The Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative named Penn Medicine professor Richard Phillips a Cancer Moonshot Scholar for his innovative work in cancer research.
Phillips, who is the chief of the division of Neuro-Oncology and assistant professor of neurology, is one of 11 scholars who will be receiving a combined $6 million to fund the advancement of novel cancer research. Phillips will individually receive $683,099 as aid for his lab’s research on the epigenomic reprogramming of diffuse midline glioma, a type of brain cancer.
The grant will specifically support the therapeutic research of tumor epigenetics for children and young adults.
“While there have been important advances in cancer therapy over the past decade, brain tumors are still some of the most complicated cancers to treat,” Phillips said in the announcement. “The support from the Cancer Moonshot program underscores the White House’s faith in our research and will help us accelerate efforts to develop the novel therapies which are desperately needed for our patients.”
The Phillips Lab primarily investigates epigenetic mechanisms — the processes that determine whether particular genes are turned on or off — and studies how they contribute to brain tumors. The lab focuses on understanding how these epigenetic mechanisms can malfunction and what treatments can prevent these errors from leading to the development of cancerous cells.
The novelty of Phillips’ research aligns with the larger purpose of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, which aims to advance creative and diverse approaches to fundamental issues by pioneers in the field.
“We are incredibly proud about the support of Dr. Phillips from this Cancer Moonshot Initiative,” Abramson Cancer Center Director Robert Vonderheide said in the announcement. “His approach to understanding how tumors develop will pave the way for new treatments that will no doubt have a positive impact on the lives of patients.”
In cooperation with the National Cancer Institute, the Cancer Moonshot initiative operates the Scholars Program as a way of uplifting emerging scientists and innovators, particularly those from underrepresented and minority backgrounds. First developed in 2022, the Scholars Program is a subproject of the Biden-Harris Administration’s platform on national cancer treatments. By 2025, the Biden-Harris Administration has pledged to finance an additional 30 scholars.
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