Hope Funds, 174 Bellevue Avenue, Ste 208, Newport, RI (2026)

05/07/2026

Dr. Jennifer Doudna honored at 2026 Hope Funds Fellows Dinner

NEW YORK, NY - May 7, 2026 -- Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D. was honored with the Hope Funds for Cancer Research Award of Excellence on May 4,2026 at a black tie event held at a private club in New York City.

The presentation took place during a formal dinner recognizing Hope Funds Fellows and Scientists, and was attended by supporters, alumni and grantees of the organization, which is dedicated to advancing innovative research for the most difficult-to-treat cancers.

Speakers at the event included Hope Funds Trustee Richard Young, Ph.D. of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT; Parks Family Hope Funds Fellow Alexander Peterson, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at Scripps Research Institute; and Dr. Doudna, who was presented the Hope Funds Award of Excellence for Basic Science by Don W. Cleveland, Ph.D., Hope Funds Trustee and Chair, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

Dr. Doudna was to have been presented with the Award of Excellence in 2020, but that event was canceled due to the onset of the COVID pandemic. The Award honors those who have made outstanding contributions to basic, clinical, and medical research in cancer or have conducted prominent advocacy and philanthropy on behalf of cancer research.

Dr. Doudna received her B.A. from Pomona College in Claremont, CA, and her Ph.D. from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and University of Colorado, Boulder.

Dr. Doudna was featured in the Hope Funds 2023 documentary short, "How to Win a Nobel Prize," directed by Gary Jobson and produced by Andrew Robertson.

Hope Funds for Cancer Research was formed in 2006 to establish a funding vehicle that would take a rational scientific, medical, and investment approach to making grants for the most innovative and promising research efforts to address the most difficult-to-treat cancers, including pancreatic, lung, liver, sarcomas, esophageal, brain, gastric, renal and ovarian cancers, as well as rare leukemias, lymphomas and MDS. These cancers are insidiously aggressive illnesses that kill most of their victims within months, even with aggressive chemotherapy. The Trustees of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research believe that funding young, innovative researchers will lead to breakthroughs in these areas and increase life expectancy for those with these types of cancers. The Hope Funds for Cancer Research is a 509 (a)(1) charity under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service's code.

Hope Funds for Cancer Research is an independent and unaffiliated non-profit organization.

Photography by Mia McDonald, see additional photos at:
https://miamcdonaldphotography.pixieset.com/hopefundsforcancerresearch2026fellowshonoreedinner

03/09/2026

Hope Funds Alumnus' research is published in "Nature" Scientific Journal

Newport, RI - March 9, 2026 - A research team led by a former Hope Funds for Cancer Research Fellow has found that new drugs designed to block the action of a protein called lipocalin 2 (LCN2) slowed cancer growth in mice by enabling the immune system to target tumor cells.

The findings, by Thales Y. Papagiannakopoulos, Ph.D. and his team at NYU Langone Health, were published on February 18 in the journal Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10143-0

“Stressed cancer cells have learned to call for help through LCN2, which shields them from the immune system,” said Dr. Papagiannakopoulos, co-corresponding study author, in a news release from NYU Langone.

Dr. Papagiannakopoulos, a 2012 Hope Funds for Cancer Research Fellow, is Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

"Funding outstanding postdoctoral researchers such as Dr. Papagiannakopoulos is the most impactful way of furthering such important research," said Prof. Bryan R.G. Williams, Chair, Hope Funds Board of Trustees. "Hope Funds is greatly pleased to learn of the publication of these significant findings by Dr. Papagiannakopoulos and his colleagues."

About Hope Funds for Cancer Research:
Hope Funds for Cancer Research was formed in 2006 to establish a funding vehicle that would take a rational scientific, medical, and investment approach to making grants for the most innovative and promising research efforts to address the most difficult-to-treat cancers, including pancreatic, lung, liver, sarcomas, esophageal, brain, gastric, renal and ovarian cancers, as well as rare leukemias, lymphomas and MDS. These cancers are insidiously aggressive illnesses that kill most of their victims within months, even with aggressive chemotherapy. The Trustees of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research believe that funding young, innovative researchers will lead to breakthroughs in these areas and increase life expectancy for those with these types of cancers. The Hope Funds for Cancer Research is a 509 (a)(1) charity under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service's code.

For additional information about the organization, please visit www.Hope-Funds.org or call (401) 847-3286.

Hope Funds for Cancer Research is an independent and unaffiliated non-profit organization.

09/16/2025

In Memoriam: David Baltimore (1938-2025)

Hope Funds for Cancer Research notes with sorrow the passing of Dr. David Baltimore, Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist and recipient of our Award of Excellence in 2017.

Dr. Baltimore was a Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology, where he served as president from 1997 to 2006. He also served as the director of the Joint Center for Translational Medicine, which joins Caltech and UCLA in a program to translate basic science discoveries into clinical realities.

He served as president of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) from 1997 to 2006, and was President Emeritus and Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Biology at Caltech. Before moving to Caltech, he served as president of Rockefeller University from 1990 to 1991, and prior to being at Rockefeller, he was the American Cancer Society Professor of Microbiology and a Professor of Biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA.

In 1975, Dr. Baltimore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Renato Dulbecco and Howard Martin Temin “for their discoveries concerning the interaction between tumor viruses and the genetic material of the cell.” He was well known for his work in discovering that viruses with genomes consisting of RNA can also be inserted into the DNA of a host cell through an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. This discovery led to the modification of the rule that genetic information could only be transferred in one direction. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including the U.S. National Medal of Science in 1999.

David Baltimore was featured in the Hope Funds documentary short film, "How to Win a Nobel Prize," Click Here to view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8GdIatDZ58

Our deepest sympathy is extended to his family, friends and colleagues.

07/02/2025

Hope Funds for Cancer Research Launches Partnership with The Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research

For Immediate Release

NEWPORT, RI -- July 2, 2025 -- Hope Funds for Cancer Research announces the launch of a collaboration with The Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research (Jane Coffin Childs Fund) to provide funding support for outstanding postdoctoral Fellows in biomedical research. This unique initiative will expand the number of Fellows awarded by each organization, at a time when federal funding cuts are diminishing resources for the scientific workforce.

After a rigorous joint review process, Dr. David Klawon, in the Laboratory of Tyler Jacks, Ph.D. at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research-Jane Coffin Childs Fund Fellowship. This three-year investment will serve to advance cancer research while further supporting the workforce pipeline. Dr. Klawon is fascinated with the role that our immune system plays in resolving or mediating different diseases. His current research focuses on immune responses in lung cancer and seeks to understand the mechanisms used to furnish tumors with cancer-fighting or tumor-promoting immune cells.

“When visionary organizations come together, the impact is exponential,” said Dr. Anita Pepper, Executive Director of the Jane Coffin Childs Fund. “This partnership exemplifies the power of collaborative philanthropy—amplifying bold ideas, accelerating scientific discovery, and empowering the next generation of leaders to transform cancer research.”

Hope Funds for Cancer Research was established in 2006 to encourage investigation of innovative treatment and detection for the most difficult-to-treat cancers. The organization supports research for highly innovative projects that challenge traditional paradigms associated with understanding the causes, mechanisms, progression, disease markers, or risk factors of the most understudied and difficult-to-treat cancers. Hope Funds emphasizes a creative approach to research and awards grants to young scientists based on the following criteria: project innovation and originality; the significance and direct relevance of the research proposal; the project's approach and conceptual framework; the researcher's qualifications and those of his or her mentors; and the quality of the researcher's overall working environment.

Since 2008, Hope Funds has funded research projects by 61 fellows deemed to have the highest probability of success, as determined by rigorous scientific and economic analysis.

“Hope Funds is enthusiastic to partner with an organization of the Jane Coffin Childs Fund’s stature and to support the work of Dr. David Klawon, an exceptional candidate whose work reflects our commitment to promoting scientific innovation,” said Professor Bryan R.G. Williams, Chair, Hope Funds Board of Trustees.

The Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research was established by the Childs Family in 1937 to honor the memory of Jane Coffin Childs. Inspired by the founding purpose to support research into the causes and treatment of cancer, the Fund’s mission has broadened to support fundamental scientific research that advances our understanding of the causes, treatments, and cures for human disease. This year, the Board of Scientific Advisors selected twenty-nine new fellows from the largest applicant pool in the fund’s history based on their doctoral research accomplishments, innovative research plans, and their chosen scientific mentors.

More information about the funds and the fellows they support can be found on their websites: https://www.hope-funds.org/ and https://www.jccfund.org/.

Contact Information: John A. Wells, Trustee, [email protected], or Anita Pepper, Ph.D., Executive Director, [email protected].

Hope Funds for Cancer Research is an independent and unaffiliated non-profit organization

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7/2/25 - 9

04/12/2025

April 7, 2025: Hope Funds for Cancer Research honored Richard O. Hynes, Ph.D.; Elaine Fuchs, Ph.D.; Don W. Cleveland, Ph.D.; and Leah Rush Cann at a Gala Awards Dinner at a private club in New York City. The Gala was attended by 100 guests and raised more than $500,000 for postdoctoral fellowships. (Please follow this link to the Hope Funds event page: https://www.hope-funds.org/events/recent-events/ if you wish to see more pictures and event details.)

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