Awarded Grants
2024
Identification of APE2 Nuclease Inhibitors
William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation, 2024-2026, Total Direct Costs: $200,000
Sang Lee, Ph.D.
Mechanisms of Enhancer Dynamics and Assembly in Gene Regulation
R35 2024-2029, Total Direct Costs: $1,250,000
Zhijie Liu, Ph.D
Development of a New Class of EZH2 Inhibitors in Era-negative Breast Cancer
R21 2024-2026, Total Direct Costs: $257,125
Kexin Xu, Ph.D
Function of the METTL3-NUP93 Complex-Mediated Nuclear Export of m6A-modified mRNAs in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
R01 2024-2029, Total Direct Costs: $1,536,138
Kexin Xu, Ph.D
The Role of EWSR1-FlI1-CENP-A Signaling in Chemoresistance in Ewing Sarcoma
Cancer Prevention and Research Insititute of Texas, 2024-2028, Total Direct Costs: $1,330,000
Katasumi Kitagawa, Ph.D
Activation of Drug and Biologic Conjugates by Click Chemistry and their Tumor-Selective Targeting for Prostate Cancer Suppression
R21, 2024-2026, Total Direct Costs: $140,250
Bandana Chatterjee, Ph.D
Novel Human Oguchi Disease Mechanism
Retina Research Foundation, 2024, Total Direct Costs: $45,000
Ching-Kang Chen, Ph.D.
Deciphering RNA Splicing Control of Lipid Metabolism and Alcoholic Liver Injury
Alcohol Research Programs, 2024-2029, Total Direct Costs: $1,668,520
Mengwei Zang, Ph.D.
2023
Bruker Atomic Force Microscope NanoWizard 5
S10, 2023-2024, Total Direct Costs: $590,043
Pawel Osmulski Ph.D.
The Role and Mechanism of RNA m6A Modification in the Pathogenesis and Drug-Resistance of Prostate Cancer
NCI, 2023, Total Direct Costs: $1,234,879
Jihoon Lee, Ph.D.
Novel Proteasome-Activating Compounds for Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Owens Medical Research Foundation, 2023, Total Direct Costs: $200,000
Maria Gaczynska, Ph.D., Pawel Osmulski, Ph.D.
The SNAI2-RUNX2 Signaling Axis is a Novel Driver of Osteosarcoma Initiation, Growth and Therapy Resistance
American Cancer Society, 2023, Total Direct Costs: $167,000
Myron Ignatius, Ph.D.
Targeting SNAI2 Resistance Mechanisms in Pediatric RAS Mutant Rhabdomyosarcoma
William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation, 2023
Myron Ignatius, Ph.D.
Toward Clinical Trial:AXL-STAT3 Targeting of Lung Tumor Microenvironments
NIH/NCI, 2023, Total Direct Costs: $1,627,759
Josephine Taverna, Ph.D.
Tvardi Pilot Grant (Taverna)
Tvardi Pilot Grant, 2023, Total Direct Costs: $50,000
Josephine Taverna, Ph.D.
Repair of DNA ends with Adducts
NIH/NIGMS 2023, Total Direct Costs: $800,000
Sang Eun Lee, Ph.D.
Roles of T-box Transcriptional Regulators in the Development of RGC Subtypes
UTHSC-Houston, 2023, Total Direct Costs: $98,090
Ching-Kang Jason Chen, Ph.D.
2022
The Role of Transducin – and Melanopsin-Independent Phototransduction in Postnatal Retinal Development
NIH 2022, Total Direct Costs: $1,125,000
Ching-Kang Jason Chen, Ph.D.
The Function of Wide-Field Amacrine Cells in Mammalian Retina
NIH 2022, Total Direct Costs: $1,250,000
Ching-Kang Jason Chen, Ph.D.
Advancing Cancer Research Through Next Generation Sequencing at Mays Cancer Center of UT Health San Antonio
NIH NCI R50 2022, Total Direct Costs: $617,000
Zhao Lai, PhD
UT System Rising STARs
2022, Total Direct Costs: $250,000
Lingtao Jin, PhD
METTL3 as a Therapeutic Target in Uterine Fibroids
2022, Total Direct Costs: $50,000
Karthigayan Shanmugasundaram, PhD
Improving Therapeutic Approaches for RAS-driven Rhabdomyosarcoma
NIH-NCI- R37CA262657, 2022, Total Direct Costs: $1,143,749
PI-Angelina Vaseva, PhD
Organelle Communication During Transition from Fatty Liver to Hepatocellular Carcinoma
CPRIT, 2022, Total Direct Costs: $1,050,000
Masahiro Morita, Ph.D
Targeting tumor-immune microenvironment to improve durvalumab efficacy in small cell lung cancer
Lung Cancer Research Foundation/AstraZeneca, 2022, Total Direct Costs: $180,000
Lingtao Jin, Ph.D
Novel small molecule inhibitors for the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma
NIH, 2022, Total Direct Costs: $150,000
Raushan Kurmasheva, Ph.D
2021
AXL-STAT3 Targeting of Lunch Tumor Microenvironments in Patient Derived Mouse Models
The Max & Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund, Total Direct Costs: $350,000
Josephine Taverna, Ph.D.
The role of lipid metabolism in dendritic cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity
American Lung Association, 2021, Total Direct Costs: $150,000
Lingtao Jin, Ph.D
A Testing Program to Identify Novel Agents for Treatment of Pediatric and AYA High-Risk Sarcoma, Kidney and Liver Cancer
NIH/NCI, 2021, Total Direct Costs: $3,502,418
Houghton, Ph.D., Kurmasheva, Ph.D.
Enhancing MAPK-targeted Therapy in PDX Models of BRAF-Mutant Pediatric Brain Tumors
NIH/NCI, 2021, Total Direct Costs: $1,904,289
Houghton, Ph.D., Kurmasheva, Ph.D.
Illumina NovaSeq 6000 Sequencing System
NIH, 2021, Total Direct Costs: $600,000
Zhao Lai, Ph.D
The functional role of MAST1 in mediating a-synucleinopathies and related dementia
NIH/NCI/NIA, 2021, Total Direct Costs: $350,000
Lingtao Jin, Ph.D
Role of lncRNA mediated R-loops in CTCF boundary function and AML genome organization
NIH-NCI R01CA260729, 2021, Total Direct Costs: $933,750
Mingjiang Xu, Ph.D
METTL3-NUP93 interaction facilitates the nuclear export of m6A-modified mRNAs
NIH, 2021, Total Direct Costs: $1,075,000
Kexin Xu, Ph.D.
Targeting AXL-JAK1 in tumor immune microenvironments of lung adenocarcinoma
Voelcker Fund Young Investigator Award, 2021, $350,000
Josephine Taverna, MD
Leveraging oxysterol sulfotransferase in prostate cancer progression
Department of Defense, 2021, Total Direct Costs: $1,161,253
Bandana Chatterjee, Ph.D.
PAI-1-mediadted early-onset endometrial cancer
NIH, 2021, Total Direct Costs: $2,692,120
Tim H.M. Huang, Ph.D., Nameer B. Kirma, Ph.D.
2020
Calming the cytokine storm with proteasome-targeting immunomodulators
San Antonio Medical Foundation, 2020, $93,000
Maria Gaczynska, Ph.D.
Enhancing Cytarabine Response Through SAMHD1 Inhibition
Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), 2020, Total Direct Costs: $ 1,138,728
Ivanov, Ph.D., Kurmasheva, Ph.D..
Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (MTOR) signaling and the suprachiasmatic circadian clock
NIH, 2020, $27,778
Victor Jin, Ph.D.
Omics analysis of three-dimensional transcription regulation
NIH, 2020, $144,184
Victor Jin, Ph.D.
Role of RTEL1 in Microhomology-Mediated end joining
NIH, 2020, $150,000
Sang-Eun Lee, Ph.D.
Targeting Microhomology-Mediated end joining to sensitize recombination deficient cancer cells
Owens Foundation, 2020, $80,000
Sang-Eun Lee, Ph.D.
Novel Coregulators of estrogen receptor in enhancer-regulated transcription
NIH, 2020, $1,250,000
Zhijie Liu, Ph.D.
Targeting a non-canonical role of YAP/TEAD for
Mary Kay Foundation, 2020, $100,000
Zhijie Liu, Ph.D.
Targeting AXL-JAK1 in tumors and immune ecosystems of lung cancer
Voelcker Foundation, 2020, $100,000
Josephine Taverna, M.D.
Role of HOTTIP IncRNA in leukemogenesis
Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, 2020, $900,000
Mingjiang Xu, Ph.D.
2019
Endometriosis diagnosis by communicome gene single-cell expression
Presidential Translational and Entrepreneurial Research Fund, 2019, $25,000
Nameer B. Kirma, Ph.D.
Berberine in the prevention of biochemical recurrence
Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, 2019, $900,000
A. Pratap Kumar, Ph.D.
Potentiation of Gemcitabine activity in pancreatic cancer
William & Ella Owens Foundation of America, 2019, $96,810
A. Pratap Kumar, Ph.D.
Epigenetic-mediated alternative splicing in SF3B1-mutated CLL patients
William & Ella Owens Foundation of America, 2019, $100,000
Victor Jin, Ph.D.
PARP Inhibition: Elucidating Mechanisms of Resistance to Improve Therapy
UT Health San Antonio Mays Cancer Center Pilot Award, 2019,Total Direct Costs: $50,000
Kurmasheva, Ph.D.
PARP1/MGMT Interaction as a Potential Target for Cancer
Childhood Cancer Research Fund (CCRF), 2019, Total Direct Costs: $100,000
Kurmasheva, Ph.D.
Development of novel anti-cancer compounds targeting dimerization of proteasome with its regulatory modules
William & Ella Owens Foundation of America, 2019, $99,177
Maria Gaczynska, Ph.D., Pawel Osmulski, Ph.D.
Precision targeting of MED12-mutant CLL with Notch inhibitors
Thomas Boyer, Ph.D.
Combating Protein-misfolding Diseases
William & Ella Owens Foundation of America, 2019, $100,000
Hai Rao, Ph.D.