Detroit-based Henry Ford Health and East Lansing-based Michigan State University funded five cancer research grants of up to $100,000 each, according to an Aug. 29 news release.
The five grants follow a May 2022 wave of funding from the partnership, which awarded 18 pilot grants of up to $25,000 each. Researchers from the two organizations submitted 26 integration grant proposals for the latest round of funding. Each research grant features a principal investigator from one of the partner organizations.
Ben Movsas, MD, chair of the Health Sciences Cancer Committee and medical director of Henry Ford Cancer, said they are proud to support research that will improve outcomes for cancer patients.
"These highly impactful research initiatives, 40 percent of which directly address cancer disparities, will help us gain critical insights into some of the most challenging issues facing the cancer community today, which in turn will benefit patients and make a difference in many lives," said Dr. Movas.
Jeff MacKeigan, PhD, assistant dean in research of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, said this partnership is an essential part of reimagining healthcare and discovering scientific breakthroughs.
"These research initiatives funded through our partnership with Henry Ford will play an important role in fighting the health disparities that plague our most vulnerable communities," Dr. MacKeigan said.
The five grants selected in the latest round of funding are:
- An Adaptive Pre-Treatment Stratification Model for Clinical Decision Support of Patients with Head & Neck Cancers
- Principal Investigators: Adam Alessio, PhD (MSU), Indrin Chetty, PhD (Henry Ford) - Identify Mechanisms Underlying Sex Disparities in Liver Carcinoma Development
- Principal Investigators: Qing-Sheng Mi, MD, PhD (Henry Ford), Hua Xiao, MD, PhD (MSU) - Enhancing the Therapeutic Gain of Radiation Therapy for Brain Cancer by Reducing Cellular Senescence
- Principal Investigators: Stephen Brown, PhD (Henry Ford), Marcia Gordon, PhD (MSU) - New Nanotherapy for Brain Tumors based on miR-10b Inhibition
- Principal Investigators: Anna Moore, PhD (MSU), Ana deCarvalho, PhD (Henry Ford) - Development of Sialyl Lewis A Targeting Monoclonal Antibodies Toward The Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
- Principal Investigators: Howard Crawford, PhD (Henry Ford), Xuefei Huang, PhD (MSU)