Dallas-based Susan G. Komen, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, recently awarded $15.4 million in grants to breast cancer researchers on the journey to unlocking the cures for all breast cancers. Covering some of the most promising areas of research, the funded projects include the use of AI for better health outcomes and vaccines that could target the most aggressive and deadliest forms of breast cancer.

A total of 35 researchers representing 24 leading medical and research institutions in the U.S. received funding. Grants support both well-established researchers who have made significant contributions to the field and early-career investigators whose work reflects the future of scientific discovery and innovation in breast cancer research, Komen said.

Victoria Wolodzko Smart, SVP of mission at Susan G. Komen, said that at a time when federal funding for scientific research is increasingly limited and complicated, “Komen’s investment is helping sustain critical momentum in the search for breakthroughs.”

“Demand exceeds currently available government funding,” Smart added in a statement, “creating growing challenges for scientists—particularly early-career investigators—whose groundbreaking ideas often face the greatest barriers to securing support.”

Komen is the largest nonprofit funder of breast cancer research outside of the U.S. government, having invested more than $1.1 billion in research since its founding in 1982.

Finding more effective treatments

In addition to advancing research on AI and vaccine development, the grants will fund research on breast cancer in younger populations, the role of weight loss on breast cancer risk, and prevention and reducing disparities in breast cancer outcomes for all populations.

Many of today’s most important advances in breast cancer treatment began as bold, early-stage concepts, Komen noted. Continued investment in innovative science has helped detect breast cancers earlier, drive more effective treatments, and save more lives. By funding researchers at key points in their careers, Komen said it’s helping promising discoveries continue to move forward rather than being delayed or lost.

“The researchers receiving grants from Susan G. Komen are making lasting contributions to our understanding of breast cancer and bringing the innovation and technology that’s needed to this disease so that all patients can receive the best care possible and enjoy a high quality of life after a breast cancer diagnosis,” said Dr. Ann Partridge, chief scientific advisor for Komen.

Focusing on MBC and tailored treatments

Per Komen, 72% of funding is dedicated to metastatic breast cancer, the most advanced stage of breast cancer and the cause of nearly 43,000 deaths each year in the U.S. A total of 88% of the grants concentrate on precision medicine to customize treatment to each patient’s unique biology.

By investing in research for metastatic breast cancer, health inequities, and personalized treatment strategies to improve care and outcomes for everyone, Komen said it is working to help discover and deploy the solutions to today’s biggest challenges breast cancer patients encounter.

“The treatments we rely on today were once only a dream,” Jennifer A. Pietenpol, Ph.D., chief scientific advisor for Komen, said in a statement. “By continuing to invest in bold, promising ideas, and in the passionate researchers who pursue them, we have the potential to drive the next generation of lifesaving breakthroughs in breast cancer.”

2026 Recipients of Komen Grants

Here are Komen’s newly announced grantees:

Recipients of Career Catalyst Research Grants
Di Martino, Julie, PhD, New York Medical College
Li, Carman, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine
González Díaz, Eva, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Zhang, Anli, PhD, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern)
Sayaman, Rosalyn, PhD, The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco
Schrank, Benjamin, MD, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Recipients of Career Transition Awards
Ransohoff, Julia, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine
Peiffer, Daniel, MD, PhD, The University of Chicago
Karvonen, Hanna, PhD, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Recipients of Opportunity Grants
Wolff, Antonio, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Derksen, Patrick, PhD, University Medical Center Utrecht
Curtis, Christina, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine

Recipients of Leadership Grants
Polyak, Kornelia, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Pietenpol, Jennifer, PhD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Ramirez, Amelie, DrPH, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Krop, Ian, MD, PhD, Yale School of Medicine
Newman, Lisa, MD, MPH, Weill Cornell Medicine
Park, Ben Ho, MD, PhD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Troester, Melissa, PhD, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Curtis, Christina, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine
Tamimi, Rulla, ScD, MS, Weill Cornell Medicine
Pal, Tuya, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Jagsi, Reshma, MD, DPhil, Emory University
Kurian, Allison, MD, MSci, Stanford University School of Medicine
Ma, Cynthia, MD, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
Tolaney, Sara, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
McDonnell, Donald, PhD, Duke University
Domchek, Susan, MD, University of Pennsylvania
Coussens, Lisa, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University
Lin, Nancy, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Battaglia, Tracy, MD, MPH, Yale University
Shah, Sohrab, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Chavez MacGregor, Mariana, MD, MSc, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Recipients of Scientific Strategy and Programs Grants
Quinn, Kate, CFRE, American Society of Clinical Oncology
Mukhtar, Rita, MD, The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco
Welm, Alana, PhD, Metastasis Research Society

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