Upper gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies are among the most lethal tumor types, contributing to over one million deaths worldwide in 2023 from the combined toll of gastric and esophageal cancers. These tumors present formidable challenges in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, underscoring the urgent need for innovative approaches to enhance patient care and survival.
The AACR and the Torrey Coast Foundation are committed to supporting high-impact research projects that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients affected by these diseases. The AACR-Torrey Coast Foundation Transpacific Gastric and Esophageal Cancer Research Partnership Grant is intended to support a multi-institutional team with Principal Investigators from at least one institution in the United States and one in Asia. The focus is on collaborative research in gastric or esophageal cancer, specifically in areas such as resistance, metastasis, innovative treatment strategies (including identifying and characterizing novel targets), and cellular and immunotherapies. Proposals must include plans indicating how the work will be translated into the clinic, including an estimated timeline.
Applications are invited from researchers at all career stages, especially those new to the field of upper GI cancers. Those with expertise in other areas are especially encouraged to apply, provided they have promising ideas and approaches that can be applied to upper GI cancer research. To facilitate involvement of investigators who are new to the field, preclinical resources (cell lines, organoids, and mouse models) will be made available to researchers upon request.
The Grant will provide up to $400,000 in funding for direct and indirect expenses related to the research project for a period of up to 24 months.