{"id":46758,"date":"2024-08-29T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/news-events\/cancer-currents-blog\/2024\/cancer-research-r15-grants-expanding-workforce"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:11:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:11:47","slug":"growing-the-cancer-research-pipeline-by-expanding-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/growing-the-cancer-research-pipeline-by-expanding-opportunities\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing the Cancer Research Pipeline by Expanding Opportunities"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One requirement for researchers applying for an R15 grant is to submit a plan for having undergraduate and graduate students at their institutions do meaningful work on the project.<\/p>\n

Credit: iStock\/Hispanolistic<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

In his senior year at Oakland University in Michigan, Tyler Parsons started working on a research project led by Gerard Madlambayan, Ph.D. <\/p>\n

Tyler was able to be part of the NCI-funded project\u2014investigating how certain types of stem cells<\/a> affect tumors\u2019 ability to grow in the aftermath of radiation therapy\u2014because of the type of NCI grant Dr. Madlambayan had received, called a Research Enhancement Award, or an R15<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Tyler flourished in the lab and decided to remain at Oakland, working on the R15-funded project, to get his Ph.D. However, while he was in the home stretch of getting his doctoral degree, Tyler\u2019s life took an extremely worrisome turn: After a series of health problems caused by blood clots, he was finally diagnosed with a type of blood cancer called polycythemia vera<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Thankfully, his disease responded well to an immunotherapy<\/a> treatment (and continues to do so), and he was able to complete his Ph.D. and is now finishing his postdoctoral work at Washington University in St. Louis. The research he\u2019s doing now is not only scientifically important but deeply personal: another NCI-funded project that\u2019s investigating his own disease.<\/p>\n

Tyler may never have ended up at Washington University studying his own cancer type had not Dr. Madlambayan applied for and been awarded that R15 grant. That\u2019s because of two unique features of R15 grants. <\/p>\n

First, these grants are available only to researchers at smaller institutions like Oakland where there are many talented researchers but, overall, the schools themselves have not been major recipients of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. Of course, those applying for the grant must have a scientifically strong and relevant research proposal. <\/p>\n

And second, applicants must also include a detailed plan in their application for bringing in undergraduate and graduate students at their institutions to do meaningful work on the research project and offering the mentorship support those students need to pursue careers in scientific research.<\/p>\n

This past June, we heard Dr. Madlambayan share Tyler\u2019s inspiring story at a workshop sponsored by NCI\u2019s Division of Cancer Biology<\/a>, which administers NCI R15 grants focusing on fundamental cancer research. <\/p>\n

The workshop brought together R15-funded investigators from across the country to share findings from their research projects as well as their experiences and insights from being part of this innovative NIH program. <\/p>\n

All in all, the workshop was an excellent demonstration of how the R15 program is helping to foster the next generation of cancer scientists. And given the consequential science and inspirational training stories we heard, we both agree it\u2019s time this program got a little more attention. <\/p>\n

Focusing on impactful science at training-focused institutions<\/h2>\n

Many cancer researchers choose to work at smaller institutions where they can do high-quality, impactful work while also having plentiful opportunities for face-to-face teaching and training the next generation of scientists. <\/p>\n

It’s precisely for these researchers and the students at these schools that NIH established the R15 grant program about 40 years ago. By supporting smaller-scale research projects at institutions that have not been major recipients of NIH funding, the program is strengthening the basic and clinical research<\/a> infrastructure and environment at these vital places of higher learning. <\/p>\n