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AACR-QuadW Foundation Sarcoma Research Fellowship in Memory of Willie Tichenor

QuadW Foundation

Grant Amount$60,000 USD

Grant Term1 Year

Start of Grant TermJuly 1, 2027

Letter of Intent DeadlineNovember 12, 2026 1:00 PM (ET)

Letter of Intent Notification DateFebruary 2027

Application DeadlineMarch 15, 2027 1:00 PM (ET)

Decision DateJune 2027

The AACR-QuadW Foundation Sarcoma Research Fellowship in Memory of Willie Tichenor represents a joint effort to encourage and support a postdoctoral or clinical research fellow to conduct translational or clinical sarcoma research and to establish a successful career path in this field.

The fellowship provides a one-year grant of $60,000 to support the salary and benefits of the fellow while working on a mentored sarcoma research project. Funds may also be designated for non-personnel expenses, such as research/laboratory supplies, equipment, publication charges for manuscripts that pertain directly to the funded project, and other research expenses. However, grant funds cannot be used to compensate for clinical practice with patients or for indirect costs.

Citizenship Requirements

There are no citizenship or geographic requirements. However, by submitting an application for this grant, an applicant applying from an institution located in a country in which they are not a citizen or a permanent resident assures that the visa status will provide sufficient time to complete the project and grant term at the institution from which they applied.

Research Project Criteria

Research projects must be translational or clinical in nature and must have direct applicability and relevance to sarcoma.

Proposed research projects should be aimed toward developing personalized, therapeutic options for the treatment of sarcoma patients. Investigators using novel experimental tools and techniques geared toward better understanding of sarcoma in an effort to elucidate the mechanisms of currently available therapies and/or to identify new therapeutic targets are encouraged to apply. Emphasis will be placed on proposals involving research with immediate clinical applications, including those with predictive biomarker studies.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct Relevance to Sarcoma, Especially Osteosarcoma

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

The strongest predictor is direct relevance to the Foundation's sarcoma mission.

QuadW states that it feels an urgency to find better treatments for osteosarcoma patients, while its broader network also addresses Ewing sarcoma and soft-tissue sarcoma.

Strong projects should therefore address:

Osteosarcoma
Pediatric sarcoma
Metastatic sarcoma
Ewing sarcoma
Soft-tissue sarcoma
Sarcoma treatment resistance
Sarcoma metastasis
New therapeutic strategies
Patient-relevant biomarkers

For a QuadW-supported project, the connection to sarcoma treatment and outcomes should be immediately apparent.

2. Potential to Produce Better Treatments and Patient Outcomes

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

QuadW's stated objective is not simply to increase sarcoma publications. Its research program emphasizes finding better treatments, while OSI's mission is to increase treatment options and survival in osteosarcoma.

A strong proposal should answer:

How could this research ultimately improve what happens to a sarcoma patient?

Examples include:

New therapeutic targets.
More effective drugs.
Treatment combinations.
Improved immunotherapy.
Biomarker-guided treatment.
Better management of metastatic disease.
Reduction of treatment toxicity.
Improved survival.

3. Breakthrough / High-Impact Scientific Idea

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

QuadW describes its approach as bringing together leading medical minds to identify and solve sarcoma's biggest hurdles. It has also supported projects it considered sufficiently important to merit "last brick in the wall" funding when a critical component was preventing a larger effort from moving forward.

This favors projects that address:

Major scientific bottlenecks.
Important unanswered questions.
High-value therapeutic opportunities.
Important barriers preventing clinical translation.
Novel approaches that could change treatment.

A proposal should make the breakthrough opportunity obvious rather than presenting a long list of incremental experiments.

4. Strong Clinical / Translational Relevance

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

The current AACR-QuadW fellowship specifically requires projects to be translational or clinical and to have direct applicability and relevance to sarcoma. The guidelines encourage research aimed at developing personalized therapeutic options and projects with immediate clinical applications, including predictive biomarker studies.

Particularly relevant approaches include:

Therapeutic target validation.
Drug development.
Treatment-response biomarkers.
Precision medicine.
Mechanisms of therapy resistance.
Patient-derived models.
Clinical correlative studies.
Translational immunology.

5. Innovative Therapeutic Approach

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

QuadW's recent fellowship-funded projects illustrate the type of therapeutic innovation it supports.

Examples include:

A CBP/p300 inhibitor for fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma.
Dual ATM/PARP inhibition in pediatric osteosarcoma.

These projects are not simply descriptive studies; they investigate potentially actionable therapeutic strategies.

Strong proposals may involve:

Novel small molecules.
Targeted therapy.
Immunotherapy.
Combination therapies.
Gene-based approaches.
Precision oncology.
Novel drug targets.
New approaches to overcoming resistance.

6. Excellent Early-Career Investigator Potential

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

QuadW has made young investigator development a major part of its sarcoma strategy.

The Foundation reports investing more than $2 million in young talent, supporting fellows and young investigators through organizations including AACR and ASCO and at institutions such as Dana-Farber, MD Anderson and Memorial Sloan Kettering.

The current AACR-QuadW fellowship is specifically designed to support a postdoctoral or clinical research fellow and help establish a successful career path in sarcoma research.

Strong applicants should demonstrate:

Clear commitment to sarcoma research.
Strong mentorship.
Appropriate scientific training.
Evidence of research productivity.
Potential for independence.
A credible long-term sarcoma research career.

7. Strong Mentor and Research Environment

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

The AACR-QuadW fellowship requires fellows to conduct their research under a mentor at an academic, medical or research institution anywhere in the world.

A strong environment should provide:

Relevant sarcoma expertise.
Required laboratory facilities.
Patient samples/models.
Clinical collaborators.
Appropriate technology.
Strong mentorship.
Access to translational resources.

For early-career applicants, the mentor's ability to support the project and career development is especially important.

8. Patient-Centered Research and Immediate Clinical Applicability

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

QuadW's current fellowship description emphasizes personalized therapeutic options and immediate clinical applicability.

AACR's report on a recent QuadW fellow also highlights the fellow's learning about keeping the patient at the center of the science.

A strong proposal should therefore explain:

Which patients could benefit.
What clinical problem is being addressed.
How the results could change treatment.
What biomarker or therapeutic decision could eventually result.
How research findings could move toward clinical testing.

9. Collaboration and Ability to Solve Field-Level Bottlenecks

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

Collaboration is a defining part of QuadW's strategy.

The Foundation has:

Convened expert think tanks.
Improved shared tissue banks.
Supported biostatistical infrastructure.
Supported high-density data initiatives.
Facilitated tissue collection.
Supported genomic/personalized-medicine meetings.
Built relationships among leading sarcoma clinicians and researchers.

This means proposals can be strengthened by showing how they connect with:

Sarcoma research networks.
Tissue banks.
Clinical trial groups.
Biostatistical expertise.
Genomics/data resources.
Multidisciplinary collaborators.

10. Strong Feasibility and Potential for Follow-on Development

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

QuadW has demonstrated a willingness to provide targeted funding when a specific missing component prevents a high-value project from moving forward. Its "last brick in the wall" approach has supported components of larger clinical and translational initiatives.

A strong proposal should therefore identify:

What is missing now → what QuadW funding will accomplish → what becomes possible afterward.

This could lead to:

A larger clinical trial.
NIH/NCI funding.
Drug-development partnership.
OSI support.
Larger translational program.
Validation in additional models.
Clinical testing.

Specialties

Cancer

Oncology

Eligibility Requirements

At the start of the grant term on July 1, 2027, applicants must:

Have a doctoral degree (PhD, MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent) in a related field.
Hold a mentored research position with the title of postdoctoral fellow, clinical research fellow, or the equivalent
- If eligibility is based on a future position, the position must be confirmed at the time of submission, and CANNOT be contingent upon receiving this grant. Applicants are advised to contact the AACR’s Research and Grants Administration (RGA) at grants@aacr.org before submitting their Letter of Intent to confirm they will hold an eligible position.
Have completed their most recent doctoral degree or medical residency within the past five years (i.e., degree conferral or medical residency completion date is July 1, 2022, or later; the formal date of receipt of the degree is the date the degree was conferred, as indicated on your diploma and/or transcript). Exceptions to the 5-year window may be granted for up to 12 months of parental or justified personal/family leave. Applicants exceeding the 5-year limit who believe they are eligible must contact the AACR’s RGA before submitting their Letter of Intent.
Be able to dedicate at least 50% effort to the proposed research project throughout the duration of the grant term.
Work under the auspices of a mentor at an academic, medical, or research institution anywhere in the world.

At the start of the grant term (July 1, 2027), applicants cannot:

Be a candidate for a further doctoral degree.
Be an employee or subcontractor of a U.S. federal government entity or for-profit private industry. They may serve as collaborators, but no grant funds may be directed toward these individuals.
Concurrently hold another AACR grant.
- Current AACR grantees may apply only if their current grant ends before the start of the grant term for this funding opportunity (i.e., July 1, 2027). Also, the terms of their current grant must stipulate that the final progress reports be approved by the AACR before July 1, 2027.
Be, or have been, at the rank of instructor, adjunct professor, assistant professor, research assistant professor, the equivalent, or higher. Qualified researchers are invited to apply for an AACR Career Development Award.
- Exception: If you are an MD who is considered a postdoctoral fellow but hold the title of instructor so that you can see patients, you may be eligible. Potential applicants possessing an MD are encouraged to contact AACR’s RGA before submitting a Letter of Intent to verify your eligibility.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: QuadW Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 615 Chestnut St., 17th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19106-4404 USA

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