Four early-career scientists have each been awarded a one-year, $40,000 American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant through University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.

These seed grants help junior faculty members and independent research scientists start their careers in cancer research, and provide funds to explore new ideas related to the cause, prevention, and treatment of cancer. This is the first round of awards made within the current grant period.

New grant recipients

James Byrne, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Project: Therapeutic carbon monoxide biofoams for prostate cancer

Jessica Gorzelitz, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor of Health and Human Physiology
Project: Feasibility, interests and attitudes surrounding home-based comprehensive exercise programs in endometrial cancer survivors

Michelle Howard, PhD, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology
Project: Inhibition of sirtuins for the treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas

Jessica Tucker, PhD, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Project: Alteration of transfer RNA expression by oncogenic gammaherpesviruses