The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center is proud to announce the first recipients of the Dr. Peter Stambrook Pilot Awards, honoring the legacy of a cancer researcher who dedicated his career to helping young investigators. Funded by an Institutional Research Grant from the American Cancer Society and matching funds from the Cancer Center, this pilot award program will provide funding for up to nine early-stage investigators over the next three years.  

“Receiving the American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant is a really substantial validation of the strides that we've made as a Cancer Center in a relatively short period of time,” said David Plas, PhD, primary investigator for the grant, professor and Anna and Harold W. Huffman endowed chair in glioblastoma experimental therapeutics in the Department of Cancer Biology in UC’s College of Medicine. “The amount of work an early-stage investigator can do with this award is substantial – it will completely fund a person in a laboratory and enable them to do some of the really high-end, large-scale types of experiments that become the foundation for whole research projects.” 

The University of Cincinnati previously held an ACS Institutional Research Grant under the direction of the late Peter Stambrook, PhD, an internationally respected cancer researcher who was known for his passion for helping students, trainees and early-stage faculty members. 

“Peter was a mentor to many, including me,” Plas said. “He loved connecting people, and he championed the power and impact of learning. This pilot award program, named in his honor, will continue his legacy of investing in our early-stage investigators.” 

The first round of applications yielded 12 proposals, three of which were selected to receive funding. The other nine, however, walked away with valuable feedback.  

“The key deliverable,” Plas says, “is actually providing quality feedback to help all of our applicants be successful in future grant programs.” 

"Congratulations to all the awardees,” said Syed Ahmad, MD, and William Barrett, MD, co-directors at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center. “We are incredibly proud of the work the grant co-PIs put into receiving this award, and we are excited to see the results of these initial projects."   

2024 Dr. Peter Stambrook Pilot Awardees 

 “Diagnostic Imaging of Low Dose Y-90 Microspheres: A Prospective, Single Arm, Preliminary Study”  

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver cancer, occurs when a tumor grows on the liver. HCC is responsible for over 12,000 deaths per year in the United States, making it one of the most serious cancers in adults as well as the predominant form of liver cancer. This project aims to improve the prognosis and survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients. 

“Yttrium-90 (90Y) is a standard treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, and before radioembolization, 99mTc-macroaggregated-albumin (99mTc-MAA) is used to plan 90Y treatment,” explained Dr. Kord, an Assistant Professor of Vascular and Interventional Radiology within the Department of Radiology at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine. “However, 99mTc-MAA may not be ideal. We hypothesize that low dose 90Y is a better surrogate for treatment planning and can be visualized with PET/CT. This study will assess the accuracy of PET/CT in imaging low dose 90Y and determine the lowest dose needed for diagnostic imaging.” 

Dr. Kord will be utilizing this award to support the Diagnostic Imaging of Low Dose Y-90 Microspheres: A Prospective, Single Arm, Preliminary Study project he is leading.  

“This grant is a pivotal milestone for my research, which focuses on developing novel technologies and minimally invasive cancer treatments,” Dr. Kord shared. “It enables us to conduct a crucial preliminary study that our team has meticulously planned throughout the past year. This study is essential for laying the groundwork for a future R01 grant application to the NIH. Without this funding, we would not be able to progress to the next stage of our research, which holds significant potential for advancing cancer treatment and improving patient outcomes.” 

While expressing the significance and his appreciation for this funding, Dr. Kord also took the time to note how his membership with the Cancer Center has helped develop and advance the research he and his team are doing. 

“The Cancer Center has provided invaluable mentorship from leading experts in the field, and this guidance has been crucial in shaping my research direction and enhancing the quality of my work,” he said. “Through the Cancer Center, I've had access to numerous grant opportunities. The unique review process offered by the center allowed me to receive detailed and constructive feedback on my proposals, significantly improving them over time. This iterative process was essential in refining my research ideas and approaches.” 

“Interrogation of Non-Canonical BRAF Mutations in AML”  

BRAF mutations are rare but recurrent molecular changes in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that can impact prognosis as well as treatment response. BRAF is a gene on chromosome seven that encodes a protein that plays a role in cell growth by sending signals inside the cell to promote cell division and other functions. A BRAF mutation is a spontaneous change in the BRAF gene that causes it to work incorrectly.  

“Our project focuses on understanding and characterizing an under-studied set of mutations in the BRAF gene identified in acute myeloid leukemia patients,” shared Dr. Miles, an Assistant Professor of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology in Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati. “These mutations are relatively rare and typically aren’t observed in AML patients but have correlated with poor outcomes for patients. We are using an innovative single-cell, multi-omics approach to first resolve the clonal architecture of BRAF-mutant AML, i.e. identify recurring AML mutations that are also mutated in BRAF-mutant cells and uncover cell states enriched for BRAF-mutant clones.”  

Dr. Miles will be utilizing this award to support the Interrogation of Non-Canonical BRAF Mutations in AML project she is leading. The team hopes to use mouse models to determine the role of these BRAF mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) development and response to therapy. They aim to identify the underlying mechanisms of BRAF mutations in AML and gain insight into why they correlate with poor treatment response and outcomes with the goal of uncovering potential treatment strategies for these patients. 

“This award provides critical funding to allow us to perform the necessary experiments to accomplish these aims and generate preliminary data for future grant applications,” Dr. Miles explained. “The Cancer Center has not only provided funding support through this grant mechanism but has also helped to expand my network of colleagues and mentors. As a junior faculty member, these opportunities are crucial and allow us to expand our research program and take our work in new directions.” 

“Chromatin Regulator SATB2 Controls Epigenetic Landscape, B-Cell Precursor Reprogramming and Progression of Ph+ and Ph-Like B-ALL”  

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common childhood leukemia, and it exhibits high mortality in chemotherapy-resistant cases. This resistance is linked to reprogrammed leukemic cells that acquire stem-like features to become leukemia-initiating cells (LICs). This project will investigate a protein that regulates the gene network critical for LIC formation to determine if targeting this protein curbs LIC reprogramming.  

About the ACS IRG 

The American Cancer Society awards Institutional Research Grants to academic and nonprofit organizations that have a track record of outstanding cancer research and a pool of experienced researchers who can mentor junior faculty. The purpose is to support early-stage faculty investigators in initiating cancer research projects so they can obtain preliminary results that will enable them to compete successfully for national research grants. 

“The American Cancer Society is committed to investing in the careers of the best and the brightest early-stage investigators who can bring innovative ideas to the forefront. By supporting institutions with seed funding for newly independent investigators to initiate cancer research projects, these institutions can utilize the preliminary results to successfully compete for national research grants,” said Natasha Coleman, MPH, vice president of community impact, American Cancer Society. “We are confident that this institutional research grant, under the mentorship of our long-time collaborators and established leaders at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center, will launch new researchers who can further our understanding of cancer and its treatment.”  

Cancer Center member David Plas, PhD, is the primary investigator for the grant, with members Maria Czyzyk-Krzeska, MD, PhD, and Kathryn Wikenheiser-Brokamp, MD, PhD, serving as co-principal investigators.