American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant

About the ACS IRG

The American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grants (ACS IRG) is awarded to junior faculty to pursue basic, pre-clinical, clinical and cancer-control research studies. These funds are intended for new investigators who are within six years of their first academic appointment, and to provide new investigators with necessary resources to more rapidly develop their research, generate pilot data and publish their results, all of which enhances their ability to compete for national-level funding.

Award details

Awards of up to $40,000/year are provided for up to five junior faculty each year
Awardees must have an established mentor/mentoring team in place
A Massey investigator may only hold one active pilot research award at a time

Application requirements

Applicants are required to consult with a biostatistician as part of the proposal to assist with design and statistical methods if applicable. For biostatistical support, please contact Massey's Biostatistics Shared Resource.
Applicants are also encouraged to engage a Community Champion in the project. Please contact Dr. Maria Thomson at cancerchamps@vcu.edu to set an appointment for your consultation.

Upcoming deadlines and award dates

2024 applications are now being accepted! Please find the details for the application process below:

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Download
Required cover page and documents Download
Letter of Intent due by January 16, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. (EST): Download the ACS-IRG LOI template
Full applications due by March 1, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. (EST)
The earliest start date will be no later than May 1, 2024.

If you have questions about the ACS IRG, please contact Alex Haynes at haynesa4@vcu.edu or (305) 915-4200.

Previous ACS IRG awardees

Awardees	Project
Elizabeth Krieger, M.D. Assistant Professor	Understanding Donor Lymphocyte Infusion Response: A Longitudinal Molecular Examination of T cell Receptor Diversity and Activation View abstract
Jiong Li, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Medicinal Chemistry	KDM5 is a Novel Therapeutic Target for Colorectal Cancer View abstract
Autumn Lanoye, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine	Feasibility and Acceptability of an Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle Intervention for Emerging Adult Cancer Survivors View abstract
Lathika Mohanraj, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Adult Health & Nursing Systems	Investigation of Psychosocial Biomarkers and Transplant Outcomes in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Recipients View abstract

Awardees	Project
Wook Jin (Eddie) Chae, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Microbiology & Immunology	Regulation of Innate Lymphoid Cell Mediated Anti-tumor Immunity by the Wnt System View abstract
Elizabeth Krieger, M.D. Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology & Oncology	Understanding Donor Lymphocyte Infusion Response: A Longitudinal Molecular Examination of T-cell Receptor Diversity and Activation View abstract
Georgia Thomas, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine	Orthostatic Intolerance Syndromes Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation View abstract
Katherine Tossas, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Health Behavior and Policy	Role of the Vaginal Microbiome on Human Papilloma Virus Carcinogenicity - Implications for Racial Disparities View abstract
Teresa Salgado, MPharm, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Pharmacotherapy & Outcomes Science	Preferences for Chemotherapy Discontinuation due to Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Among Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer View abstract

Awardees	Project
Richard "Inho" Joh, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Physics	Heterochromatin-mediated Mechanosensing for Tumor Dormancy View abstract
Jie Shen, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Epidemiology	The Role of Allostatic Load and Biological Aging in the Association of Neighborhood Disadvantage with Breast Cancer Outcomes and Racial Disparity View abstract
Katherine Tossas, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Health Behavior and Policy	Role of the Vaginal Microbiome on Human Papilloma Virus Carcinogenicity - Implications for Racial Disparities View abstract
Xuewei Wang, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Chemistry	Potassium Ionophore-based Lipid Nanoparticles for Treatment of Solid Tumors with Necrosis View abstract
Chunqing Guo, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Human & Molecular Genetics	Blockade of Scavenger Receptor a to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy and Radiotherapy View abstract
Rebecca Martin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Microbiology & Immunology	ADAM17 and Membrane TNF on Macrophages Regulates ST2+ T Regulatory Cells that Limit Obesity-induced Inflammation in Mice View abstract
Sun Jung "Sunny" Kim, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Health Behavior & Policy	Cannabis Use and Acceptance among Cancer Survivors and Care Providers View abstract