Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy
/OVERVIEW: The Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy Foundation (ACGT) exclusively supports research for cancer management and treatment through cell and gene therapy.
IP TAKE: ACGT’s awards are substantial, but highly competitive, making this a tougher nut to crack. The foundation’s grantmaking is highly targeted, and researchers whose work does not closely align with the foundation’s priorities will likely not secure funding here.
Given ACGT’s grants for cancer and cell research, it awards research grants to individual researchers in the U.S. and Canada, many of whom are based in institutions of higher education or other relevant research institutes. Research areas, award amounts and other specifics vary year to year.
PROFILE: The Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) was founded in 2001 by Barbara and Edward Netter. The late Edward Netter was the chairman of Netter Ltd. and the Geneve Corporation, a financial services holding company, and Barbara Netter, a therapist, serves as the honorary chair of the foundation. The foundation bills itself as “the nation's only nonprofit dedicated exclusively to cell and gene therapies for cancer.” ACGT supports “revolutionary scientific research into the causes, treatment and prevention of all types of cancer using cells and genes as medicine.” This funder supports research through its ACGT Fellows program, the Investigator Awards and a Biotech Funding Program.
Grants for Science Research, Cell Research, and Diseases
The Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy supports cancer research through all three of its funding programs.
The Fellows program supports “world class scientists who work with inspired teams at top institutions to better understand, control and modify a patient’s own cells and genes to eradicate today’s most difficult and deadly cancers. Read what inspires them to work toward cures.” The alliance does not accept applications for this highly selective program. Recent fellows have conducted research at cancer centers and medical schools including Baylor College of Medicine, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai and Yale University School of Medicine, among others.
The Alliance’s Investigator Awards fund “research to advance the development of cell and gene therapies for the treatment of patients with cancer.” Specific priorities for this award can change from year to year, but recent priorities have included the identification of molecular targets for solid tumors, methods of reducing tumor escape and the development of oncolytic virotherapies and synthetic biology systems in the cancer therapeutics, among many others. The alliance does run an open application system for this program, which is open to MDs and PhDs who hold tenured or tenure-track positions, and the award consists of a maximum of $500,000 that is usually paid out over two to three years of a research project. Due dates vary from year to year, but letters of intent, accompanied by abstracts, are generally due sometime in May of each year.
The Biotech Funding Program supports both nonprofit and for-profit biotech ventures engaged in “cell and gene therapy projects that are likely to lead to clinical breakthroughs for the treatment of two of the most difficult-to-treat solid tumor cancers: glioblastoma, a brain cancer; and pancreatic cancer.” This program prioritizes “projects with robust scientific foundations and clearly defined paths to the clinic and the patient. Opportunities must offer promise for patients as well as a financial return for the organization to help sustain its support of innovative cancer cell and gene therapy research.” Biotech companies interested in this opportunity should email chief program officer Barbara Lavery or complete the program’s online form.
Important Grant Details:
ACGT accepts applications for its Investigator Awards and its Biotech Funding Program. Investigator awards are usually awarded in the amount of $500,000, which is disbursed over a two- or three-year period. Biotech funding grants and investments can be much larger, but often support for-profit ventures in the biotech field. The alliance provides application guidelines for both programs on its website.
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