Basser Center for BRCA Past Grant Awardees

Past Internal Grants Awardees

The Basser Internal Research Grant Program focuses on research projects that will change the paradigm of discovery, innovation, and care for issues related to BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

View the full list of previous Internal Grant awardees below.

Strategies to Increase Activity of DNA Damage Response Inhibitors (DDRi) in BRCA Mutant Ovarian Cancer

Principal Investigator: Fiona Simpkins, MD

DNA Repeat Transcription as a Cause of LOH and Treatment for BRCA1/2-deficient Cancers

Principal Investigator: Eric Brown, PhD

Genetically Engineered Rat Models for BRCA Deficiency

Principal Investigator: Lewis Chodosh, MD, PhD

Assessing the Therapeutic Potential of PARPi and PROTACs in BRCA-Mutated Cancers

Principal Investigator: Luca Busino, PhD

Sympathetic Innervation Inhibits High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Intestinal Metastasis in the Setting of BRCA1/2 Dysfunction

Principal Investigator: Matthew Knarr, PhD

Pre-cancer and Early Cancer Atlas of Germline BRCA1/2 Related Prostate

Principal Investigator: Nabamita Boruah (Early Career Investigator)

Lineage Tracing to Uncover Drivers of BRCA1/2-associated Gastric Cancer

Principal Investigator: Sydney Shaffer, MD, PhD

Base Editing Screening to Identify Vulnerabilities in BRCA Mutant Cancers

Principal Investigator: Tao Shi (Early Career Investigator)

Helicobacter Pylori Prevalence and Risk Factors Among BRCA1/2 Carriers

Principal Investigator: Kole Buckley (Early Career Investigator)

Impacts of BRCA1 and Spindle Mechanics on Chromosome Instability

Principal Investigator: Geng-Yuan Cheng, PhD (Early Career Investigator)

Using Protein Dynamics to Understand and Treat BRCA1-Mediated Cancers

Principal Investigator: Gregory Bowman, PhD

CDK7 Inhibition Suppresses Homology-Directed DNA Repair in Prostate Cancer

Principal Investigator: Irfan A. Asangani, PhD

Identification of Uncharacterized Functional Non-Coding Variants in Breast Cancer Risk Genes

Principal Investigators: Katharine Nathanson, MD and Yoseph Barash, PhD

Preclinical Development of a Novel ERISED Strategy to Overcome Acquired Resistance of PARP Inhibitor in Patients with BRCA Mutation

Principal Investigator: Lin Zhang, MD

Vaginal Metabolome-Based Prediction of Ovarian Cancer

Principal Investigator: Maayan Levy, PhD

Pancreatic Cancer Interception Targeting Mutant KRAS

Principal Investigators: Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil and Ben Z. Stanger, MD, PhD

Mechanisms of Gastric Carcinogenesis in BRCA1/2 Carriers

Principal Investigator: Bryson Katona, MD, PhD

Platform to Study DNA Damage Response Inhibitor (DDRi) Resistance in BRCA1/2 Mutant Ovarian Cancers

Principal Investigator: Fiona Simpkins, MD

Assessing Racial Differences in Germline Genetic Testing of Males with Pancreatic, Breast and Metastatic Prostate Cancers

Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Shevach (Early Career Investigator)

Using Human Organoids to Study Therapy Resistance in BRCA-Associated Pancreas Cancer

Principal Investigators: Kim Reiss Binder, MD and Ben Stanger, MD, PhD

Identification of the Proteome-Wide Targets of the Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1 Clinical Inhibitors

Principal Investigator: Luca Bucino (Early Career Investigator)

Mechanistic Studies and New Small Molecule Development of Next Generation PARPi Cancer Treatments

Principal Investigator: Ramya Billur, PhD (Early Career Investigator)

Mechanisms of Shieldin 2 Stability in BRCA1 Mutant Cells

Principal Investigator: Smita Bhutda (Early Career Investigator)

Insurance Barriers to PARP Inhibitors in Women with BRCA1/2 and Ovarian Cancer

Principal Investigator: Anna Jo Smith, MD, MPH, MSc (Early Career Investigator)

Regulation of IFN-γ Signaling in BRCA1-Loss Dependent Breast Cancer

Principal Investigator: Gather Thacker, PhD

Leveraging the Electronic Health Record to Promote Guideline-Recommended Cancer Risk Management in BRCA1/2 Carriers

Principal Investigator Kelsey Lau-Min, MD (Early Career Investigator)

Molecular Mechanisms That Regulate PARP-1 and Impact its Effective Targeting in Homologous Recombination Deficient Cancers

Principal Investigator: Nootan Pandey, PhD (Early Career Investigator)

The Role of Pattern Recognition Receptor-Driven Inflammation in BRCA-Deficient HGSOC

Principal Investigator: Timothy Lippert, PhD (Early Career Investigator)

Elucidating the Roles of Ubiquitination in Homologous Recombination

Principal Investigator: George Burslem, PhD

PARP1-Targeted [18F]FTT PET/CT as an Imaging Biomarker to Select for PARPi Therapy in Patients with Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Principal Investigator: Neil Taunk, MD, MSCTS

Risk Stratification Among Known BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers Using Polygenic Risk and Imaging Biomarkers

Principal Investigators: Anne Marie McCarthy, ScM, PhD and Despina Kontos, PhD

Development of an Organoid Platform for BRCA Mutant Ovarian Cancer

Principal Investigator: Fiona Simpkins, MD

PARPi Resistance Mutations of PARP-1 in BRCA1/2 Mutant Cancers

Principal Investigator: Ben Black, PhD

DDR-Inhibitor Combinations for the Treatment of BRCA1/2 Germline Carriers

Principal Investigators: Fiona Simpkins, MD, and Eric Brown, PhD

Implication of Gleason Score for the Precision Medicine Treatment of Patients with Localized Prostate Cancer

Principal Investigator: Kara Maxwell, MD, PhD

Core Resource for Clinical Studies of PET Imaging of PARP-1 to Direct Targeted Cancer Therapy

Principal Investigators: Mehran Makvandi, PharmD, and Austin Pantel, MD

TERT DNA Vaccination and Immune Modulation in a BRCA Mutant Mouse Model of Pancreatic Cancer

Principal investigator: Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil

Optimizing Access to Genetic Services for BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers

Principal Investigators: Angela Bradbury, MD and Tim Rebbeck, PhD (2014 only)

Targeting the ATR/CHK1 Pathway in Treatment

Principal investigators: Eric Brown, PhD and Fiona Simpkins, MD

Molecular Determinants of Chemo-Responsiveness of BRCA Mutant Cancers

Principal Investigators: Roger Greenberg, MD, PhD, Lin Zhang,MD, Andy Minn, MD, PhD, Warren Pear, MD, PhD, Wei Tong, PhD, Robert Mach, PhD , David Mankoff, MD, PhD, and Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE

Vaccination to Prevent BRCA1/2-Related Cancer

Principal Investigators Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil and David Weiner, PhD and co-investigators Daniel Powell, PhD , Andrea Facciabene, MD, PhD, Katherine Nathanson, MD, E. John Wherry, PhD, and Ben Stanger, MD, PhD

Development of Vaccine Targeting the Tumor Vasculature for the Prevention of BRCA-Deficient Tumors

Principal Investigator: Andrea Facciabene, PhD

Next Generation Tomosynthesis Imaging for BRCA1/2 Carriers

Principal Investigator: Andrew Maidment, PhD, FAAPM (Early Career Investigator)

Interferon-Related DNA Damage Resistance Signature (IRDS) in BRCA Mutant Tumor

Principal Investigator: Andrew Minn, MD, PhD

The Role of BRCA1 and Genomic Instability in Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis

Principal Investigator: Ben Stanger, MD, PhD

Predictors of Healthy Mood and Memory After Oophorectomy

Principal Investigator: C. Neill Epperson, MD

AFFIRM: Assessment of Fertility and Factors Influencing Reproduction and Menopause in BRCA Mutation Carriers

Principal Investigator: Clarisa Gracia, MD, MSCE

A Fully Optimized CAR RNA T Cell-based Therapy for BRCA Cancer Treatment

Principal Investigator: Daniel Powell, PhD

The Stone Family Award in BRCA Prevention Research: Telomerase Vaccination to Prevent BRCA1/2 Related Cancer

Principal Investigators: David Weiner, PhD and Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil

Imaging Biomarkers for Risk Reduction Management of BRCA1/2 Carriers

Principal Investigator: Despina Kontos, PhD (Early Career Investigator)

Development of Molecular Imaging of Tumor Vasculature for the Early Detection of Hereditary Ovarian and Breast Cancer

Private Investigators: George Coukos and Chungsheng Li (Early Career Investigators)

Whole Genome Sequencing of Breast and Ovarian Cancers Associated with BRCA1/2 Mutations

Principal Investigator: Kate Nathanson, MD

Eating and Exercise for BRCA+ Survivors: Addressing Heart and Bone Health

Principal Investigator: Kathryn Schmitz, PhD

Functional Genetic Approached to Identify MicroRNAs Regulating BRCAness in Breast and Ovarian Cancer

Principal Investigator: Lin Zhang, MD

A Zebrafish Mutagenesis Screen to Identify Genes, Promote Initiation and Progression of BRCA2 Associated Ovarian Cancer

Principal Investigator: Michael Pack, MD

Chromatin Modifying Factors and BRCA1/2

Principal Investigator: Roger Greenberg, MD, PhD

Minimizing Adverse Outcomes Following RRSO in BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers

Principal Investigator: Susan Domchek, MD

REACH: Research to Evaluate Adolescents and Early Communication of Hereditary Risk

Principal Investigator: Angela Bradbury, MD

Effects of AURKA and BRCA1 Dysregulation on Replication Fork Stability and Cell Survival Upon ATR/CHK1 Inhibition

Principal Investigator: Eric Brown, PhD

Past External Research Grants Awardees

The Basser External Research Grant Program focuses on research projects that have the potential to advance the care of individuals living with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

View the full list of previous External Grant awardees below.

Targeting BRCA1 Driver Mutations by Increasing BRCA1 mRNA Translation

Principal Investigator: Alessandro Vindigni, PhD (Washington University School of Medicine)

Role of BRCA2 Mutations in Human Prostate Development and Prostate Cancer Initiation

Principal Investigator: Andrew Goldstein, PhD (UCLA)

Fate of S-phase DNA Breaks During BRCA1-mutant Tumorigenesis

Principal Investigator: John Krais, PhD (Washington University School of Medicine)

Mapping and Leveraging BRCA1/2 Impact on Immune Recruitment for Cell Engineering

Principal Investigator: Livnat Jerby, PhD (Stanford University)

DHX36 G-Quadruplex Resolvase as Suppressor of HR and PARPi Resistance in BRCA-mutant Ovarian Cancer

Principal Investigator: Philipp Oberdoerffer, PhD (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine)

Uncover Regulatory Mechanisms of Dynamic Cell Type Transitions in BRCA1-Deficient Normal Mammary Gland

Principal Investigators: Rinat Bernstein-Molho, MD and Dana Ishay-Ronen, MD, PhD (Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv University)

Targeting a New Class of Pathogenic Variations in BRCA1 and BRCA2

Principal Investigator: Georgios Karras, PhD (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center)

A Short Treatment to Intercept Nascent BRCA1/2 Breast Cancers

Principal Investigator: Gerburg Wulf, MD, PhD (BIDMC/Harvard Medical School)

Defining the Pre-Clinical Treatment Regime of the Potassium Channel KCNN4 Inhibitor, Senicapoc, in BRCA1-Deficient Breast Cancers

Principal Investigator: Kara Britt, PhD (University of Melbourne)

Improving the Scalability and Rigor of Expert Variant Curation

Principal Investigator: Melissa Cline, PhD (UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute)

Deciphering the Immune Modulation by PARP Inhibitor and PD-1 Blockade in BRCA1-Mutated Mammary Tumors

Principal Investigator: Sven Rottenberg, DVM, PhD, Dipl ECVP (University of Bern)

Modifiers of Breast Cancer Risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers of Asian Ancestry

Principal Investigator: Weang Kee Ho, PhD (University of Nottingham Malaysia)

The International BRCA1/2 Carrier Cohort Study (IBCCS): Prospective Cohort Analyses

Principal Investigator: Yen Tan, PhD, MSc, BSc (Medical University of Vienna)

Ovarian and Fallopian Tube Crosstalk via Extracellular Vesicles Promotes the Origin of Ovarian Cancer and the Precancerous Landscape

Principal Investigator: Andrew Godwin, PhD (University of Kansas)

Antibody Drug Conjugates Carrying DNA Damaging Agents for BRCA mutated TNBC

Principal Investigator: Swayam Prabha, MBA, PhD (Fox Chase Cancer Center)

REV1-Polζ Inhibition as a Novel Targeted Therapy for BRCA1/2-Mutant Tumors

Principal Investigator: Alberto Ciccia, PhD (Columbia University)

The Role of Transposable Elements in BRCA-Mutant Cancers

Principal Investigator: Katherine Chiappinelli, PhD (GW Cancer Center)

Structure-Function Relationships of BRCA1-BARD1 Mutations and Relevance to Cancer Progression

Principal Investigator: Elton Zeqiraj, PhD (University of Leeds)

Defining the Contribution of BRCA Mutations to the Presence and Function of Tumor-Infiltrating Nerves in Ovarian Cancer

Principal Investigator: Paola Vermeer, PhD, (University of South Dakota)

Identifying the Role of BRCA1 in the Mammary Gland Thus Leading to Therapeutic Targets

Principal Investigator: Alexander Bishop, DPhil (University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio)

Re-Purposing a Potassium Channel Inhibitor Identified by Genome-Wide Association Studies for Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Principal Investigators: Kara Britt, PhD, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, PhD, and Jane Visvader, PhD, FAA, FRS (University of Melbourne)

Understanding Breast Cancer Driver Mechanisms in BRCA2 Mutation Carriers

Principal Investigator: Aura Carreira, PhD (Institut Curie Research Center)

Characterizing a New Mouse Model of Fanconi Anemia

Principal Investigator: Neil Johnson, PhD (Fox Chase Cancer Center)

Vaccination as a Strategy to Prevent or Treat Drug Resistance Caused by BRCA Reversions

Principal Investigators: Stephen Pettitt, PhD, Christopher Lord, DPhil, and Andrew Tutt, PhD, FRCR, MRCP, MB, ChB (Institute of Cancer Research in London)

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Enhance the Use of Genetic Counseling and Testing in Latina Women at Risk of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer

Principal Investigator: Alejandra Hurtado de Mendoza Casaus, PhD (Georgetown University)

Variable Number Tandem Repeats (VNTRs) as Modifiers of BRCA1 Risk

Principal Investigator: Eitan Friedman, MD, PhD (Sheba Medical Center)

Evaluating R-Loop Dynamics as an Indicator of Cancer Vulnerability in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutant Cancers

Principal Investigator: Kavitha Sarma, PhD (The Wistar Institute)

Interaction Between FANCM and BRCA1 in Cancer Therapy

Principal Investigator: Ralph Scully, PhD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)

Modeling Early Detection and Prevention of BRCA1-Related Breast Cancer

Principal Investigator: Hui Zong, PhD (University of Virginia)

Defining the Molecular Mechanisms Underlying BRCA2 and RAD51 PARP Lesion Processing

Principal Investigator: Ryan B. Jensen, PhD (Yale University)

Identifying Drivers of BRCA2 Mutation Associated Predisposition to Cancer

Principal Investigator: Shailja Pathania, PhD (University of Massachusetts)

Quantitative Proteomics to Identify Mediators of Therapy Response in BRCA-Cancer

Principal Investigator: Sharon B. Cantor, PhD (University of Massachusetts)

Analysis of BRCA1 Missense Variants in DNA Repair

Principal Investigator: Jeffrey D. Parvin, MD, PhD (Ohio State University)

Roles of BRCA1 in RAD51-Mediated Homologous Recombination and Tumor Suppression

Principal Investigator: Patrick Sung, DPhil (Yale University)

Targeting DNA Polymerase θ for Precision Medicine in BRCA Deficient Cancers

Principal Investigator: Richard T. Pomerantz, PhD (Temple and Stanford Universities)

Determine the Role of Dormant Origin Firing in Modulating BRCA1 Haploinsufficiency

Principal Investigator: Tony T. Huang, PhD (New York University School of Medicine)

Understanding and Exploiting SIRT2/BRCA1 Interplay for Cancer Therapy

Principal Investigator: David Yu, MD, PhD (Emory University)

Transcriptional CDK Inhibition in BRCA-Deficient Breast Cancer

Principal Investigator: Geoffrey Shapiro, MD, PhD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)

Targeting Familial Breast Cancer with RAD52 Inhibitors

Principal Investigator: Alexander Mazin, PhD (Drexel University)

Mechanism Based Strategies to Overcome Resistance and Augment Response to Targeted Therapy in BRCA Mutant Cancer

Principal Investigator: Junjie Chen, PhD (MD Anderson Cancer Center)

When Numbers Matter: Decision Support for BRCA Genetic Testing

Principal Investigator: Katherine Crew, MD (Columbia University)

The Role of BRCA1 Isoforms in PARP Inhibitor and Platinum Resistance

Principal Investigator: Neil Johnson, PhD (Fox Chase Cancer Center)

Analyses of the Genetic Interaction Between PARP2 and the BRCA1/BRCA2 Tumor Suppressors: Towards Selective PARP Inhibitors

Principal Investigator: Sonia Franco, MD, PhD (Johns Hopkins University)

Blood-borne Biomarkers of Dysplasia and Early Cancer in Patients with BRCA Mutations

Principal Investigator: Andrew Rhim. MD

Analyses of the Genetic Interaction Between PARP2 and the BRCA1/BRCA2 Tumor Suppressors: Comprehensive Evaluation of Cancer Risk Modifiers in BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers

Principal Investigator: Timothy Rebbeck, PhD

Predicting the Best Treatment for Each Patient

Basser Center for BRCA Past Grant Awardees

Past Internal Grants Awardees

2024

Principal Investigator: Fiona Simpkins, MD

Principal Investigator: Eric Brown, PhD

Principal Investigator: Lewis Chodosh, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator: Luca Busino, PhD

Principal Investigator: Matthew Knarr, PhD

Principal Investigator: Nabamita Boruah (Early Career Investigator)

Principal Investigator: Sydney Shaffer, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator: Tao Shi (Early Career Investigator)

Principal Investigator: Kole Buckley (Early Career Investigator)

2023

Principal Investigator: Geng-Yuan Cheng, PhD (Early Career Investigator)

Principal Investigator: Gregory Bowman, PhD

Principal Investigator: Irfan A. Asangani, PhD

Principal Investigators: Katharine Nathanson, MD and Yoseph Barash, PhD

Principal Investigator: Lin Zhang, MD

Principal Investigator: Maayan Levy, PhD

Principal Investigators: Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil and Ben Z. Stanger, MD, PhD

2022

Principal Investigator: Bryson Katona, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator: Fiona Simpkins, MD

Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Shevach (Early Career Investigator)

Principal Investigators: Kim Reiss Binder, MD and Ben Stanger, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator: Luca Bucino (Early Career Investigator)

Principal Investigator: Ramya Billur, PhD (Early Career Investigator)

Principal Investigator: Smita Bhutda (Early Career Investigator)

2021

Principal Investigator: Anna Jo Smith, MD, MPH, MSc (Early Career Investigator)

Principal Investigator: Gather Thacker, PhD

Principal Investigator Kelsey Lau-Min, MD (Early Career Investigator)

Principal Investigator: Nootan Pandey, PhD (Early Career Investigator)

Principal Investigator: Timothy Lippert, PhD (Early Career Investigator)

Principal Investigator: George Burslem, PhD

Principal Investigator: Neil Taunk, MD, MSCTS

2020

Principal Investigators: Anne Marie McCarthy, ScM, PhD and Despina Kontos, PhD

Principal Investigator: Fiona Simpkins, MD

2019

2018

Principal Investigator: Ben Black, PhD

Principal Investigators: Fiona Simpkins, MD, and Eric Brown, PhD

Principal Investigator: Kara Maxwell, MD, PhD

Principal Investigators: Mehran Makvandi, PharmD, and Austin Pantel, MD

Principal investigator: Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil

2017

2016

2015

2014

Principal Investigators: Angela Bradbury, MD and Tim Rebbeck, PhD (2014 only)

Principal investigators: Eric Brown, PhD and Fiona Simpkins, MD

Principal Investigators: Roger Greenberg, MD, PhD, Lin Zhang,MD, Andy Minn, MD, PhD, Warren Pear, MD, PhD, Wei Tong, PhD, Robert Mach, PhD, David Mankoff, MD, PhD, and Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE

Principal Investigators Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil and David Weiner, PhD and co-investigators Daniel Powell, PhD, Andrea Facciabene, MD, PhD, Katherine Nathanson, MD, E. John Wherry, PhD, and Ben Stanger, MD, PhD

2013

Principal Investigator: Andrea Facciabene, PhD

Principal Investigator: Andrew Maidment, PhD, FAAPM (Early Career Investigator)

Principal Investigator: Andrew Minn, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator: Ben Stanger, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator: C. Neill Epperson, MD

Principal Investigator: Clarisa Gracia, MD, MSCE

Principal Investigator: Daniel Powell, PhD

Principal Investigators: David Weiner, PhD and Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil

Principal Investigator: Despina Kontos, PhD (Early Career Investigator)

Private Investigators: George Coukos and Chungsheng Li (Early Career Investigators)

Principal Investigator: Kate Nathanson, MD

Principal Investigator: Kathryn Schmitz, PhD

Principal Investigator: Lin Zhang, MD

Principal Investigator: Michael Pack, MD

Principal Investigator: Roger Greenberg, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator: Susan Domchek, MD

Principal Investigator: Angela Bradbury, MD

Principal Investigator: Eric Brown, PhD

Past External Research Grants Awardees

2024

Principal Investigator: Alessandro Vindigni, PhD (Washington University School of Medicine)

Principal Investigator: Andrew Goldstein, PhD (UCLA)

Principal Investigator: John Krais, PhD (Washington University School of Medicine)

Principal Investigator: Livnat Jerby, PhD (Stanford University)

Principal Investigator: Philipp Oberdoerffer, PhD (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine)

Principal Investigators: Roger Greenberg, MD, PhD, Lin Zhang,MD, Andy Minn, MD, PhD, Warren Pear, MD, PhD, Wei Tong, PhD, Robert Mach, PhD , David Mankoff, MD, PhD, and Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE

Principal Investigators Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil and David Weiner, PhD and co-investigators Daniel Powell, PhD , Andrea Facciabene, MD, PhD, Katherine Nathanson, MD, E. John Wherry, PhD, and Ben Stanger, MD, PhD