Winter 2025
By Cait Roberts
The American Cancer Society (ACS) recently awarded more than $3.1 million in grants to 11 Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators. These grants support various areas across Dana-Farber, including research on improved outcomes and patient assistance programming to help with access to care.
Supporting the next generation of researchers at Dana-Farber, Jennifer Mack, MD, MPH, received an institutional grant to develop a program for investigators to apply for seed grants, with three individuals funded annually to pursue their research.
A grant to support the work of Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, the Eric P. Winer, MD, Chair in Breast Cancer Research at Dana-Farber, will further her research into the treatment and care of adolescents and young adults with breast cancer who are more likely to suffer physically and emotionally after a diagnosis, compared with older patients. Partridge’s work aims to improve treatment outcomes and support quality of life for this population, as well as extend her impactful work to people with other types of young-onset breast cancer.
Focusing on treatments, Nilay Sethi, MD, PhD, was awarded a grant to aid in the development of new treatments that target the unique biology of colorectal cancer through a deeper review of factors related to the cancer’s shape-shifting behavior. Pere Puigserver, PhD, received a grant to help develop new strategies to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapeutic treatments for better patient outcomes.
The goal of grants received by Deborah Toffler, MSW, LCSW, and Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH, the Christopher and Constance Hadley Family Chair at Dana-Farber, will help ensure Dana-Farber is accessible to all patients and families. Toffler’s grant will provide need-based lodging support to patients. Lathan’s grant will support Dana-Farber’s Community-Focused Patient Navigators to provide transportation for underserved patients.
“These scientists are on track to advance innovative cancer treatment, support, and care. We are excited to be a part of moving this work forward to help save lives.”
Christina Annunziata, MD, PhD, American Cancer Society
Building upon successful research on how to preserve healthy cells during cancer treatment, Olasunkanmi Olaoye, PhD, received funding to investigate a protein found to activate drugs specifically in tumors, helping to create safer treatments for patients.
Bringing comfort to patients, families, and Jimmy Fund Clinic team members is the professional responsibility of Opry, Dana-Farber’s first facility dog. Kate Nixon, CCLS, received a grant to support Opry’s work and efforts to provide tailored interventions for patients.
Other recent awardees include Yixiang Li, PhD; Sangwoo Park, PhD; and Sehyun Oh, PhD.
“The American Cancer Society is very proud to help fund these researchers and these critical areas of study,” said Christina Annunziata, MD, PhD, senior vice president, extramural discovery science at ACS. “These scientists are on track to advance innovative cancer treatment, support, and care. We are excited to be a part of moving this work forward to help save lives.”