The prestigious Gates Grubstake Award is designed to accelerate the most promising projects with strong potential for clinical impact and commercial translation. Now, in its 11th year, the Grubstake Fund continues to support transformative science, helping CU Anschutz investigators overcome critical translational gaps and move their discoveries towards patient impact.
“The goal of the Grubstake Fund is to invest in our faculty’s boldest ideas and help them move discoveries out of the lab and into clinical development,” says Terry Fry, MD, executive director of the Gates Institute. “We are continually inspired by the ingenuity and impact of these projects, and proud to support their advancement.”
The latest awardees reflect the institute’s commitment to innovative research with the potential to redefine therapeutic approaches across a wide range of diseases.
2024 Grubstake Fund Awardees
Ram Nagaraj, PhD
Gene Therapy for Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains a leading cause of global blindness, primarily due to vascular damage and blood-retinal barrier breakdown. Ram Nagaraj, PhD, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, has identified a gene capable of preserving retinal endothelial cell function. His intravitreal single-dose gene therapy aims to prevent vision loss by directly targeting capillary cell death. Grubstake funding will allow optimization of the therapeutic and IND-enabling studies to support its translation to clinical trials.
Mike Verneris, MD, and Traci Lyons, PhD
Sema7a-Targeted CAR T Cells for Women’s Cancer
Breast and ovarian cancers remain challenging to treat, particularly in relapsed settings. Traci Lyons, PhD, associate professor of medical oncology, and her team identified Sema7a, a protein associated with immune suppression and treatment resistance, as a key therapeutic target. Collaborating with Michael Verneris, MD, professor of pediatrics, they developed CAR T cells targeting Sema7a, showing superior efficacy in preclinical models. The Grubstake award will support construct optimization and IND-enabling safety studies for this novel CAR T-cell therapy.
Zhirui Wang, PhD
CCR4 Immunotoxin for Breast Cancer Immunotherapy via Treg Depletion
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a highly aggressive subtype of breast cancer, often evades immune therapies due to infiltration by CCR4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). Zhirui Wang, PhD, professor of surgery at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, has developed a novel diphtheria-based immunotoxin that selectively depletes these Tregs, thereby enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapies. Grubstake support will fund key preclinical efficacy studies and preparation for a National Cancer Institute STTR Fast Track submission.
Christian Young, PhD
First-in-Class Topical Biologic for Atopic Dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis affects millions and currently lacks durable, safe therapies. Christian Young, PhD, assistant professor of pathology, has engineered Tat-PYC-Smad7, a novel cell-penetrating protein therapeutic that targets inflammation and accelerates epithelial repair. The Grubstake Award will fund veterinary clinical trials to demonstrate efficacy and inform dosing for future human trials.
Yuwen Zhu, PhD
Humanized GPR182-Blocking Antibody for Immunotherapy
While immunotherapies have revolutionized cancer treatment, many patients still experience poor responses due to immunosuppressive tumor environments. Yuwen Zhu, PhD, associate professor of surgery, is developing a monoclonal antibody that blocks GPR182, a key suppressive receptor, enhancing T cell infiltration into tumors. Funding from the Grubstake Award will support antibody characterization, safety studies, and steps toward IND application.
To learn more about the Gates Institute and its mission to bring curative therapies to patients through innovation, collaboration, and clinical translation, visit gates.cuanschutz.edu.
