Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the second most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, affecting over a million people globally, with more than 130,000 new diagnoses globally each year. While often slow-growing, FL presents significant clinical challenges. Right now, there are no validated biomarkers that reliably predict who will experience disease progression or transformation to an aggressive form, leaving patients and doctors with limited guidance for treatment decisions. This uncertainty leads to under- and over-treatment and missed opportunities for early intervention.
To address this urgent need, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research and the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation have joined forces to co-fund two new ASPIRE Awards focused on developing more personalized treatment strategies for FL. These awards will support research teams applying innovative technological approaches, such as spatial transcriptomics, to studying follicular lymphoma.
While the two research teams receiving these ASPIRE Awards have distinct areas of expertise, platforms, and goals, they will work collaboratively, leveraging the latest advances in tools and technology to study the lymphoma microenvironment and to develop biomarkers that predict disease progression and guide therapy selection. Each team will receive $350,000 over two years, with grant administration provided by The Mark Foundation.
This initiative is a critical step toward developing more personalized treatment strategies for FL patients. By funding cutting-edge research in biomarker discovery, the foundations hope to improve the identification of high-risk patients earlier, help improve treatment selection to avoid unnecessary therapies, and work towards developing precision medicine strategies to improve long-term outcomes. The development of biomarker understanding in FL could enable early interventions during relapse, even before clinical symptoms present, potentially shifting towards a preventative approach and accelerating progress toward a future where every FL patient receives the right treatment at the right time.
“Our mission is to find a cure for follicular lymphoma, and quickly,” said Mitchell Smith, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation. “The FLF identified the unmet need to develop better biomarkers to predict disease progression and transformation, which are critical concerns for patients. We are delighted to collaborate with The Mark Foundation to identify and support high-quality research projects that will directly address this need.”
The Mark Foundation’s ASPIRE program offers investigators the flexibility to pursue innovative approaches to solve high-impact problems in cancer research, making it an ideal platform for this effort.
“To advance our understanding and treatment of follicular lymphoma, we need to speed the translation of research from the lab to the clinic,” said Ryan Schoenfeld, PhD, CEO of The Mark Foundation. “That requires collaboration between researchers as well as the foundations that support them. We are thrilled to partner with the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation to support these two exceptional research teams and look forward to the results.”
The ASPIRE Award Recipients:
Michael Green, PhD, and Christopher Flowers, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Comprehensive Cellular and Spatial Characterization of the Follicular Lymphoma Microenvironment and Its Association with Clinical Outcomes
This study aims to explore the complex environment around follicular lymphoma (FL) tumors (tumor microenvironment) to better understand how different cells interact and impact the disease. By analyzing 453 FL tumors using advanced spatial transcriptomics, the team will examine how immune and non-immune cells are organized and how their patterns relate to clinical outcomes, such as relapse or transformation. The study will identify key cell interactions that may predict prognosis and uncover potential targets for new treatments. With improved technology and a large patient cohort, the research aims to create better biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for FL.
Rong Fan, PhD, Mina Xu, MD, and Coraline Mlynarczyk, PhD, Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science
Enabling Spatial Biomarker Discovery for Predicting Follicular Lymphoma Progression, Transformation, and Therapeutic Response
This study focuses on understanding how follicular lymphoma (FL) progresses and transforms into more aggressive forms by looking at how cancer cells evolve and interact with their environment. The project aims to use innovative technologies (advanced spatial omics) to map the genetic changes and microenvironment of FL tumors, both at diagnosis and after treatment. By analyzing tissue samples from FL patients, including those before and after treatment, the study hopes to identify key biomarkers that can predict disease progression, transformation, and treatment responses. The findings could lead to better-targeted therapies and improved treatment strategies for FL patients.
ABOUT THE MARK FOUNDATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH ASPIRE AWARD PROGRAM
The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research’s ASPIRE Awards enable innovative approaches to solving high-impact problems in cancer research that tend to fall outside the scope of other funding opportunities. These awards support high-risk, high-reward projects with research plans designed to answer key feasibility and proof-of-concept questions in an accelerated timeframe, typically one year. Projects that successfully demonstrate feasibility may be selected to apply for additional funding in a second phase to further develop their innovative concepts and increase the speed to impact for cancer patients.
ASPIRE Awards supports a broad spectrum of projects from bench to bedside, with special consideration given to previously unaddressed questions and challenging concepts. Since 2018, The Mark Foundation has provided over $48 million in funding to support 118 ASPIRE awards across 62 institutions in 12 countries. Learn more.
ABOUT THE MARK FOUNDATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH
The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, a charitable organization based in New York City, actively partners with scientists worldwide to accelerate research that will transform cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Since 2017, The Mark Foundation has awarded over $250 million in grants to investigators at more than 100 academic institutions across 16 countries, with research programs focusing on early career support, team science collaboration, new technology innovation, and therapeutics discovery. Additionally, The Mark Foundation maintains a growing portfolio of investments in early-stage cancer diagnostics and therapeutics companies, including several that have transitioned from grantee projects into commercial development. To learn more, please visit www.themarkfoundation.org.
ABOUT THE FOLLICULAR LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION
The Follicular Lymphoma Foundation (FLF) is on a global mission to cure follicular lymphoma (FL). With patients at the heart of everything they do, FLF funds groundbreaking research and drives innovation in FL treatment to improve the lives of over a million people affected by this disease.
Founded in 2019 by Nicola Mendelsohn OBE, the FLF was born from a deep understanding of the patient experience and the urgent need for FL-specific research. Working closely with patients, clinicians, and researchers worldwide, FLF ensures that cutting-edge science translates into real solutions for those living with FL.
For further information, visit www.theflf.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.