Grant and award programs can be crucial in spurring therapeutic discovery and development. According to News Medical, this is what the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation (FLF) aims to do with its new grant program: the CURE FL Awards. Within this program, researchers will seek to learn more about potential therapies for those with follicular lymphoma.
FLF CURE FL Awards
So what exactly are the CURE FL Awards? According to the program’s website, the program is:
a focused new funding initiative under leadership of FLF Chief Medical Officer Dr Mitchell Smith and FLF scientific advisor Dr Jonathan Simons developed with The Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy and with the input and involvement of a wide range of experts in the field.
On the 10th January we published a call for proposals for innovative projects focusing in areas of treatment we have identified as being the most likely to deliver rapid progress towards cure.
In particular, these treatment areas are centered around cellular immunotherapy and targeted therapies. The grant program hopes to learn more about how these therapies may work as monotherapies or in conjunction with other treatment options. Altogether, the grant hopes to discover curative treatment options for follicular lymphoma. This is important as many people with follicular lymphoma often relapse more than once during the course of treatment and disease progression. Thus, new therapies could greatly and significantly improve patient outcomes.
Applying for the Grant
Any researchers or industry professionals, on a global scale, are allowed to apply for a research grant up to $500K. The grants will provide pre-clinical or clinical research support for a 2-year period. Important dates include:
- 2/14/22 — letters of intent due to the FLF
- 4/15/22 — full proposals due
- Fall 2022 — grant funding announced
If you would like to learn more about the CURE FL Awards, including how to apply or any other pertinent information, you can head here.
Follicular Lymphoma
Follicular lymphoma sits under the umbrella of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. In particular, follicular lymphoma forms from B-lymphocytes. Normally, these B-lymphocytes play a role in antibody creation and infection fighting. However, DNA mutations in B-lymphocytes cause abnormal growth; these abnormal cells then crowd out healthy cells, preventing the body from adequately fighting infection. Because follicular lymphoma forms in B-lymphocytes, it may affect the spleen, lymph nodes, bone marrow, thymus, and tonsils. Typically, this cancer affects older individuals (aged 60+). While it may occur in younger individuals, this is rare.
Symptoms typically manifest in later stages. These include:
- Fever
- Unintended weight loss
- Drenching night sweats
- Fatigue
- Swollen (but painless) lymph nodes, particularly in the neck, groin, abdomen, or underarms
- Shortness of breath
Learn more about follicular lymphoma.
