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Carey Anders, MD, and William Kim, MD, were awarded grants from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

Dr. Anders received a 2012 Clinical Investigator Award and Dr. Kim received a continuation of his 2011 Clinical Investigator Award. Both are assistant professors of medicine and members of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Anders’ award is one of six made by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. She will receive a three-year $450,000 grant to support the development of her cancer research program.

Her work is focused on improving survival for women with breast cancer brain metastases. Her goals are to provide a novel therapy for women, who, at present, have few therapeutic options, while laying the foundation for future clinical trials incorporating biomarkers to enhance therapeutic response and survival for women with HER-2-positive breast cancer brain metastases. Dr. Anders will be mentored by Lisa Carey, MD, UNC Lineberger associate director for clinical research and Richardson and Marilyn Jacobs Preyer Distinguished Professor in Breast Cancer Research, and by Charles Perou, PhD, the May Goldman Shaw Distinguished Professor of Molecular Oncology.

Dr. Kim will receive an additional two years of funding totaling $300,000 to complete a promising avenue of research. His grant is made possible through the William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation, and Connie and Robert Lurie.

His work is focused on renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer that has poor prognosis when diagnosed at later stages. He will use the continuation grant to identify new drug combinations by applying novel proteomic technologies in collaboration with Dr. Gary Johnson with a goal of rapidly moving these findings to the clinical setting for improved treatment of renal cell carcinoma. Gary Johnson, PhD, is professor and chair of the department of pharmacology in the UNC School of Medicine.

Dr. Kim will be mentored by Norman Sharpless, MD, UNC Lineberger associate director for translational research and Wellcome Distinguished Professor in Cancer Research and Charles Perou, PhD, the May Goldman Shaw Distinguished Professor of Molecular Oncology.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation provides today’s best young scientists with funding to pursue innovative research. Eleven scientists supported by the Foundation have received the Nobel Prize, seven others have received National medals of Science, and 61 have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Since its founding in 1946, Damon Runyon has invested more than $245 million and funded more than 3,300 young scientists.