Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation Announces 2017 ‘A’ Award Recipients

The ‘A’ Award provides grant money to young scientists to jump-start careers in pediatric oncology research

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a nonprofit dedicated to finding cures for all kids with cancer, announced the recipients of the 2017 ‘A’ Award: Cigall Kadoch, PhD and Andrew Lane, MD/PhD. The two promising young researchers will receive funding over the next four years, with the possibility of a fifth year of funding for their projects.

Cigall Kadoch, PhD of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will study a genomic target in synovial sarcoma, a soft-tissue malignancy that is aggressive and largely resistant to conventional chemotherapy-based treatments. Andrew Lane, MD/PhD of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will study how DNA “unpacking” promotes acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and will test if drugs that target DNA packing can kill leukemia cells.

The 'A' Award is designed specifically for the early independent career scientist who wants to establish a career in pediatric oncology research. The ideal candidate has an original project, can demonstrate outstanding career development support from the institution and has a strong future commitment to pediatric cancer investigation. Grantees will receive $800,000 over the course of four years and can earn a fifth year of funding from ALSF if they secure an NIH R01 grant before the end of the fourth year. Along with the funds provided to ‘A’ Award recipients, the grant also includes the opportunity to speak at and attend ALSF events, like the Young Investigator Summit, to share, learn and network.

“We operate under the belief that engaging researchers early in their careers leads to a long term commitment to finding cures,” said Jay Scott, Co-Executive Director of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. “The ‘A’ Award plays an integral role in allowing scientists with original projects the resources to follow through with promising research.”

For more information on the ‘A’ Award or Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s various grant categories and successes, visit: ALSFgrants.org.