Drug Discovery Award

Program Overview

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research is dedicated to accelerating exciting academic discoveries into new therapies and platforms that will substantially improve outcomes for cancer patients. Currently, there are few options for academic scientists to obtain the resources and know-how to advance drug discovery efforts for promising new cancer targets.

To stem this gap, The Mark Foundation has established the Drug Discovery Award program. Through this program, The Mark Foundation aligns with investigators working to discover and progress a new therapeutic agent into preclinical development, providing not only resources to support post-target validation through early lead development but also the expertise of seasoned biopharma R&D scientists who will advise on activities on the critical path to developing a new therapeutic agent.

2024 Call for Proposals

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research is now accepting applications to our Drug Discovery Award program.

The application process begins with a concept letter stage consisting of a 2-page description of the project. The concept letter submission portal opens on September 18, 2024, and letters are due by November 11, 2024. Invitations for full applications will be issued in January 2025.

Potential applicants are invited to register for an optional webinar on October 10, 2024, at 10 a.m. EDT. A recording of the webinar will be posted to this page for those unable to attend.

Award Details

  • Applicants may request funding to support a total budget of up to $1,000,000 for a period of 12-36 months.
  • The budget limit includes both direct and indirect costs, with indirect costs not to exceed 10% of the direct costs.
  • The budget and duration requested for the grant must match a realistic estimate of the cost and timeline for the proposed work.
  • The proposed work must carry the project forward to a well-defined milestone/value inflection point (e.g., identification of a potent and selective lead or demonstration of in vivo efficacy)
  • Some or all of the proposed work may be carried out at approved contract research organizations (CROs)

Eligibility

  • Letters of intent will be accepted from non-profit research institutions only; for-profit companies are not eligible to apply. The award is open to institutions worldwide.
  • Principal investigators must hold an MD, PhD, or equivalent and be independent researchers at their respective institutions.
  • Individuals are limited to one application as principal investigator but may be co-investigators on other proposals without limitation.
  • Eligible therapeutic modalities:
    • Large molecules / biologics
    • Small molecules (including heterobifunctionals)
    • Peptides
    • Conjugates (ADC, radioconjugates)
    • Nucleic acids (ASO, RNA)
  • Eligible project stages:
    • Lead discovery – generate and credential new leads against a validated target
    • Optimization – assess and enhance efficacy, safety, and DMPK of existing leads
  • The following project topics are ineligible for this award:
    • Drug delivery technologies or optimizations
    • Drug repurposing
    • Preclinical development (IND-enabling studies)
    • Cell therapies, gene therapies, viral therapies, and vaccines

Program Administration

  • Proposals invited to submit a full application will receive feedback from Mark Foundation staff and advisors to help applicants shape their scientific plan and create clear milestones.
  • Funded investigators and project teams will have access to drug discovery experts as project consultants, which may include cancer biologists, assay development scientists, medicinal chemists, biologics experts, DMPK specialists, etc., as the project needs dictate.
  • Funded teams will meet regularly with Mark Foundation staff, advisors, and project consultants to advance the deliverables, discuss progress, and make key decisions on next steps.
  • If work at CROs is a component of the plan, project consultants may be assigned to oversee that work to help manage the efforts and keep alignment with project objectives.

Project Concept Letter Guidelines

The Project Concept Letter can be a maximum of 2 pages, including any figures or tables. References may be included on an additional page. The Project Concept Letter must be submitted as a PDF file and contain the following information with headings:

  • Project title
  • Target description and validation summary
  • Lead identification summary (for Lead Optimization projects only)
  • Brief description of competitive landscape
  • Synopsis of research plan
  • Problem statement describing unmet clinical need for cancer patients and impact opportunity

Full applications will be accepted by invitation only, after review of Project Concept Letters. Additional guidelines will be provided to invited applicants. Revenue-sharing terms will apply. Details will be shared upon approval of the project for funding.

Key Dates

September 18, 2024………………………………….Letter of intent portal opens

October 10, 2024…………………………………. Optional webinar

November 11, 2024………………………………. Letter of intent submission deadline

January 2025………………………………………. Invitations for full applications

July 2025……………………………………………. Anticipated award start date

We are now accepting letters of intent for the Drug Discovery program. Click here to learn more.

EXPLORE DRUG DISCOVERY AWARD

01 02