The ASTRO Resident/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grant awards $25,000 for one-year projects to residents and fellows who are planning to pursue careers focusing on basic science or clinical research in the radiation oncology sciences. The three (3) 2013 grant recipients are:

--Andrew Sharabi, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Dr. Sharabi is researching the effect of strategic radiation use combined with novel immunotherapy agents on improved clinical outcomes as a result of radiation-induced antigen-specific immune responses. Recent research has shown that focused radiation can stimulate an anti-tumor immune response at distant sites outside of the radiation field (Abscopal Effect).


--Gregory Gan, MD, PhD, of the University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, in Aurora, Colo. Dr. Gan is examining the Hedgehog Pathway, which is involved in maintenance and regeneration of adult tissues, and radiation therapy resistance in head and neck cancer. His research examines whether the DNA damage response pathway effects GLI1 nuclear translocation following radiation therapy and whether Hedgehog Pathway inhibition of tumor stroma/microenvironment contributes to enhanced
tumor control following radiation therapy in vivo.

--Darrion Mitchell, MD, PhD, of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. Dr. Mitchell is researching the use of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which enables metastatic foci to develop resistance to radiation therapy and chemotherapy, as a therapeutic target in prostate cancer. This study will determine if inhibiting autophagy (cell function and metabolism) using chloroquine leads to radiosensitization of prostate cancer cells in the EMT-like state by increasing oxidative stress.

The first ASTRO/ROI Comparative Effectiveness Research Award provides $50,000 annually for two years to two researchers ($100,000 to each recipient) who will conduct comparative effectiveness research examining radiation oncology treatment. Awardees are board-certified or board-eligible physicians in radiation oncology at the time the award begins and are focused on academic radiation oncology. The two (2) 2013 recipients are:

--Timothy Showalter, MD, of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. Dr. Showalter is conducting individualized comparative effectiveness research for prostate cancer treatment to better inform patients faced with adjuvant radiation therapy decisions immediately following radical prostatectomy, which has a higher risk of recurrence.

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