The LAM Foundation Grant Program

In-cycle grant opportunity information

Letter of Intent

The first step in the process of a grant application to The LAM Foundation is to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI). The submission of an LOI is required for each grant category.

    • Application timeline for in-cycle grants:  Download timeline
    • Applicants must create a profile and be logged in to ProposalCentral to access The LAM Foundation’s LOI Form. To aid applicants in navigating our online grant system, we offer a step-by-step tutorial.  Download Tutorial

Click to access grant website:  Visit ProposalCentral

Technical issues regarding ProposalCentral and the online application process should be directed to their customer support during normal business hours:
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM Eastern Time (Monday through Friday)
By phone (toll-free): 800 875 2562 (Toll-free U.S. and Canada)
or +1 703 964 5840 (Direct Dial International)
By e-mail: pcsupport@altum.com

Grant Application

If your LOI is approved, The LAM Foundation will invite you to submit a full grant application. Click the following link for information and instructions regarding the submission of a grant application. Download “how to create an application”

For information about The LAM Foundation’s in-cycle grant application process or requirements, please contact:
Jenny Jostworth
Finance Director
finance@thelamfoundation.org

In-Cycle Research Grant Categories

Pilot and Feasibility Grant

    • Funding Level: Maximum of $50,000 may be requested.*
    • Period: Up to 1 year of support is available.

The objective of this grant is to provide funds to encourage the development and testing of new hypotheses and/or new methods in research areas relevant to LAM. The proposed work must be hypothesis generating or hypothesis testing, reflecting innovative approaches to important questions in LAM research or development of novel methods, and providing sufficient preliminary data to justify the Foundation’s support. Results from Pilot and Feasibility Grants should lead to the submission of applications for funding from other agencies (e.g., NIH). The award is not intended to support the continuation of programs begun under other granting mechanisms.

Francis X. McCormack, MD, Career Development Award

    • Funding Level: A maximum of $60,000 per year may be requested.*
    • Period: Up to 3 years of support is available. Any funds remaining at the end of each year must be returned to the Foundation unless outlined in your originally submitted project budget or given prior approval. Payments for years two and three are contingent upon the availability of research funds, submission of respective progress reports, and report of expenditures satisfactory to the The LAM Foundation grant’s office.

In 2021, The LAM Foundation (The LAM Foundation) Board of Directors renamed the Career Development Award to honor Dr. Francis X. McCormack’s legacy. Dr. McCormack was the founding scientific director of The LAM Foundation and tirelessly served the LAM community in this role for 25 years. Dr. McCormack was the leading architect behind multiple transformative advancements in LAM, including, but not limited to, the development of a blood-based biomarker for disease diagnosis, FDA-approved treatment, and clinical practice guidelines. A key feature of Dr. McCormack’s professional life included the selfless promotion of young investigators to empower them in their career pursuits. Dr. McCormack’s dedication to the LAM community and the principle of keeping the LAM patients at the front and center of every decision has served as an inspiration for numerous investigators . The intent of this award is to develop future principal investigators who focus their time and energy advancing the field of LAM. It is our hope that the recipients of this award will help us carry Dr. McCormack’s legacy forward by exhibiting a life-long dedication towards LAM research.

This grant aims to provide support for both postdoctoral research fellows and investigators with less than five years in a faculty position who intend to pursue a career in LAM research. Applicants must indicate a commitment to LAM-related research by focusing 50% of their time on LAM in research or clinical practice. More than 50% of the funds must be used for the PI’s salary support. The balance of the funds may be used for fringe benefits, supplies, or animal costs. No overhead or indirect costs are provided.

To be eligible for the FXM CDA Grant, an applicant must:

    • Hold an M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent degrees
    • Be qualified to conduct a program of original research under the supervision of an Independent Investigator
    • Have an acceptable research plan for LAM
    • Have access to institutional resources necessary to conduct the proposed research project
    • Be no more than 120 months (10 years) from receiving their terminal research degree or end of post-graduate clinical training
    • Not have been funded under a The LAM Foundation Career Development Grant in the past

An applicant may resubmit their original application with revisions up to two (2) times. However, an applicant who is resubmitting an application may be no more than 120 months (10 years) from receiving their terminal research degree or end of post-graduate clinical training.

Established Investigator Research Grant

    • Funding Level: A maximum of $150,000 total.*
    • Period: Up to 3 years. This award may be condensed to two years should the investigator request it. Any funds remaining at the end of each year must be returned to the Foundation unless outlined in your originally submitted project budget or given prior approval.

This grant aims to provide funds to faculty-level investigators for technician support and supplies to encourage the development of new information that contributes to the understanding of the basic biology of LAM expression, and the pathogenesis/management of LAM. In addition, consideration will be given to those projects that provide insight into the development of information that may contribute to new therapies for LAM. All proposals must be hypothesis generating or hypothesis testing and provide sufficient preliminary data to justify The LAM Foundation’s support.

*The LAM Foundation’s ability to award grants is subject to available funding.

Out-of-Cycle Grant Opportunities

Bridge Funding

The LAM Foundation (TLF) considers proposals for bridge funding on a case-by-case basis. This is an out-of-cycle funding mechanism, and we anticipate that its use will be limited to special circumstances and will require adequate justification for the need of funding.

The primary purpose for bridge funding is to provide short-term bridge or “gap” funding for LAM researchers who have had previous federal or TLF funding and have an active LAM-focused research program/laboratory that faces uncertain funding for a limited time period. This opportunity is targeted towards Principal Investigators (PIs) that have an external grant under review and will exhaust current funding prior to the Notice of Award, requiring funds to sustain their program/laboratory, or have a previously submitted grant being prepared for resubmission but need funding to execute experiments or retain personnel during a funding gap.

Awards up to $75,000* in increments of $25,000 for a maximum period of one year will be considered for this mechanism. Funds cannot be used for PI salaries or travel and must be spent within one year. PIs who have received bridge funding within the past five fiscal years are not eligible to apply. Applications that satisfy these criteria will be reviewed for scientific merit by a panel comprised of at least three members of the TLF Scientific Advisory Board.

For more information about bridge funding and prior to submitting an application, please contact The LAM Foundation at research@thelamfoundation.org.

*The LAM Foundation’s ability to award grants is subject to available funding.

Prior Year Award Recipients

2023

    •  Kathryn Wikenheiser-Brokamp, MD, PhD, — Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
      Established Investigator Award
      Identifying Cell-Cell Signaling Driving Pulmonary LAM Pathogenesis Using Spatial Omics Strategies 

2022

    • Carmen Priolo, MD, PhD — Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
      Established Investigator Award
      Role of Lipid Homeostasis in LAM Progression
    • Chung-Wai Chow, MD, PhD, FRCPC — University of Toronto – University Health Network (UHN), Toronto, Canada
      Pilot Award
      Respiratory Oscillometry for Lung Function Monitoring in LAM
    • Sang-Oh Yoon, PhD — University of Illinois, Chicago
      Pilot Award
      Targeting Proteostasis Systems in LAM
    • Debbie Clements, PhD — University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
      Seed Grant
      Extracellular Matrix Drives Disease Progression and Rapamycin Insensitivity in LAM

2021

    • Minzhe Guo, PhD — Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
      Francis X. McCormack Career Development Award
      An Information Retrieval System for Multiomics Data Integration and LAM Biomarker Discovery
    • Issam Ben-Sahra, PhD — Northwestern University, Chicago
      Established Investigator Award
      The TSC-mTORC1 Network Controls Bicarbonate Uptake to Support Cell Growth
    • Yan Tang, PhD — Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
      Established Investigator Award
      Nanomedicine for Eliminating Rapamycin Tolerant Persister Cells
    • Rhonda Szczesniak, PhD — Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
      Pilot Grant
      Monitoring Risk of Rapid Lung Function Decline: The LAM Prediction (LAMP) Early Translation Study
    • Amy (Firth) Ryan, PhD — University of Iowa, Iowa City
      Seed Grant
      Interaction of Lymphatic Endothelial and LAM Cells Driving Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Pathogenesis
    • Yan Xu, PhD — Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
      Out-of-Cycle Award
      LAM Cell Atlas (LCA): An Intuitive Web Portal for Integrative Analysis and Visualization of LAM Single Cell Multiomics Data

2020

    • Simon Johnson, DM — University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
      Pilot Award
      Using Artificial Intelligence to Predict Need for Therapy in LAM
    • Katharina Maisel, PhD — University of Maryland, College Park
      Career Development Award
      Targeting Immune Suppression in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Using Adjuvant Immunotherapy
    • Heng Jia Liu, PhD — Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
      Career Development Award
      Targeting the Immune Checkpoint Molecule B7-H3 in the Therapy of LAM

University of Pennsylvania Million Dollar Bike Ride

Since 2014, Penn Medicine Orphan Disease Center (ODC) has hosted the Million Dollar Bike Ride. The Million Dollar Bike Ride brings over 600 cyclists and volunteers to Penn’s campus to ride either 12, 33, or 73 miles starting in the city and ranging across the Greater Philadelphia region. All funds raised by Disease Teams through pledges are used by the ODC to expand the scope and depth of the pilot grant program. After the event, a Request for Application (RFA) is distributed to the international scientific community requesting pilot grant applications to study diseases for which designated money has been raised.

The ODC also procures philanthropic and corporate donations that are used to match dollar‐for‐dollar money raised by cycling participants for their particular diseases.

The LAM Foundation Easy Breathers Cycling Team, led by LAM patients and families, has been a staple of the Million Dollar Bike Ride since its inception. The Easy Breathers, UPenn, and The LAM Foundation have raised and awarded more than $880,000 to some of our most dedicated and recognized LAM scientists. Collaborations like the MDBR are how patients and families move scientific progress forward – these projects would have otherwise gone unfunded.

Previous Awards

2023
Yan Tang, PhD — Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
Targeting immunosuppression in LAM

2022
Katharina Maisel, PhD — University of Maryland, College Park
Exploring adjuvant immunotherapy to treat lymphangioleiomyomatosis

2021
Yan Tang, PhD — Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
Identify genetic regulatory circuitry driving the development of rapamycin tolerance

2020
Elizabeth Henske, MD — Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
Role of CTHRC1 in the Pathogenesis and Therapy of LAM

Other Funding Mechanisms Relevant for LAM Investigators

TSC ALLIANCE

The TSC Alliance is dedicated to finding a cure for tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) while improving the lives of those affected. We invest in early-career researchers to drive innovative TSC research and to foster a diverse group of researchers dedicated to our shared mission. In 2023, we anticipate awarding three or four awards to postdoctoral fellows and early-stage investigators depending on merit, requested budgets, and funds available.

TUBEROUS SCLEROSIS COMPLEX RESEARCH PROGRAM (TSCRP)

The TSCRP supports innovative and high-impact research that promotes discoveries in TSC, from mechanistic insights to clinical application across all ages, by fostering new ideas and investigators for the benefit of Service members, their beneficiaries, and the American public.

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