2021 Accelerator Grant Recipients

The Emory University Biological Discovery through Chemical Innovation (BDCI) initiative is pleased to announce the awardees of the 2021 BDCI Accelerator Grants. BDCI sits at a key intersection of biology, chemistry, and human health in both scientific discovery and training of new researchers. In addition to accelerating the development of the next generation of research tools, safe & effective drugs, and diagnostic agents, a major focus of BDCI is to build a research network at the interface between chemistry and human health at Emory. The Accelerator Grants aim to cultivate this network and catalyze innovative research by funding cross-disciplinary collaborations that align with the mission of the BDCI. This year’s proposals spanned three major units at Emory (ECAS, SOM, Winship Cancer Institute) and nine departments! The 2021 projects — along with their principal investigators, co-investigators and external partners — that received Accelerator Grants are:

“Targeting the MKK3-MYC oncogenic axis for therapeutic discovery”

Andrey Ivanov, PhD, (Pharmacology & Chemical Biology) and Yuhong Du, PhD (Emory Chemical Biology Discovery Center)

Synthesis and evaluation of metabolism-resistant imidazo-benzodiazopene analogues for treatment of pathological sleepiness"

Andrew Jenkins, PhD, (Anesthesiology and Pharmacology & Chemical Biology) and Thota Ganesh, PhD (Pharmacology and Chemical Biology)

"Targeting Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide signaling: a novel immune checkpoint pathway in exocrine pancreatic cancer"

Simon Blakey, PhD (Chemistry) and Edmund Wallter, MD/PhD/FACP, (Pathology, Hematology & Medical Oncology)

"Molecular imaging agents for monitoring sirtuin deacetylases in cells"

Monika Raj, PhD, (Chemistry) and David Yu, MD, PhD

"Development of a tool to profile cancer patients in response to immunotherapy"

Mark Goodman, PhD (Radiology & Imaging Sciences), Erik Dreaden, PhD, (Biomedical Engineering), and Nate Jui, PhD (Chemistry)

"Small molecule therapeutics for sickle cell anemia"

Wook Joon Chung, PhD, (Pediatrics) and Yuhong Du, PhD, (Emory Chemical Biology Discovery Center)