The 2025 Yosemite-American Cancer Society Award supports innovative research to develop methodologies, establish feasibility, or pilot high risk/high reward projects to advance the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of cancer as outlined below in either Topic #1 or #2. Preliminary data are not required. Priority will be given to projects that are highly innovative, feasible within a two-year maximum timeframe, and are poised to make an impact on cancer prevention, treatment, and healthcare delivery by demonstrating a plan of translation to the clinic.
Duke PIs can email yosemite@cancer.org (from their email address associated with a ProposalCentral account) for a link to the application and application instructions. Any questions about eligibility can also be directed to yosemite@cancer.org.
Deadline: June 1, 2025
TOPIC #1
Treatment approaches involving targeted toxins such as Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) and radiopharmaceuticals have become vital therapeutic modalities for cancer treatment in recent years, leading to a wave of FDA approvals across multiple tumor types. Despite cancer cell-specific toxins showing great potential, key challenges to be addressed include toxicity, thoughtful approaches to payload/linker/antigen/indication selections, and treatment resistance. Targeted toxins have great potential to achieve better clinical efficacies and further innovation about specific challenges will unlock insights to overcome some of the current clinical hurdles.
TOPIC #2
Significant advancement has been observed in the field of cancer vaccines, especially for solid tumors. Further innovation in non-cell-based cancer vaccines for solid tumors, encompassing both therapeutic and prophylactic treatment strategies, would greatly aide in pushing the field forward. Approaches to make vaccines more efficacious and/or more accessible to patients at scale will be considered.
Investigators at any career stage with a faculty appointment or full-time employment position at one of the Invited Institutions are eligible to apply. Duke is an invited institution.
Yosemite-American Cancer Society Award grantees are funded at up to $300,000 direct costs for one or two year projects. Indirect cost of 10% are included with a maximum allowable budget of $330,000 total costs for a two-year project period. These grants are not renewable or transferable to a different institution.