The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research are once again partnering to launch their grand challenge awards and are calling for research funding proposals that will advance breakthroughs in prevention for blood cancers.

The partnership hopes that the new awards will build upon previous knowledge in blood cancer research to achieve future cures and disease interception for blood cancers.

The grants total US $ 3 million and will be awarded as 3-5 grants ranging
from US $ 0.6 – 1.2 million each.

The focus for prospective applicants should be on one of four key areas:

Clinical Trials
Examine the use of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, or life-style changes as prevention of blood cancer onset, progression to full-blown disease, or relapse. Applications could be for any premalignant conditions before the onset of blood cancer or after successful blood cancer therapy, i.e. prevention of relapse.

Therapeutics could include small molecules, biologics, or immuno-therapeutics.

Biomarker Evaluation
Develop and apply sensitive minimally invasive methods to detect precursor conditions before disease onset or sustain after successful therapy.

Use experimental systems
To identify safe and effective therapeutic strategies to eliminate mutant clones early in disease stages or prevent recurrence of disease that could justify a clinical trial in prevention.

Drug the Undruggable
Develop novel strategies to remove/deactivate tumor drivers that initiate, or predispose to, disease onset and/or develop novel approaches, such as synthetic lethality, to achieve the same goal.

Projects that have the highest probability to create transformative results for cancer patients will be prioritised.

Applicants from any discipline are encouraged to apply, especially those with specialization in immuno-oncology and sensitive detection strategies, and including those with experience in solid tumors.

Full details of the application process are available at: http://www.risingtide-foundation.org/blood-cancers-prevention