Grantees Selected for Partnership for Aging and Cancer Research Program

New York, NY – January 9, 2023 – The Partnership for Aging and Cancer Research Program, a collaboration between the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF), National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Center for Cancer Research and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) has selected four new grantees to study why aging is a leading risk factor for getting cancer. Launched in 2018, this cross-institutional and cross-disciplinary program pairs intramural investigators at the NIH with extramural scientists for collaboration. 

According to the NCI, cancer incidence increases significantly after age 40, and the median age of people diagnosed with cancer in the United States is 65 years. Americans diagnosed with the most prevalent forms of cancer are, on average, over the age of 50. And with the US Census Bureau estimating that the population of people over 65 will reach 83.7 million by 2050, the burden of new cancer diagnoses is expected to rise to alarming rates.

“We should not have to live with the threat of getting cancer as we age,” said Samuel Waxman, MD, SWCRF Founder and CEO. “Yet, research focused on specific links between aging and cancer is grossly underfunded. This partnership will boost our understanding of why the incidences of cancer increase as we get older and lead to new, more effective preventions and treatments.”

Numerous high-quality applications were received, demonstrating the importance of studying this crucial issue. Each application was thoroughly evaluated by SWCRF Scientific Leadership, members of the SWCRF Institute Without Walls^TM, and selected NCI and NIA reviewers.

“We know there is a link between aging and cancer, but we don’t know all the mechanisms for this correlation. Funding novel research is vital,” said Tom Misteli, PhD, Director, Center for Cancer Research, NCI. “We are looking forward to the progress from these newest grantees.”

“More work needs to be done to address this growing challenge,” said Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD, scientific director of the NIA. “These collaborations will push the field forward and may uncover important connections between cancer and aging.”

The Partnership for Aging and Cancer Research Program started as a two-year pilot program. The initial launch funded seven pairs of investigators. Due to the success, the program was extended to fund an additional two pairs (4 investigators) through 2024. Each investigator will receive $100,000 in grant support with the second year of funding dependent on progress. Several investigators from the first round of funding will continue receiving grant support in 2023.

The 2022-2024 Partnership for Aging and Cancer Program Grantees are:

Lewis C. Cantley, MD, PhD                                                   Ji Luo, PhD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute                                                 National Cancer Institute

Research project: “Tumor intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence age-dependent Ras mutant cancer development in mice”

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Carl June, MD                                                                        Nan-ping Weng, MD

Smilow Center for Translational Research                            National Institute on Aging

Research project: “Mutation-based clonal evolution and aging of T cells and CART cells in late-in-life B cell cancers”

About the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation:

The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation is an international organization dedicated to curing and preventing cancer. The Foundation is a pioneer in cancer research and its mission is to eradicate cancer by funding cutting-edge research that identifies and corrects abnormal gene function that causes cancer and develops minimally toxic treatments for patients. Through the Foundation’s collaborative group of world-class scientists, the Institute Without Walls, investigators share information and tools to speed the pace of cancer research. Since its inception in 1976, the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation has awarded more than $100 million to support the work of more than 200 researchers across the globe. For more information, visit www.waxmancancer.org.

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