ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, is honored to announce the recipients of its awards supporting researchers with projects spanning many areas in cancer care, including immunotherapy, lung, breast cancer, and palliative care. The awards will be given in conjunction with the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program.

“Conquer Cancer is proud to recognize this group of talented clinical cancer researchers,” said Thomas G. Roberts, Jr., MD, FASCO, chair of the Conquer Cancer Board of Directors. “From supporting research projects that rarely see funding to providing that first, vital research grant to a young scientist, Conquer Cancer is cultivating the next generation of breakthroughs for every cancer, every patient, everywhere.”

Research Professorship in Breast Cancer Disparities

The Research Professorship provides funding to full professors who have made significant contributions to cancer research and are dedicated to mentoring the next generation of researchers. This year’s Research Professorship in Breast Cancer Disparities recipient is Jeffrey N. Weitzel, MD, from City of Hope. Dr. Weitzel will receive $500,000 over the next five-years to support his research project, “Multimodal approach to address disparities in access to genomic cancer risk assessment, screening and precision prevention among underserved women in the Americas.”

Advanced Clinical Research Award in Breast Cancer

The Advanced Clinical Research Award (ACRA) in Breast Cancer supports physician-scientists committed to conducting original breast cancer research in an area that is currently not funded. The 2020 Conquer Cancer-Breast Cancer Research Foundation® Advanced Clinical Research Award recipient is David W. Cescon, MD, PhD, from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Dr. Cescon will receive $450,000 over the next three years to further his research project, “A liquid biopsy-guided umbrella trial for CDK4/6 inhibitor-resistant ER+ breast cancer.”

Career Development Awards

The Career Development Award (CDA) is a three-year grant that funds clinical investigators who have received their initial faculty appointment and are working to establish an independent, patient-focused, clinical cancer research program. This year, Conquer Cancer will award 15 CDAs to promising clinicians.  

Young Investigator Awards

The Young Investigator Award (YIA) provides funding to promising investigators to encourage and promote quality research in oncology. The grant supports pre-clinical and clinical cancer research projects by oncologists who are undergoing a career transition from a fellowship program to a faculty appointment. Eighty-one investigators will receive YIAs this year.   

Global Oncology Young Investigator Awards

The Global Oncology Young Investigator Award (GO YIA) supports early-career researchers with projects focused on addressing global health needs when it comes to cancer. This year three researchers will be awarded with GO YIAs. 

Gateway for Cancer Research Discovery Grant in Immunotherapy Research

The Gateway Discovery Grant Program supports innovative early phase clinical trials with great potential to advance breakthrough cancer research. The inaugural recipient is David C. Linehan, MD from the University of Rochester Medical Center/Wilmot Cancer Institute. Dr. Linehan will receive up to $1.5 Million over three years from Gateway for Cancer Research for his study “A Phase 1b/2 Trial of Immunotherapy With Nivolumab and Pepinemab Combined With First Line Folfirinox For Treating Patients With Unresectable Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.”

Click here for the full list of recipients.

Supporters*

The 2020 Research Professorship in Breast Cancer Disparities is supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation®.

The 2020 Advanced Clinical Research Award is supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation®.

The 2020 Career Development Awards are supported by Anonymous, AbbVie, Inc., AstraZeneca, Breast Cancer Research Foundation®, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Fleur E. Fairman, Genentech BioOncology™, The Hayden Family Foundation, Israel Cancer Research Fund, Matania and Daniella Kochavi, Lilly, Aaron and Barbro Sasson, Walther Cancer Foundation, Generous Supporters of the  Women Who Conquer Cancer, and The WWWW Foundation Inc. (QuadW)  and The QuadW Fund of Communities  Foundation of Texas.

The 2020 Young Investigator Awards are supported by Anonymous, AbbVie, Inc., American Association for Cancer Research, American Society of Clinical Oncology, ASCO State Affiliate Council and ASCO Clinical Practice Committee, Association of Northern California Oncologists, AstraZeneca, Charles M. Baum, MD, PhD, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Nina Lesavoy Brady, Breast Cancer Research Foundation®, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Howard A. Burris, III, MD and Karen Y. Burris, Celgene Corporation, Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Trisha Elcan, Florida Society of Clinical Oncology, Dr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Frist, Jr., Gateway for Cancer Research, Genentech BioOncology™, GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer, Hearst Foundations, HELSINN, Friends and Family of Dr. Arti Hurria, Janssen Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Judith Salmon Kaur, MD, Helen L. Kay Charitable Trust, Leap Therapeutics, Inc., The John and Elizabeth Leonard Family Foundation, Lilly, ME STRONG, Merck & Co., Inc., Georgia and Michael Michelson, Victoria H. Montgomery, Nebraska Oncology Society, Northern New England Clinical Oncology Society, Novartis Oncology, Greg Parekh/ New Rhein Healthcare, LLC, Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company and Janssen Biotech, Inc, Puma Biotechnology, Inc., The Norman & Ruth Rales Foundation, Thomas G. Roberts, Jr., MD, FASCO and Susan M. DaSilva, PhD, Sapiente Family Foundation, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Sarcoma Foundation of America, Aaron and Barbro Sasson, Shanken Family Foundation, Stephen A. Sherwin, MD, The Sontag Foundation, Strike 3 Foundation, Swim Across America, Tennessee Oncology, Texas Society of Clinical Oncology, Tomasello Family, Wawa Foundation, Generous Supporters of the Women Who Conquer Cancer, Women Leaders in Oncology LLC, and The WWWW Foundation Inc. (QuadW) and The QuadW Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas.

The 2020 Global Oncology Young Investigator Awards are supported by American Society of Clinical Oncology and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

The 2020 Gateway Discovery Grant in Immunotherapy Research is supported by Gateway for Cancer Research with Conquer Cancer as the scientific partner.