The Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program for the Study of Post-Transplant Complications (Amy Research Program) is one of the largest and most coveted grants in the field of transplantation and cellular therapy. The grant supports the research endeavors of basic scientists and clinicians early in their careers. Its goal is to launch these young investigators on a life-long journey to discover solutions to potentially life-threatening post-transplant or post-cellular therapy complications such as infection, relapse, or graft-versus-host disease.
The emphasis on early career support attracts new talent to the field and encourages the researchers to focus on these complications throughout their careers. Amy Scholars (2021) receive a maximum of $400,000 divided over five years from the Be The Match Foundation®. This crucial funding enables the researchers to continue with their projects without having to stop and apply for further financial support.
We are honored to recognize the 23rd Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program awardees:
Dr. Melinda Biernacki at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center- Project: A “T cell-first” approach to dissecting antigen-specific T cell responses mediating graft-versus-leukemia effects
- Project: Humoral Immune Protection Against Respiratory Viral Infections After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Amy Scholars are announced at the Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT and CIBMTR (TCT Meetings). At this year’s program, we heard from Be The Match/National Marrow Donor Program executive team members, a representative from the Moore Family, sharing why they support research through philanthropy, and Dr. Pavan Bachireddy (2019 Amy Scholar). The award program concludes with the surprise announcement of our 2021 scholars, which you won’t want to miss. This year’s event was hosted virtually, giving you the opportunity to view the 30-minute program at your convenience: https://youtu.be/zVd-WBVbhYE
The Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program is only made possible through philanthropy. Thank you to the generous partners who make this program possible and congratulations to Dr. Biernacki and Dr. Boonyaratanakornkit.