2023 NCI Director’s Intramural Innovation Awards
, by Maura Kate Costello, M.A.
Payal Khincha, Zhiwei Liu, Yingxi Chen, Yukiko Yano, Joshua Freeman, Cameron Haas, Richard Remigio, Akemi Wijayabahu
The NCI Director’s Intramural Innovation Award Program is designed to support development of highly innovative approaches and technology aimed at significant cancer–related problems. Winning proposals showed potential for significant scientific or public health impact, as well as approach, innovation, and programmatic relevance to the mission of the Division. Recipients will use their awards in fiscal year 2023.
Principal Investigator Award Winners
Payal Khincha, M.B.B.S., M.S.H.S. - “Novel strategies for multi-cancer early detection using a cell-free DNA assay in individuals with Li-Fraumeni syndrome”
Zhiwei Liu, Ph.D. - “Characterization of functional antibody responses to Epstein-Barr virus among individuals who develop nasopharyngeal carcinoma”
Career Development Award Winners
Yingxi Chen, M.D., Ph.D. and Yukiko Yano, Ph.D., M.P.H. - “A Mendelian Randomization study of alcohol intake and health effects in the PLCO study”
Joshua Freeman, Ph.D., M.P.H. and Jennifer Zink, Ph.D. - “Evaluation of actigraphy-measured sleep characteristics among racial and ethnic subgroups in NHANES”
Cameron Haas, Ph.D., M.P.H. - “Reliability and validity of health-related quality of life measures and sexual functioning in sexual and gender minority adults with and without cancer”
Richard Remigio, Ph.D., M.S., M.Phil. - “Characterizing extreme weather impacts and mortality in the Agricultural Health Study”
Akemi Wijayabahu, Ph.D., M.S. - “Investigating overall and race-specific differences in telomere length distribution and mean telomere length between normal, endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN), and endometrial cancer tissue”