Current Grants
Ohio Cancer Research is proud to have awarded over $8.5 million in new seed money grants. With these foundational investments, OCR has kickstarted the research careers of 171 investigators across 175 projects and helped ensure their future success as they bring new and innovative ideas to the cure, prevention, and treatment of cancer.
2023-2025 Grant Recipients
Cleveland Clinic
Lai (Linda) Chan, PhD
Years: 2024-2026
Grant Awarded: $80,000
Generated: TBD
Cancer Type:
Leukemia
Project:
Exploiting Pathway Incompatibility for Targeted Therapy in STAT5-Pathway Mutated B-Cell Leukemia
“Despite recent advancements in treatments, approximately 20% of patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia experience a return of the disease within two years of initial treatments. Only about half of these patients survive when leukemia returns. Funding from OCR will allow us to explore innovative approaches to treat leukemia and prevent the development of drug resistance. Our research aims to minimize the likelihood of disease recurrence and improve clinical outcomes.”
Funding provided by Kimball Midwest/The McCurdy Family
Cleveland State University
Kailash Gulshan, PhD
Years: 2024-2026
Grant Awarded: $80,000
Generated: TBD
Cancer Type:
Lung Cancer
Project:
Targeting Inflammasome Activity in Lung Cancer
“Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, thus novel anti-lung cancer therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. Our research will open novel therapeutic and research avenues for targeting lung cancer. Support from OCR serves as a foundation for this innovative project, aiming to identify pathways that can be targeted to treat lung cancer.”
Case Western Reserve University
Tae Hun Kim, PhD
Years: 2024-2026
Grant Awarded: $80,000
Generated: TBD
Cancer Type:
DNA Damage-Related Cancers
Project:
Structural Insights into PARP2 Interactions within Chromatin for DNA Repair
“Receiving generous support from Ohio Cancer Research empowers our team to push the boundaries of cancer research, paving the way for innovative treatments and achieving an unprecedented level of understanding in cancer biology.”
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Prajwal Rajappa, MD, MS
Years: 2023-2025
Grant Awarded: $80,000
Generated: $2,821,704
Cancer Type:
Brain Cancer
Project:
IL-12 Secreting Genetically Modified Myeloid Cells and Immune Checkpoint Blockade to Prevent Glioma Malignant Progression
“Our funded project with OCR will focus on utilizing IL-12 secreting myeloid cells and immune checkpoint blockade for the activation of cytotoxic cells to kill glioma cells before they undergo malignant progression. Having the support of OCR is critical for our ability to develop these novel innate immunotherapies.”
Funding provided by Kimball Midwest/The McCurdy Family
University of Toledo
Shi-He Liu, MD
Years: 2023-2025
Grant Awarded: $80,000
Generated: $2,490,190
Cancer Type:
Pancreatic Cancer
Project:
Engineering Exosome for Pancreatic Cancer Targeting Therapies
“Pancreatic cancer remains one of deadliest forms of cancer in the United States with a 5-year survival rate of less than 10 percent. The generous funding from Ohio Cancer Research will lay the groundwork for our research to receive federal funding and help to improve outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients.”
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Mihriban Karaayvaz, PhD
Years: 2023-2025
Grant Awarded: $80,000
Generated: TBD
Cancer Type:
Breast Cancer
Project:
Modulation of mechanosignaling in the prevention of BRCA1/2 mutant breast cancer
“Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females, affecting one in every eight women and accounting for the majority of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. The generous funding from Ohio Cancer Research will pave the way for our research to receive federal funding and to improve breast cancer patient outcomes by developing novel prevention strategies.”
