a great difference in our understanding of hematologic conditions…By investing in these researchers now, we are keeping critical science moving forward and making it clear that patients cannot be left waiting for progress,” said Robert Negrin, MD, ASH President, in a press release.