$550,000 in research grants awarded by the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation to fund early-career investigators at renowned institutions

Research grants were made to Amsterdam University Medical Center, Duke University, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Khon Kaen University Thailand, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center/ Harvard Medical School (2), National Institutes of Health, Regents of the University of Minnesota, University of Michigan, and UPMC Montefiore

The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, a nonprofit organization funding novel research for bile duct cancer, has awarded the seventh cycle of funding for its Research Fellowship Program. Eleven early-career investigators from 10 institutions were each awarded $50,000 for a one-year study.

Since 2015, the Foundation has awarded 39 research fellowships totaling $2,050,000 in seed funding to early-career investigators to raise awareness about cholangiocarcinoma and inspire innovative, high-quality research. In accordance with the Foundation's research philosophy, the organization supports promising projects that are less likely to get traditional funding.

"Through the Foundation's Research Fellowship Program we hope to gain insights and achieve significant scientific milestones," said Stacie Lindsey, Foundation CEO and founder. "We are proud to honor and support these remarkable young scientists as they carry on the legacies of those for whom the grants are named."

A total of 47 letters of intent were received this year from academic, medical or research institutions in 12 countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States). Post-doctoral fellows, instructors with an MD, PhD, Phar.D. or DVM, and junior faculty within the first four years of appointment at the time of application were eligible to apply.

The grant review committee is composed of experienced clinicians and scientists from the cholangiocarcinoma field and seasoned research advocates who reviewed the proposals and selected the awardees.

"We are thrilled to announce the 11 Research Fellowship Grants being funded in 2022 by CCF,"  said Katie Kelley, MD, UCSF Medical Center and Chair of the grants review committee. "These grants will launch a broad range of cutting-edge research projects spanning the basic to clinical research continuum. We believe these projects and the young investigators leading them will produce important breakthroughs for the cholangiocarcinoma community."

1. Andrea Lynn Scott Memorial Research Fellowship
   Supported by Jason Scott & family in memory of Andrea Scott

   Marina Barcena-Varela, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
   Harnessing the microbiome for precision cholangiocarcinoma Immunotherapy

2. Supriya "Shoop" Saha Memorial Research Fellowship
   Supported by CCF, colleagues, friends, and family in memory of Supriya Saha, MD

   Srinadh Choppara, University of Michigan
   Targeting mitochondrial metabolism to sensitize chemoresistant cholangiocarcinoma tumors

3. Margaret M. Brown Memorial Research Fellowship
   Supported by Janice and Dean Meyer – in honor of her mother who passed away from CCA

   Michael Lidsky, Duke University
   Improving therapeutic efficacy and durability in FGFR2 fusion positive cholangiocarcinoma

4. Marion U. Schwartz Memorial Research Fellowship
   Supported by CCF in memory of Marion U. Schwartz

   Cecilia Monge, NIH/National Cancer Institute
   A phase II trial of Pembrolizumab and CDX-1140 in combination with CAPOX (capecitabine/oxaliplatin) in patients withadvanced biliary tract cancer

5. Mark R. Clements Memorial Research Fellowship
   Supported by CCF in memory of Mark R. Clements

   Evan O'Loughlin, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center/
   Harvard Medical School
   Modeling FGFR-driven biliary tumorigenesis & therapeutic response in 3D

6. Sarah Bennett Memorial Research Fellowship
   Supported by CCF in memory of Sarah Bennett

   Jutarop Phetcharaburanin, Khon Kaen University, Thailand
   Targeted serum metabolomics for identification of panel bile acid marker-specific O. viverrini infection, liver morbidity and cholangiocarcinoma

7. Jacques Dupont Memorial Research Fellowship
   Supported by Barbara Dupont, family & friends in memory of Jacques Dupont

   Rutger-Jan Swijnenburg, Amsterdam UMC, Netherlands
   Clinical Translation of Integrin αvβ6-targeted molecular imaging for cholangiocarcinoma
   detection - MIMIC

8. Kathleen and Paul Sidenblad Research Fellowship
   Supported by Kathleen and Paul Sidenblad

   Alessandro Gambella, UPMC Montefiore
   Precision pathology in cholangiocarcinoma: the role of immune synapses and vascular framework in patient management

9. Kathleen and Paul Sidenblad Research Fellowship
   Supported by Kathleen and Paul Sidenblad

   Kishor Pant, Regents of the University of Minnesota
   The role of primary cilia in EGFR signaling regulation in cholangiocarcinoma

10. Kathleen and Paul Sidenblad Research Fellowship
    Supported by Kathleen and Paul Sidenblad

    Vindhya Vijay, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center/Harvard Medical School
    Understanding the role of loss-of-function BAP1 mutations in pathogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma

11. Kathleen and Paul Sidenblad Research Fellowship
    Supported by Kathleen and Paul Sidenblad

    Daniel Zabransky, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
    D-2-HG as a modulator of fibroblasts and antitumor immunity in the IDH1-mutant cholangiocarcinoma tumor microenvironment