2022 EHE Research Grant Awards Announced

The EHE Foundation has completed its 2022 EHE Research Grant cycle and is pleased to share that it has awarded the largest grants funding in its history – totaling $291,600 grants to three outstanding applicants. This amazing sum is complemented by additional private funds totaling $250,000, bringing this year’s total research investment to $541,600 USD. 

These grants significantly advance our mission to find effective treatments for EHE – and would not be possible without the support of our community! Thank you for your continued support!

The 2022 EHE Foundation research grant recipients are:

John Lamar, PhD | Albany Medical Center – Awarded $200,000

(matching a $250,000 private, designated donation toward this research)

Project: Use of Pre-clinical EHE Models to Identify Druggable Pathways to Treat EHE

Research Goal: To reveal pathways that can be targeted with existing FDA-approved drugs to either eliminate EHE or prevent its growth. 

Research Objectives:

1.   Identify druggable pathways that are required for TAZ-CAMTA1 activity and EHE growth/viability. 
2.  Establish and optimize an EHE transplant model system in mice for testing therapeutic compounds.
3.  Develop multiplexed in vivo assays in mice and use them to test multiple therapeutic targets. 

John Lamar, PhD

Ajay Pobbati, PhD | Cleveland Clinic – Awarded $65,000

Project: Repurposing an FDA-approved Drug for EHE Treatment

Research Goal:  To identify an FDA-approved drug that can sequester TAZ-CAMTA1 (TC), TEAD, or both in the cytoplasm and inhibit tumorigenesis.

Research Objectives:

1:  Identify drugs that relocate TC and/or TEAD to the cytoplasm using a subcellular localization screen. 
2:  Perform preclinical characterization of shortlisted drugs. 

Ajay Pobbati, PhD

Valerie Kouskoff, PhD | University of Manchester – $26,600

Project: Understanding and Exploiting the Genomic Instability Promoted by TAZ-CAMTA1

Research Goal:  To understand further how TAZ-CAMTA1 interferes with the DNA damage response and whether this interference represents a therapeutic vulnerability that can be exploited.

Research Objectives: Test the druggability of the DNA damage response interference by TAZ-CAMTA1.

Valerie Kouskoff, PhD

“Without the generous donations and support of the EHE community, we would not be able to award these grants. Together,  we are making a significant impact in EHE research, and the Foundation is entirely focused and dedicated to our mission to find effective treatments and one day a cure for EHE,” said Jenni Kovach, President of The EHE Foundation. She continued, “every single donation makes a difference.” 

Denise Robinson, Director of Research for The EHE Foundation, commented that “this year’s grant recipients brought forward the first significant opportunities to fund translational research that aims to identify effective treatments for EHE. These projects leverage years of EHE research and model system development, and if one or all of these researchers can identify drugs that are already approved for use, that potentially can be used to treat EHE – then this year’s research grants investments brings more than treatment; this brings hope.”

The EHE Foundation is grateful to our Advisory Board and expert reviewers for their time and careful consideration of this year’s grant applications. We are also thankful for the time and talents each of these researchers invest in EHE. And always, we are eternally grateful for the financial support of the EHE community, which allows us to fund this research. To learn more about previously funded grants, visit our Research Projects & Initiatives webpage.