ACGT, Founded by Greenwich Residents, Accepts Grant Applications

Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT), the nation’s only nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to funding cancer gene and cell therapy research, announced the availability of grants up to $500,000 each for the 2019 grant cycle to fund investigators in the field of cancer gene therapy. Focus for the grants this year are scientists centering their work on solid, metastatic and childhood cancers. ACGT was founded by Greenwich residents Barbara and Edward Netter and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

ACGT is known for its 18-year history of funding young investigators and clinical investigators conducting innovative cancer cell and gene therapies — often funding this type of promising research before the government or pharmaceutical companies. ACGT was one of the early supporters of CAR T-cell gene therapy for leukemia and lymphoma with Dr. Carl H. June’s research at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Michel Sadelain’s research at Memorial Sloan Kettering in the early 2000’s. Today, ACGT has funded $29 million in research grants, supporting 36 Young Investigators for basic research and 22 Clinical Investigators.

“It’s a crucial time for cancer cell and gene therapy,” noted Kevin Honeycutt, CEO and president of ACGT. “We’ve seen exciting results with CAR T-cell and gene therapy for blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma and a rapid succession of FDA approvals of new cancer treatments that include cell and gene therapy. Now, we want to focus our support behind harder to treat cancers like solid tumors, metastatic, and childhood cancers that often lack the crucial funding needed to move the needle forward toward better treatment options.”

Scientists interested in applying for ACGT’s Investigator Award in Cancer Cell and Gene Therapy may review submission requirements at acgtfoundation.org. Submissions must be made electronically via proposalCENTRAL, an outside service provider hosted by Altum. Cancer researchers interested in submitting an application for the ACGT Investigator’s Award must hold a MD, PhD, or equivalent degree and must be tenure-track or tenured faculty. The investigator must be conducting original research as an independent faculty member. ACGT has no citizenship restrictions, however, research supported by the award must be conducted at academic medical centers or research centers located in the United States or Canada. The deadline for abstract submission is March 12, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. (EST).

“ACGT has funded research at just about every major cancer institution in the United States and is proud to be an early supporter of Dr. June’s work with CAR T-cell therapy,” noted Margaret Cianci, executive director of ACGT. “For this next round of grants, preference will be given to those working in solid tumors, orphan tumors or pediatric tumors, and to research not previously funded. ACGT is looking for highly innovative proposals. We believe strongly in the promise of successfully treating cancer at the cellular and gene level and know this type of treatment is game-changing. We are excited to see the proposals.”

ACGT’s Scientific Advisory Council reviews all Investigator Award letters of intent and then invited applications are peer reviewed by two experts in the field. Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of scientific and technical merit and a corresponding fit with the research objectives of the grant. Research for all types of cancer are considered. To learn more, visit acgtfoundation.org.

About Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT)

Established in 2001, ACGT is the nation’s only nonprofit dedicated exclusively to funding cell and gene therapy research for all types of cancer. One hundred percent of contributions go directly to research. Since its inception, ACGT has funded some of the underlying science that has resulted in the formation of either licensing agreements or biotech companies including Novartis, Ziopharm, Juno, Tmunity and Turnstone Biologics, all of which are in various stages of bringing new treatments to patients. ACGT has funded 58 grants in the U.S. and Canada to conduct and accelerate critically needed innovative research. 36 of those grants have gone to Young Investigators for basic research and 22 grants to Clinical Investigators, totaling more than $29 million in funding. ACGT is located at 96 Cummings Point Road, Stamford, Connecticut 06902; 203-358-5055. To learn more, visit acgtfoundation.org or join the ACGT community on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube at @acgtfoundation.