ASH Award for Research Careers in Hematology Funds 33 Promising Independent Research Projects

(WASHINGTON, August 25, 2026) – The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is funding 33 independent hematology research projects through its Award for Research Careers in Hematology (ARCH) program, the successor award to the ASH Bridge Grant. This cohort is the largest yet, funded in part by ASH’s #Fight4Hematology effort, which was developed in response to ongoing threats to federal research funding. 

“This group of researchers represents the best of the best, and their science has the potential to make a great difference in our understanding of hematologic conditions,” said Robert Negrin, MD, ASH President. “At a time when biomedical research funding is under unprecedented strain and the future of NIH funding remains uncertain, ASH remains committed to supporting investigators whose promising ideas could lead to the next major advances in blood disease research and care. By investing in these researchers now, we are keeping critical science moving forward and making it clear that patients cannot be left waiting for progress.” 

The ASH Bridge Grant was established in 2012 to help sustain critical blood research amid severe National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding restrictions. ARCH builds upon the success of the ASH Bridge Grant, expanding award eligibility by eliminating the NIH R01 application requirement and making research opportunities in hematology more accessible to independent investigators. ARCH is a lifeline for investigators with meritorious research, providing awardees with one- to three-year grants of $150,000. 

Since 2025, ASH has more than doubled its level of support for awards, career development opportunities, and mentorship programs to nearly $50 million, supporting 3,500+ awards across its programs. This investment includes an additional $25 million that goes far above and beyond ASH’s traditional funding levels as part of the #Fight4Hematology campaign. 

This ARCH cycle funds competitive research ranging from potential new treatments for acute myeloid leukemia to quality measurement for the treatment of sickle cell disease across a lifespan.

ASH ARCH Recipients:

• Connie Arthur, PhD, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Immunologic Consequences of Neonatal Anemia and Its Treatment
• Nitya Bakshi, MBBS, MS, Yale School of Medicine, Plasma Proteomic Biomarkers of Sickle Cell Disease Pain
• Tessa Barrett, PhD, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Platelet KLHDC8B as a Regulator of Thromboinflammatory Thrombosis
• Shannon Buckley, PhD, University of Utah, Deciphering Genes Associated with Trisomy 8
• Sheng Cai, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Concurrent Menin Inhibition and Ikaros Degradation to Overcome Resistance in Relapsed Acute Leukemia
• Jaebok Choi, MA, PhD, The Washington University, Targeting the GAS6-TAM Axis to Prevent GvHD and Leukemia Relapse
• Marta Derecka, PhD, St. Jude Childre's Research Hospital, Elucidating Therapeutic Potential of ITGB8 Inhibition in Myelofibrosis
• Francesca Ferraro, MD, PhD, The Washington University, Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targeting of Immune Dysfunction in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Jacqueline Garcia, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Insitute, Treatment Selection Using Dynamic BH3 Profiling in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Rimi Hazra, PhD, The University of Pittsburgh, Hemolysis Driven CRH-FKBP5 Axis as a Mechanistic Driver for White Matter Injury and Cognitive Impairment in Sickle Cell Disease
• R. Katherine Hyde, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Evaluation of the Nanoparticle PAMD-Ch17 as an Anti-leukemic and siRNA Delivery Agent
• Seethal Jacob, MD, MS, Trustees of Indiana University, Determinants of Access to Neurocognitive Services in Sickle Cell Disease: The Role of Caregiver Recognition
• Milka Koupenova, PhD, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Mechanisms of Platelet Alarmin Release and Immunothrombosis
• Mondira Kundu, MD, PhD, St. Jude Childre's Research Hospital, Mechanisms of SEC24C-Associated Dyserythropoiesis in Fetal and Stress Erythropoiesis
• Rui Lu, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Defining a Non-catalytic Epigenetic Cofactor Dependency in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Patrick McGann, MD, PhD, Rhode Island Hospital, Nationwide Newborn Screening for Sickle Cell Disease Using Point-of-Care Testing in Angola
• Carol Miao, PhD, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Redosable Nonviral Gene Therapy for Hemophilia A treatment
• Betty Pace, MD, Augusta University, Gamma Globin Activation via Disruption of a Cis-Regulatory Element During Erythropoiesis in Sickle Cell Disease
• Robert Paulson, PhD, The Pennsylvania State University, Role of Polyamines in Stress Erythropoiesis
• Malini Raghavan, PhD, MSc, University of Michigan, Calreticulin Mutations in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
• Sunil Raikar, MD, Emory University, Understanding Lineage Plasticity and Improving Therapeutic Options for Pediatric B/Myeloid Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia
• Sarah Reeves, PhD, MPH, University of Michigan, Advancing Quality Measurement to Improve Evidence-Based Care for Sickle Cell Disease Across the Lifespan
• Marlies Rossmann, MD, PhD, University of Rochester, Role of Ferroptosis Suppression in Erythropoiesis
• Kathleen Sakamoto, MD, PhD, Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Repurposing Niclosamide for Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Chunhua Song, DPhil, MD, The Ohio State University, Targeting Tumor Microenvironment to Reverse Immune Suppression in High-Risk T-ALL
• Athena Starlard-Davenport, PhD, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Systems Genetics of Sickle Cell Disease: Mapping Genetic Modifiers of Disease Severity Using the SCD-BXD Mouse Resource
• Chih-Chia Su, PhD, Case Western Reserve University, Calcium-Regulated Control of Alternative Pathway Initiation: A New Paradigm in Complement Biology
• Victor Tkachev, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital, The Gut-Leukemia Axis After Bone Marrow Transplantation
• Venee Tubman, MD, MMSc, Baylor College of Medicine, Mechanisms of B Lymphocyte Deficiency in Sickle Cell Disease
• Nan Zhu, PhD, J Craig Venter Institute, Targeting BAF Chromatin Remodeling Complex in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

ASH-Johnson & Johnson ARCH Recipients

• Heather Gustafson, PhD, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Mechanism-Based Prevention of CAR-T Neurotoxicity Through JAK2-Directed Immune Reprogramming
• Sophia Adamia, PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, The CD38 RNA Therapeutics: A Strategy to Reverse Antigen Escape in Relapsed Myeloma

ASH-Regeneron ARCH Recipient

• Linda Baughn, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Aging and Immune Senescence Drive Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma 

The expansion of ARCH was made possible thanks to the support of donations made to the ASH Foundation. ASH gratefully recognizes Johnson & Johnson for its support of the ASH-Johnson & Johnson ARCH recipients and Regeneron for its support of the ASH-Regeneron ARCH recipient.