| MOUNT DESERT ISLAND BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY | BAR HARBOR, ME | $450,000 | 2025 | THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO CONTINUE THE PROJECT AWARDED IN 2022 TO ESTABLISH A NOVEL TREATMENT STRATEGY FOR DIABETIC KIDNEY DISEASE. PREVIOUS SUPPORT FROM THE MACKENZIE FOUNDATION IS ALLOWING MDI BIO LAB TO UNDERSTAND THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONAL PARTS OF THE HPA2 MOLECULE AND ESTABLISH A BASELINE FROM WHICH TO FULLY UNDERSTAND ITS FUNCTION. BASED ON THIS ONGOING WORK, MDI BIO LAB NOW SEEKS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF DIABETES IN A MODEL ORGANISM OF AGING (AFRICAN TURQUOISE KILLIFISH). SIMULTANEOUSLY, MDI BIO LAB ALSO PROPOSES TO USE THIS MODEL TO STUDY THE LOSS OF PERITUBULAR CAPILLARIES OBSERVED DURING KIDNEY AGING. |
| MOUNT DESERT ISLAND BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY | BAR HARBOR, ME | $450,000 | 2025 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO CONTINUE THE PROJECT AWARDED IN 2022 TO ESTABLISH A NOVEL TREATMENT STRATEGY FOR DIABETIC KIDNEY DISEASE. PREVIOUS SUPPORT FROM THE MACKENZIE FOUNDATION IS ALLOWING MDI BIO LAB TO UNDERSTAND THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONAL PARTS OF THE HPA2 MOLECULE AND ESTABLISH A BASELINE FROM WHICH TO FULLY UNDERSTAND ITS FUNCTION. BASED ON THIS ONGOING WORK, MDI BIO LAB NOW SEEKS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF DIABETES IN A MODEL ORGANISM OF AGING (AFRICAN TURQUOISE KILLIFISH). SIMULTANEOUSLY, MDI BIO LAB ALSO PROPOSES TO USE THIS MODEL TO STUDY THE LOSS OF PERITUBULAR CAPILLARIES OBSERVED DURING KIDNEY AGING. |
| EMORY UNIVERSITY GRANTS | ATLANTA, GA | $250,000 | 2025 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO OPTIMIZE AND VALIDATE A COMPUTATIONAL PATHOLOGY-BASED IMAGE RISK PREDICTOR (OVARISC) THAT PREDICTS OUTCOME AND RESPONSE IN ADVANCED OCA RECEIVING PRIMARY PLATINUM-BASED COMBINATION CHEMOTHERAPY, AND TO CONFIRM THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OVARISC SCORES AND RESPONSE TO ICI ON A BLINDED VALIDATION SET OBTAINED FROM AN INDEPENDENT CLINICAL TRIAL. |
| HMH HOSPITALS CORPORATION | EDISON, NJ | $150,000 | 2025 | YEAR 2 FUNDING - THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO FOCUS ON QUANTIFYING SELECTIVE PRESSURES APPLIED BY NUCLEOTIDE DEPLETION AND GENOMIC STRESS IN ORDER TO DISSECT THE EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF CANCER CELLS ACROSS MULTIPLE TUMOR TYPES, INCLUDING LEUKEMIA, LYMPHOMA, MYELOMA, COLORECTAL CANCER, MELANOMA, AND RETINOBLASTOMA. |
| HMH HOSPITALS CORPORATION | EDISON, NJ | $150,000 | 2025 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO FOCUS ON QUANTIFYING SELECTIVE PRESSURES APPLIED BY NUCLEOTIDE DEPLETION AND GENOMIC STRESS IN ORDER TO DISSECT THE EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF CANCER CELLS ACROSS MULTIPLE TUMOR TYPES, INCLUDING LEUKEMIA, LYMPHOMA, MYELOMA, COLORECTAL CANCER, MELANOMA, AND RETINOBLASTOMA. |
| UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOUNDATION | GAINESVILLE, FL | $149,584 | 2025 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO IDENTIFY DEPENDENCIES OF TUMOR CELLS IN DEEP MARGINS BY PERFORMING SINGLE-CELL SEQUENCING ON LARGER COHORT OF TUMORS THE GRANTEE COLLECTED (N=28) AND TESTING THEIR FINDINGS IN MODEL SYSTEMS. THUS, THE STUDY WOULD OPEN NEW AVENUES FOR THERAPIES TARGETING SPECIFIC TRAITS WITHIN TUMOR CELLS DRIVING RECURRENCE, AND FOR IMPROVED STRATEGIES RELEASING THE HOST IMMUNE SYSTEM AGAINST GLIOBLASTOMA. |
| UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOUNDATION | GAINESVILLE, FL | $149,345 | 2025 | YEAR 2 FUNDING - THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO IDENTIFY DEPENDENCIES OF TUMOR CELLS IN DEEP MARGINS BY PERFORMING SINGLE-CELL SEQUENCING ON LARGER COHORT OF TUMORS THE GRANTEE COLLECTED (N=28) AND TESTING THEIR FINDINGS IN MODEL SYSTEMS. THUS, THE STUDY WOULD OPEN NEW AVENUES FOR THERAPIES TARGETING SPECIFIC TRAITS WITHIN TUMOR CELLS DRIVING RECURRENCE, AND FOR IMPROVED STRATEGIES RELEASING THE HOST IMMUNE SYSTEM AGAINST GLIOBLASTOMA. |
| UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOUNDATION | GAINESVILLE, FL | $125,000 | 2025 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO SEEK TO DEFINE TREATMENT REGIMENS OF BLOOD THINNING MEDICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED RISK OF RECURRENT HEART ATTACKS, WHICH MAY INCLUDE THE USE OF THE MORE POTENT BLOOD THINNER TICAGRELOR ALSO IN PATIENTS WITH STABLE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE. |
| UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOUNDATION | GAINESVILLE, FL | $125,000 | 2025 | YEAR 2 FUNDING - THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO DEFINE TREATMENT REGIMENS OF BLOOD THINNING MEDICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED RISK OF RECURRENT HEART ATTACKS, WHICH MAY INCLUDE THE USE OF THE MORE POTENT BLOOD THINNER TICAGRELOR ALSO IN PATIENTS WITH STABLE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE. |
| UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | CORAL GABLES, FL | $86,571 | 2025 | YEAR 2 FUNDING - THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO UTILIZE GENERATIVE ADVERSARIAL NETWORK (GAN) MODELS TO CREATE HIGH-QUALITY SYNTHETIC IMAGES REPRESENTING VARIOUS PROSTATE CANCER (PCA) GRADES. THESE IMAGES WILL BE TAILORED TO ACCOUNT FOR THE MORPHOLOGICAL AND GENOMIC GRANULARITY ASSOCIATED WITH EACH GLEASON GRADE WHILE REQUIRING SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER TRAINING DATA SAMPLES. PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATES THAT THIS APPROACH CONSIDERABLY ENHANCES AI MODELS' PROGNOSTIC CAPABILITIES FOR PCA. |
| UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | CORAL GABLES, FL | $77,945 | 2025 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO UTILIZE GENERATIVE ADVERSARIAL NETWORK (GAN) MODELS TO CREATE HIGH-QUALITY SYNTHETIC IMAGES REPRESENTING VARIOUS PROSTATE CANCER (PCA) GRADES. THESE IMAGES WILL BE TAILORED TO ACCOUNT FOR THE MORPHOLOGICAL AND GENOMIC GRANULARITY ASSOCIATED WITH EACH GLEASON GRADE WHILE REQUIRING SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER TRAINING DATA SAMPLES. PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATES THAT THIS APPROACH CONSIDERABLY ENHANCES AI MODELS' PROGNOSTIC CAPABILITIES FOR PCA. |
| MOUNT DESERT ISLAND BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY | BAR HARBOR, ME | $450,000 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO SEEK TO PREVENT ORGAN COMPLICATIONS IN DIABETIC PATIENTS. HIGH GLUCOSE LEVELS LEAD TO THE PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN THE VASCULATURE OF DIFFERENT ORGANS SUCH AS THE HEART, KIDNEY, EYE AND PERIPHERAL CIRCULATION. THE FOCUS IS THE MICROCIRCULATION OF THE KIDNEY. THE ENDOTHELIAL CELL SURFACE IS COVERED WITH A LAYER OF GLYCOCALYX. THE GLYCOCALYX IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE HEALTH OF THE VASCULAR WALL AND REGULATES CENTRAL MECHANISMS SUCH AS METABOLISM, INFLAMMATION, BLOOD PRESSURE, ETC. WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT RECOMBINANT HPA2 AMELIORATES DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY BY MAINTAINING A FUNCTIONAL HEPARAN SULFATE GLYCOCALYX ON ENDOTHELIAL CELLS AND MONOCYTES. THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF THE PROJECT FUNDED IN 2021. |
| MOUNT DESERT ISLAND BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY | BAR HARBOR, ME | $400,000 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO PREVENT ORGAN COMPLICATIONS IN DIABETIC PATIENTS. HIGH GLUCOSE LEVELS LEAD TO THE PATHALOGICAL CHANGES IN THE VASCULATURE OF DIFFERENT ORGANS SUCH AS THE HEART, KIDNEY, EYE AND PERIPHERAL CIRCULATION. THE FOCUS IS THE MICROCIRCULATION OF THE KIDNEY. THE ENDOTHELIAL CELL SURFACE IS COVERED WITH A LAYER OF GLYCOCALYX. THE GLYCOCALYX IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE HEALTH OF THE VASCULAR WALL AND REGULATES CENTRAL MECHANISMS SUCH AS METABOLISM, INFLAMMATION, BLOOD PRESSURE, ETC. WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT RECOMBINANT HPA2 AMELIORATES DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY BY MAINTAINING A FUNCTIONAL HEPARAN SULFATE GLYCOCALYX ON ENDOTHELIAL CELLS AND MONOCYTES. |
| CINCINNATI CANCER FOUNDATION INC | CINCINNATI, OH | $350,000 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO ESTABLISH THE ADVANCING PRECISION ONCOLOGY CENTER ("APOC"), WHOSE PURPOSE IS TO ENABLE PATIENT ACCESS TO A WIDE RANGE OF NGS TESTING INTENDED TO FACILITATE EARLY DETECTION, BETTER OUTCOMES, AND BETTER POSSIBILITIES FOR CANCER CURES THROUGH EARLIER DETECTION AND INTERVENTION. |
| UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA | TUCSON, AZ | $175,006 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO IMPROVE THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION. TO DEVELOP PATIENT-SPECIFIC TARGETED NEXT-GENERATION GENE SEQUENCING FOR PREDICTING AND DIAGNOSING ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AND ESTABLISH A PATIENT-SPECIFIC STEM CELL PLATFORM FOR DEVELOPING PRECISION MEDICINE BASED TREATMENTS. |
| UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA | TUCSON, AZ | $174,994 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO SEEK TO IMPROVE THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION. TODEVELOP PATIENT-SPECIFIC TARGETED NEXT-GENERATION GENE SEQUENCING FOR PREDICTING AND DIAGNOSING ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AND ESTABLISH A PATIENT-SPECIFIC STEM CELL PLATFORM FOR DEVELOPING PRECISION MEDICINE BASED TREATMENTS. |
| UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOUNDATION | GAINESVILLE, FL | $150,000 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO BROADEN THE DISCOVERY OF NEW PANCREATIC CANCER BIOMARKERS THROUGH GENOMIC SEQUENCING. BY SEQUENCING TUMOR AND NORMAL SAMPLES FROM OUR PATIENTS, WE CAN DETERMINE NOVEL CANCER DRIVERS INCLUDING MUTATIONS, FUSIONS, AND GENE EXPRESSION ALTERATIONS THAT DRIVE THESE CANCERS. NEW BIOMARKERS WILL INTRODUCE NEW POTENTIAL TARGETS FOR TREATMENT AND EARLY DETECTIONS. |
| ISRAEL CANCER RESEARCH FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $148,500 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO ASK HOW DNA REPAIR IS ORCHESTRATED DESPITE THE PACKAGING OF DNA INTO CHROMATIN. SWI/SNF PROTEINS ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN CHROMATIN STRUCTURE. SUBUNITS OF SWI/SNF PROTEINS ARE MUTATED IN 20% OF CANCERS, IMPLICATING THEM IN CARCINOGENESIS, AND MAKING THEM ATTRACTIVE CANDIDATES FOR CANCER-SPECIFIC AND SELECTIVE THERAPIES. DR. ADAR EXPECTS TO ESTABLISH THAT SWI/SNF REMODELERS FACILITATE SPECIFIC STEPS IN NUCLEOTIDE EXCISION REPAIR (NER) IN CHROMATIN TEMPLATES, AND THAT CANCER ASSOCIATED MUTANTS ARE DEFICIENT IN THIS FUNCTION. THIS NEW UNDERSTANDING OF SWI/SNF FUNCTIONS CAN THEN BE LEVERAGED TO DESIGN NEW CANCER DIAGNOSTICS AND CHEMOTHERAPEUTICS. |
| THE JACKSON LABORATORY | BAR HARBOR, ME | $135,000 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO INVESTIGATE AGING-RELATED RNA SPLICING ALTERATIONS TO REVEAL NOVEL BIOMARKERS FOR QUANTIFYING BREAST CANCER RISK AND NEW TARGETS FOR TREATING BREAST CANCER. |
| UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOUNDATION | GAINESVILLE, FL | $125,000 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO ASSESS POTENTIAL DRUG INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CANGRELOR AND NOVEL P2Y12 INHIBITORS AND EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF RECEPTOR EXPRESSION ON THEIR FINDINGS. |
| UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOUNDATION | GAINESVILLE, FL | $57,500 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THE GIFT TO SEEK TO TEST GENETIC ASSOCIATIONS WITH CHILDREN'S RESPONSE TO ALBUTEROL AND BEGIN A LONGITUDINAL PEDIATRIC ASTHMA REGISTRY COMBINING CLINICAL AND GENOMIC DATA. |
| MAYO CLINIC | JACKSONVILLE, FL | $32,506 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THIS GIFT TO SUPPORT THE TAPESTRY STUDY. |
| MAYO CLINIC | JACKSONVILLE, FL | $9,763 | 2023 | THE BENEFACTOR DESIRES THAT GRANTEE SHALL USE THIS GIFT TO SUPPORT THE TAPESTRY STUDY. |