ASH Bridge Grant Expansion Funds 25 Promising Biomedical Research Projects

ASH expanded eligibility for the Bridge Grant earlier this year in response to disruptions to NIH study sections and committed an additional $9 million across ASH’s award funding, adding to the already budgeted more than $12 million in funding for all career stages as part of the Society’s multifaceted initiative to protect hematology research and the care of patients, as well as secure the pipeline of future hematologists. ASH continues to advocate for adequate funding for the NIH as part of its broad #Fight4Hematology campaign.

The ASH Bridge Grant has funded 206 research projects, committing nearly $28 million in awards, since its launch. These projects have advanced the understanding of blood disorders across hematology, including improving therapy for pediatric leukemia, advancing immunotherapy techniques, and measuring the impact of sickle cell disease on cognitive function.

A recent analysis of the program found that nearly 60% of Bridge Grant awardees receive subsequent NIH funding, which is more than double the national average success rate of resubmission funding. As of June 2025, previous awardees have received around $680 million from NIH in the years since receiving funding from ASH through the Bridge Grant.

ASH is launching the new Award for Research Careers in Hematology (ARCH). This new award will be a part of ASH’s increased investment and will build upon the recent changes to the Bridge Grant to expand eligibility. Updates on this and other ASH Awards will be posted on the ASH website.

This year’s awardees include:

• Janis Abkowitz, MD, University of Washington, Contributions of aberrant heme-iron trafficking to MDS anemia
• Joseph Aslan, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University, Pathway maps of platelet phenotype and function
• Leslie Crews, PhD, The Regents of the University of California, San Diego, Core molecular regulators of lipid homeostasis in hematopoietic progenitor cell aging
• Agnieszka Czechowicz, MD, Stanford University, Understanding HSC protection in bone marrow conditioning
• David Dominguez-Sola, MD, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Discovery of a metabolic escape program advancing targeted therapeutics in Burkitt lymphoma
• Michael Elliott, PhD, University of South Alabama, Cytotoxic capacity of antibody-mediated phagocytosis
• Steven Josefowicz, PhD, Weill Cornell Medical Center, Central innate immune memory in BCG induced tumor immunity: mechanisms and predictors of patient response
• Peter Klein, MD, PhD, Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, Targeting mitophagy through PINK1 splicing in MDS
• Ying Liang, MD, PhD, New York Blood Center Enterprises, Sex dimorphism in bone marrow niche and its effect on hematopoietic transplantation
• Peisong Ma, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University, GRK5 regulation of GPCR signaling in platelets
• Punam Malik, MD, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Role of Fetal Hemoglobin in Hemoglobin-SC form of Sickle Cell Disease
• Steven McKenzie, MD, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University, Inflammasome in HIT
• Bethany Mundy-Bosse, PhD, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The impact of TET2 dysfunction on immune surveillance and the development of myeloid disorder
• Marvin Nieman, PhD, Case Western Reserve University, The role of protease activated receptors on platelets
• Trista North, PhD, Boston Children's Hospital, Biomechanical activation of YAP induces hematopoietic stem cell production
• Sarah O'Brien, MD, MSc, Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Mobile app technology for identification of abnormal uterine bleeding in early adolescents
• Hideyuki Oguro, PhD, University of Connecticut, The role of estrogen receptor signaling in clonal hematopoiesis
• Vikram Paralkar, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, Regulation of RNA Polymerase I by myeloid transcription factor CEBPA
• Seema Patel, PhD, Emory University, Dissecting the germinal center and extrafollicular B cell response to FVIII
• Joel Pomerantz, PhD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Mechanisms of control of lymphocyte activation and proliferation by a critical signaling integrator
• Neil Shah, MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, Defining mechanisms of on-target in vitro and clinical resistance to the first highly active allosteric kinase inhibitor
• Aristotelis Tsirigos, PhD, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Identify and target epigenetic clones in acute leukemia using combined in silico and in vivo approaches
• Edmund Waller, MD, PhD, Emory University, Protective role of indoles derived from the commensal microbiota in GvHD
• Marcin Wlodarski, MD, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Deciphering the mechanisms of SAMD9L mutations in bone marrow failure
• Feng-Chun Yang, MD, PhD, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, The molecular mechanisms underlying PHF6-mutation-mediated hematologic malignancies 

 

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The American Society of Hematology (ASH) (hematology.org) is the world’s largest professional society of hematologists dedicated to furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting the blood. Since 1958, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. Join the #Fight4Hematology by visiting hematology.org/fight4hematology.

The ASH Foundation (hematology.org/foundation) supports progress in hematology through charitable funding for research, career development, education, and quality care. Every donation directly supports ASH-sponsored programs, including the #Fight4Hematology.

Contact:
Claire Whetzel, 202-629-5085
[email protected]