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Nearly simultaneously, Jimeno obtained another R01 grant to develop new animal models of melanoma that allow the study and testing of immunotherapies against cancer. Jimeno is director of the Head and Neck Cancer Clinical Research Program at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, a member of the Gates.
Center for Regenerative Medicine, and the Daniel and Janet Mordecai Endowed Chair for Cancer Stem Cell Research at the CU School of Medicine. Jimeno’s team for these two grants includes co-investigators CU cancer immunologist Jing Wang, PhD, and Gates Center member and CU stem cell biologist Holger Russ, PhD, to model the cells to be implanted on mice. The second R01 award focusing on melanoma was a direct result of preliminary data generated thanks to the enthusiastic collaboration of melanoma specialists Drs. Rene Gonzalez, Karl Lewis, and William Robinson.
R01 grants are not approved on ideas alone. Investigators must complete early studies showing the promise of their line of research. For many researchers, this can prove to be a Catch-22 in which funding for their studies is only available after performing studies. In this case, funding for Jimeno’s early explorations came in the form of seed monies provided by CU Cancer Center and the Department of Defense. In 2010, the Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, in
partnership with the Gates Frontiers Fund, provided early support for Dr. Jimeno’s research. Between 2011 and 2016, Dr. Jimeno also leveraged generous philanthropic gifts from the Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation, the Karsh family, and Peter and Rhondda Grant.
“This philanthropic support took us through the difficult times of chasing an idea that seemed novel and difficult to prove. Now these ideas are validated by these simultaneous awards. For us, philanthropy was a fire-starter,” Jimeno says.
This fire-starter, accelerated by the creativity and hard work of Jimeno’s team and collaborators, sparked grants now nearing a five-fold return on investment, and allows the multidisciplinary team led by Jimeno to continue pushing test models for immunotherapies in head and neck cancer and melanoma. Dennis Roop, Ph.D., Director of the Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, commented that this is a wonderful example of how philanthropic support can be used to de-risk novel, cutting edge research to the point that it is eventually funded in today’s risk-averse funding environment.
* “The Research Project Grant (R01) is the original and historically oldest grant mechanism used by NIH. The R01 provides support for health-related research and development based on the mission of the NIH.”
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