Block Grant R43AI072802

Federal Project Grant Award Summary Hepatx Corporation received a $175,964 Project Grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847), awarded on May 13, 2025, with completion targeted for April 30, 2027. The company will develop and validate a proteomic blood test to monitor the success of transplanted hepatocytes in human patients. Using mass spectrometry methods to...

Federal Grant Award Summary Riboscience LLC received a $306,739 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) on September 12, 2025, with completion targeted for August 31, 2026. This award supports the development and evaluation of ENPP1 (ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase-phosphodiesterase 1) inhibitors as a novel therapeutic approach for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The research aims to identify the most effective ENPP1...

Federal Grant Award Summary Zeest Bio Inc. received a $400,000 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute under the Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research Program (CFDA 93.394) for development of a novel liver-specific positron emission tomography (PET) tracer. The award, initiated September 15, 2025, with an ultimate completion date of August 31, 2026, supports preclinical testing and Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies to advance the tracer toward first-in-human...

Federal Grant Award Summary Cloverleaf Bio, Inc. received a $399,966 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute under the Cancer Biology Research program (CFDA 93.396) on June 23, 2025, with completion targeted for May 31, 2026. The project focuses on developing engineered tRNA (transfer ribonucleic acid) inhibitors as a novel therapeutic approach for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant form of liver cancer. The company's lead candidate, CLB-001, is an engineered tRNA...

The National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 - Cancer Biology Research) awarded Loyola University of Chicago a $461,844 project grant titled "Hyperpolarized 13C Metabolic Imaging of Tumorigenesis in the Liver". The objective is to use novel hyperpolarized 13C probes to image glycolysis, a critical pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development, and establish in vivo imaging biomarkers to assess altered liver metabolism during HCC progression. The project aims to synthesize a...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.393 - Cancer Cause and Prevention Research) provides $426,425 to Baylor College of Medicine to conduct a pilot study examining the relationship between gut microbiome composition, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The key objectives of this 2-year study are to: 1) characterize baseline gut microbiome diversity associated with MASLD with and without HCC, 2)...

Federal Grant Award Summary ImCare Biotech, Inc. received a $364,763 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute under the Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research Program (CFDA 93.394) to develop and validate SerAvue AI, a novel multi-analyte algorithmic assay for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The award, issued June 20, 2025, with completion targeted for November 30, 2026, supports the development of a non-invasive blood-based diagnostic test combining ImCare's...

This $396,061 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) supports research to assess the efficacy of a novel class of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) inhibitors as a potential treatment for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The principal investigator has developed boron-based HIF inhibitors derived from the natural compound honokiol, which have demonstrated promising anti-angiogenic properties in vitro. This 2-year project aims to (1) determine...

Federal Grant Award Summary Seal Rock Therapeutics, Inc. received a $693,820 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847), effective September 15, 2025, through August 31, 2026. The award funds efficacy and mechanistic studies of SRT-015, a novel Apoptosis Signal-regulating Kinase 1 (ASK1) inhibitor, for the treatment of neonatal biliary atresia...

Federal Grant Award Summary Hbvtech, LLC received a $258,750 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded September 1, 2025, with completion expected August 31, 2026. The award supports the development of HBVZ10, a novel gene therapy candidate designed to cure chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. HBVZ10 utilizes an optimized adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (AAV8)...