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Lustgarten Equity, Accessibility, and Diversity (LEAD) Project

Lustgarten Foundation

Purpose

Pancreatic cancer does not impact all populations equally, with significant differences in incidence and disparities in outcomes across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups in the United States. Pancreatic cancer patients from minority groups are significantly underrepresented in all phases of clinical trials. This discrepancy will obscure the true disease heterogeneity and has the potential to exacerbate disparities in the development of novel therapeutics.

The Lustgarten Equity, Accessibility, and Diversity (LEAD) Project aims to increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups in pancreatic cancer clinical trials by supporting institutions that make intentional efforts to address barriers to participation among underrepresented groups and develop and implement specific tools to increase clinical trial participation.

Description

The LEAD Project will support programs with specific, achievable, and measurable goals for increasing the recruitment and retention of patients from underrepresented minority groups in pancreatic cancer clinical trials. This call is intended to support programs that will address specific barriers to participation in clinical trials and can include efforts to expand community outreach, patient education and/or clinical recruitment staff.

Clinical proposals should come from centers that see a high volume of pancreatic cancer cases, are currently running clinical trials in pancreatic cancer, and seek to increase the participation of patients from underrepresented groups in clinical trials. We welcome collaboration with centers to meet the criteria. Proposals that engage community hospitals and other community providers are encouraged. Non-clinical proposals may involve analyses or expansion of existing datasets to include minority patient groups in the pancreatic cancer database. Studies should focus on improving the current understanding of pancreatic cancer heterogeneity across all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.

The LEAD Project is intended to support programs that:

Seek to address barriers to clinical trial participation
Develop and deploy specific tools and approaches to increase enrollment and representation in trials (i.e. online programs, educational tools)
Identify and work with all stakeholders, including patient navigators and community health workers where appropriate, to effect measurable change in enrollment towards defined and achievable metrics for the enrollment of underrepresented patients in active pancreatic cancer clinical trials

Incentive and Award funding program

A. Requested budgets will be considered and evaluated as part of the competitive selection process.

B. Grants up to $150,000 per year (including indirect costs) for a maximum of three years will be considered. NIH Salary Cap may be used.

C. Indirect costs may not exceed a maximum of 10% of direct costs.

D. Bi‐annual progress reports and annual financial reports will be required. Annual continuation of funding will be dependent on satisfactory progress.

E. Funded investigators will be expected to have regular interaction with Lustgarten Foundation scientific staff and will be expected to be willing to interact and/or collaborate with other investigators funded through this RFP or with the larger network of Lustgarten Foundation‐funded investigators and laboratories.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Absolute Focus on Pancreatic Cancer

The strongest predictor of funding success is a proposal that is laser-focused on pancreatic cancer:

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)

Early detection & screening biomarkers

Tumor microenvironment & stroma dynamics

Immunotherapy mechanisms & overcoming resistance

Metabolic reprogramming

KRAS signaling & downstream vulnerabilities

Single-cell / spatial / multi-omics of PDAC

Therapeutic resistance & metastasis biology

DNA damage response & synthetic lethality in PDAC

❗ Generic oncology proposals almost never get funded unless the link to pancreatic cancer is extremely strong.

2. Fit to the Specific Lustgarten Mechanism

The foundation has several targeted programs:

🔹 Research Grants

Hypothesis-driven, mechanistic or translational PDAC biology

Typically requires strong preliminary data

🔹 New Investigator Awards

For early-career independent PIs

Must demonstrate independence + trajectory

Mentorship letters and environment matter greatly

🔹 Innovation & Technology Grants

High-risk, high-reward ideas

Cutting-edge technologies (single-cell, spatial, machine learning, model systems)

🔹 Clinical Accelerator Initiative

Highly translational

Clinical trials, therapeutic development

Requires access to patients and infrastructure

🔹 Collaborative Team Science Grants

Multi-PI, multidisciplinary

Strong justification for collaboration required

Predictor: A perfect match between your project scope + career stage + platform and the targeted mechanism.

3. Strong Preliminary Data

Lustgarten-funded studies almost always include:

Proof-of-concept experiments

Feasibility demonstrated in PDAC cell lines, organoids, or PDX models

Early mechanistic insights

Pilot biomarker results

Evidence the approach will work in PDAC, not just in other tumor types

Predictor: The presence of substantial preliminary data is a major competitive advantage.

4. Use of Highly Relevant PDAC Models

Lustgarten reviewers favor realistic, high-quality models:

Patient-derived organoids (PDO)

Patient-derived xenografts (PDX)

Genetically engineered mouse models (KPC/KRAS-driven models)

Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics

High-quality PDAC patient cohorts

Predictor: Using state-of-the-art human PDAC models drastically improves competitiveness.

5. High Innovation + Potential for High Impact

Lustgarten values bold ideas that can change the field:

New therapeutic strategies for KRAS-mutant tumors

First-in-field biomarker platforms

Approaches to overcome dense stroma and immunosuppression

Highly novel drug discovery targets

Disruptive technologies for early detection

Predictor: Proposals must be innovative and transformative, not incremental.

6. Translational Relevance & Path to Clinical Impact

Lustgarten strongly emphasizes clinical relevance, such as:

Clear path to clinical trial

Biomarker ready for translation

Therapeutic candidates with near-term potential

Studies addressing treatment-resistant PDAC

Predictor: Translational potential is a dominant scoring category.

7. Strong Investigator Track Record

Reviewers expect:

Publications in pancreatic cancer or closely relevant topics

Demonstrated expertise in PDAC biology or tumor immunology

Evidence of independence (distinct niche from mentor)

Successful delivery of past research projects

Predictor: Strong track record is essential, especially for mid-career grants.

8. Collaborations That Truly Add Value

Team science is often favored, especially when:

Pairing computational + experimental expertise

Integrating clinicians for translational pipelines

Using shared resources (biobanks, imaging, sequencing)

Crossing multiple institutions to access unique samples or platforms

Predictor: Collaboration strengthens feasibility and impact — but only if it’s mission-critical.

9. Clear, Feasible Aims and Milestones

Well-designed proposals include:

2–3 tightly structured aims

Realistic 1–2 year milestones

Go/no-go decision points

Backup approaches

Quantifiable outcomes

Predictor: A tightly scoped, feasible plan is crucial.

10. High-Quality Writing

Winning proposals are:

Clear, compelling, and logically structured

Heavy on significance and rationale

Strong in methodological rigor

Easy for both biologists and translational reviewers to understand

Predictor: Strong writing often distinguishes funded from unfunded applications of similar scientific quality.

🏆 Summary Table

Predictor	Why It Matters
PDAC-specific focus	Core eligibility; biggest scoring factor
Mechanism alignment	Ensures fit with reviewer expectations
Strong preliminary data	Demonstrates feasibility
Relevant PDAC models	Increases translational relevance
Innovation + high impact	Central Lustgarten priority
Clinical/Translational relevance	Key mission driver
Investigator track record	Reviewer confidence driver
Strategic collaboration	Amplifies feasibility & scope
Focused aims	Fits 1–2 year grant framework
Clear, polished writing	Increases reviewer enthusiasm

Specialties

Cancer

Pancreatology

Oncology

Eligibility Requirements

A. Demonstrated track record of significant contributions to the field

B. Engaged in significant efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion in clinical research in pancreatic cancer or other relevant areas (i.e. Community-Based Participatory Research investigator)

C. Working at or collaborating with an institution that sees a high volume of pancreatic cancer patients, has an active clinical research program with ongoing pancreatic cancer clinical trials and a patient catchment with a diverse population

D. Preference will be given to applications from institutions that can document equity and diversity in hiring and staffing for the project

E. Willingness to interact and/or collaborate with other Lustgarten Foundation‐ Funded investigators

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Lustgarten Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 504 RXR Plaza Uniondale, NY 11556

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