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Lymphoma Research Foundation Awards 24 New Scientific Research Grants
Nearly $4 Million Awarded to Advance Critical Cancer Research
The Lymphoma Research Foundation — the nation’s largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to funding innovative lymphoma research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives, and patient services — has awarded 24 new research grants. These grants, totaling $3.9 million, will support cutting-edge investigations designed to improve the diagnosis and treatment of lymphoma, the most common form of blood cancer.
The Foundation’s elite Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), comprised of the world’s leaders in lymphoma research, selected the most promising lymphoma research projects from across North America for funding. The 2026 grantee class encompasses 16 medical and academic institutions, with research initiatives investigating a range of lymphoma subtypes and scientific disciplines, including rare T-cell lymphomas, treatments for adolescents and young adults, novel cancer therapies, and disease biology. The grantees include:
2025 Grant Recipients
Clinical Investigator Career Development Award (CDA)
Neha Akkad, M.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Alexander Boardman, M.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Mengyang Di, M.D., Ph.D., University of Washington
Andrew Jallouk, M.D, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Christina Poh, M.D., City of Hope
Sandeep Raj, M.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Seda Tolu, M.D., The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant
Federico Mario Aletti, M.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Thomas Corner, D.Phil., Yale University
Xin Meng, Ph.D., Yale University
Shelby Sloan, Ph.D., The Ohio State University
Herman Van Besien, M.D., NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Yulai Zhou, M.D., Ph.D., Yale University
Lymphoma Scientific Research Mentoring Program
Amin Aalipour, M.D., Ph.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Amaris Balitsky, M.D., McMaster University
Yun Choi, M.D., The Ohio State University
Hunter Cochran, M.D., Washington University in St. Louis
Makoto Iwasaki, M.D., Ph.D., Massachusetts General Hospital
Anouchka Laurent, Ph.D., The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Efrat Luttwak, M.D., MPH, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
John Patton, M.D., Ph.D., The Ohio State University
Reid Shaw, M.D., The University of Chicago
Graham Wehmeyer, M.D., Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Anli Zhang, Ph.D., The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
“This year’s grant class represents the rising stars in lymphoma and CLL research,” said Andrew Evens, DO, MBA, MSc, Deputy Director for Clinical Services and Chief Physician Officer, Rutgers Cancer Institute, and Chair of the Foundation SAB. “The investigators that the Foundation is supporting are addressing the most urgent and important issues in the field of lymphoma today.”
The Foundation’s grant program plays a crucial role in accelerating discoveries and fostering the next generation of lymphoma experts. Since its inception 30 years ago, the Foundation has committed more than $86 million in lymphoma-specific research grants that have led to significant advancements in lymphoma care and new treatment options for patients.
“We continue to make progress by better understanding the many subtypes of lymphoma and developing more effective therapies,” said Meghan Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. “We are honored to support these researchers whose work will bring hope to patients and families affected by lymphoma.”
Profiles of the Foundation’s Clinical Investigator Career Development Award (CDA) and Postdoctoral Fellowship grantees will be in the 2026 Vol. 2 edition of Pulse, and the Lymphoma Scientific Research Mentoring Program (LSRMP) Scholars will be featured in the 2026 Vol. 3 edition of Pulse.