On July 27, 2022 The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is helping to forge a future without cancer, reported by investing in top talent to train and empower the research leaders of tomorrow (Press release, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, JUL 27, 2022, View Source [SID1234617027]). This year, PICI recognized its largest Early Career Researcher class yet, nine exceptional graduate and postdoctoral researchers from leading academic institutions. They will share a total of up to $4.5 million in fellowship and scholarship awards.

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Marking the Early Career Researcher program’s sixth anniversary, previous awardees recently presented their work to the PICI Network of world-renowned innovators in cancer immunotherapy research at the organization’s biannual scientific retreat.

As a part of this ongoing program, PICI is furthering its commitment to addressing disparities in the field of cancer research through diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives. Those include the creation of its Representation In SciencE (RISE) Scholar program, which awards a Black, Indigenous or Person of Color (BIPOC) graduate or rising postdoctoral student who has an outstanding scientific background and conducts research at a PICI Network institution.

"The 2022 awardees, like those who have come before them, are among the best and brightest minds anywhere," said John Connolly, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at PICI. "We are proud to support these researchers, who are dedicated to innovating our approach to cancer to improve patient outcomes."

This year, PICI also is proud to partner with the V Foundation for Cancer Research to fund four of the nine class of 2022 awardees. Known as Parker Bridge Fellows, the four recipients are senior postdoctoral investigators working to answer the most critical questions in cancer immunotherapy as they transition into faculty positions following mentorship by PICI’s network of leaders.

The 2022 Parker Bridge Fellows are:

Katie Campbell, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Kenneth Hu, Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Derek Oldridge, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania (Penn)
Bingfei Yu, Ph.D., Stanford Medicine
"Our mission is to support cutting-edge cancer research, so as many patients as possible can benefit from the extraordinary breakthroughs that researchers are making today," said Susanna Greer, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at the V Foundation. "PICI helps us further the V Foundation’s mission to fund accomplished young researchers bringing new techniques to combat cancer that warrant further exploration. We’re thrilled to support this work and to get to know these rising stars."

This year, an anonymous donor has committed substantial funding to create the Parker RISE Scholar award. The inaugural RISE Scholar is Gabriel Abril Rodriguez, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA.

"The scholarship is a validation of my project idea, which is a very ambitious, high-impact project," said Abril Rodriguez, who is developing new tools to study T-cell biology. "As part of the PICI Network, I will interact and share my ideas with some of the brightest minds in the field. Learning from them will help me push this project forward."

The other award categories are:

Parker Senior Fellow – a senior researcher who recently has earned an M.D. or Ph.D. degree and is ready to establish a laboratory or independent program in cancer immunotherapy. The 2022 Parker Senior Fellow is Ya-Ting (Emma) Wang, Ph.D., of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).
Parker Scholars – graduate students and researchers focused on high-impact projects who are entering their first postdoctoral appointments. The 2022 Parker Scholars are Inaki Etxeberria, Ph.D., of MSK, Louai Labanieh, Ph.D., of Stanford and Darwin Ye, a doctoral candidate at Penn.
"My project involves learning how cells become resistant to immunotherapy so we can design more effective clinical trials, and this is something that requires an interdisciplinary approach," Ye said. "The PICI Network lets me explore that approach with leading cancer researchers in the field."

With this year’s class, PICI has recognized 37 Early Career Researchers since 2016, awarding over $19 million in total funding and welcoming them into the PICI Network. They are working to advance cancer research on cell and gene therapies, CAR T cells, immune checkpoint blockade therapy and other critical scientific projects.

Awardees pursue bold research through support from PICI’s world-class network of immunotherapy experts and research institutions, as well as individual mentorship by PICI members and researchers from affiliated institutions. They also are given access to leading-edge technology, informatics and clinical data needed for their research.

"This fellowship allows me to collaborate and communicate with experts from very different fields, including cancer biologists, computational biologists and clinical scientists," said Yu, a Stanford immunologist and postdoctoral scientist who is doing research on the targeting mechanisms that T cells and other immune cells use to kill cancer. "Being able to learn from these leaders while also operating my own lab is an incredible opportunity."