2025 Grants & Researchers
CancerFree KIDS is Awarding $1.65 Million in Research Grants!
We are beyond excited to announce that this year, we are investing a record-breaking $1.65 million in early-stage pediatric cancer research. This marks our largest single-year funding increase of $250,000, and is the highest annual funding total in our 23-year history. We are so proud to award $650,000 to Nationwide Children's Hospital, and for the first time ever, we are awarding $1 million to Cincinnati Children's!
Our lifetime investment in early-stage pediatric cancer research is now $12.5 million, which has fueled 265 research grants. This year's investment is funding 25 research grants, 17 of which are New Idea Awards that fund bold concepts in the earliest stages of discovery, and 8 Accelerator Awards which allow researchers to advance their work that has demonstrated success.
We could not have made this impact without the unbelievable generosity and support of you, our community. Together, we are finding gentler and more effective treatments for kids with cancer. Thank you for helping us turn potential into promise.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
New Idea Awards
altafiber Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Karina Elizabeth
Jimenez Camacho, PhD
Research Focus: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
20th Anniversary Paxton's Grill Golf Outing Research Grant in honor of Ralph Dunnigan
Grant Recipient: Issac Choi
Research Focus: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Butterfly Walk Research Grant in honor of Andrew Viox
Grant Recipient: Yuan Lin
Research Focus: Neurofibromatosis
Wirtz Family Research Grant in memory of Jacob
Grant Recipient: Linde A. Miles, PhD
Research Focus: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Hollingsworth Family Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Nancy Ratner, PhD
Research Focus: Neurofibromatosis
Olson Family Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Paula Saez Raez, BSc
Research Focus: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
100 Mile Challenge Research Grant in honor of Cincinnati Tennis Club
Grant Recipient: Nathan Salomonis, PhD
Research Focus: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Celebration of Courage Research Grant in honor of Emma Gooch
Grant Recipient: Zhe Wang
Research Focus: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
TriHealth Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Chen Wang, MD, PhD
Research Focus: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Volunteer of the Year Research Grant in honor of Carol Boerger
Grant Recipient: Peng V. Wu, MD, PhD
Research Focus: Hepatoblastoma
Accelerator Awards
Peter and Tatiana Cancro Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Puneet Agarwal, PhD
Research Focus: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Butterfly Walk Research Grant in memory of Jackson Curti
Grant Recipient: Lynn Lee, MD
Research Focus: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Jersey Mike's Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Kristie Ramos, MD
Research Focus: Cancer Predisposition
The Zembrodt Family Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Andrew Volk, PhD
Research Focus: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
The 100 Mile Challenge Research Grant in
honor of DBL LAW
Grant Recipient: Yi Zheng, PhD
Research Focus: Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
New Idea Awards
100 Mile Challenge Research Grant in honor of HAWA Engineers
Grant Recipient: Abuzar Kaleem, PhD
Research Focus: Epstein-Barr Virus
ProMach Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Jie Li, PhD
Research Focus: Rhabdomyosarcoma
Visionary Society Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Dean Lee, MD, PhD and Meisam Naeimi Kararoudi, DVM, PhD
Research Focus: Off-The-Shelf CAR-T
MC and Mark Anderson Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Janet Oblinger, PhD
Research Focus: Neurofibromatosis
The Interlink Cloud Advisors Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Kelly Gutpell, PhD, MBBChB
Research Focus: Osteosarcoma
Sycamore Capital Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Cenny Taslim, PhD
Research Focus: Rhabdomyosarcoma
100 Mile Challenge Research Grant in honor of Benchmark Automation, a ProMach Company
Grant Recipient: Chloe Nagasawa, PhD (OSU)
Research Focus: Rhabdomyosarcoma
Accelerator Awards
The Wolf Pack Research Grant in memory of
Grant Wolf
Grant Recipient: Alexia Martin, MPH
Research Focus: Gliomas
Columbus Business First Research Grant
Grant Recipient: Ryan Roberts, MD, PhD
Research Focus: Osteosarcoma
Night for the Fight Research Grant in honor of Top Student Fundraiser Annaliese Boerner in memory of her brother, Jonathan
Grant Recipient: Julie Tomolonis, MD, PhD
Research Focus: Osteosarcoma and Neuroblastoma
