RFA: 2025 Yosemite-American Cancer Society Award

Topic #1

In recent years, treatment approaches involving targeted toxins such as antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) and radiopharmaceuticals have become vital therapeutic modalities for cancer treatment, leading to a wave of FDA drug approvals to treat multiple tumor types. 

Despite cancer cell-specific toxins showing great potential to achieve better clinical efficacies, key challenges to be addressed include toxicity, a lack of thoughtful approaches to payload/linker/antigen/indication selections, and treatment resistance. Innovative research addressing specific challenges will unlock insights to overcome some of the current cancer clinical hurdles of targeted toxins.

Project proposals should broadly fit into these categories:

• Novel payloads, including molecules with new pathways or modalities
• Approaches to address resistance, tumor specificity, and/or penetration
• Novel targets
• Tactics to broaden the therapeutic window for targeted approaches

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 aid in pushing the field forward. Approaches to make vaccines more efficacious and/or more accessible at scale for patients will be considered. 

Project proposals should broadly fit into these categories:

• Combination therapies
• Immune adjuvants
• Innovative delivery systems
• Novel targets
• Optimizing neoantigen recognition/engagement

Eligibility

Investigators at any cancer stage with a full-time faculty (or equivalent) appointment at one of the invited institutions are eligible to apply.

Term and Budget

Yosemite-American Cancer Society Award grantees  are funded at up to $300,000 direct costs for 1- or 2-year projects plus 10% indirect costs. The maximum allowable budget is $330,000 total costs. Budgets submitted must be realistic estimates of the funds required for the proposed research. These grants are not renewable or transferable to a different institution. 

Applications should not exceed 6 pages (including 1 page for Specific Aims); this page limit does not include biosketches or references.  

Apply

Applications must be submitted via ProposalCentral. To request the application link and instructions, please contact Yosemite@cancer.org.