The UVM Cancer Center is proud to announce the recipients of its 2026 Pilot and Pre-Pilot Project Grants—philanthropy-driven funding opportunities that fuel groundbreaking cancer research and spark new ideas among our members. 

Pilot Project awardees will receive $50,000 to accelerate innovative studies with the potential for significant impact, while Pre-Pilot recipients will be granted $15,000 to ignite early-stage projects and lay the foundation for future discoveries. 

This year’s Pilot Project Grant awardees are:   

Chris Anker, M.D.  
Shorter radiation course duration via Simultaneous Integrated Boost with Lower Intensity elective Nodal dosing while Giving concurrent chemotherapy for anal squamous cell carcinoma – a Phase I Study (SSIBLING Study)  

Dr. Anker’s trial aims to determine the safety of a novel radiation treatment plan that is 33% shorter for patients with squamous cell anal cancer, dropping the treatment time from six to just four weeks. Writes Dr. Anker: “Standard treatment for anal cancer includes chemotherapy and radiation, but current methods may expose patients to more radiation than necessary, potentially increasing side effects. Recent evidence suggests that lower radiation doses to certain lymph node areas can still be effective, especially when modern techniques like intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) are used. The SSIBLING Study is testing a shorter, more targeted radiation approach that aims to maintain cancer control while reducing treatment time. In addition, the study will collect blood samples to explore how the immune system and biomarkers may influence treatment response and long-term outcomes.” The trial will also assess quality of life and caregiver burden, hypothesizing that toxicities will be comparable to published data while shorter therapy provides meaningful time and resource savings.   

Jonathan Boyson, PhD.  
Defining gamma delta T cell-mediated immune regulatory circuits in lung adenocarcinoma 

Dr. Boyson’s study focuses on lung cancer—the second most diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and in our catchment area. Writes Dr. Boyson: “While recently developed treatments that target our body’s own immune response to developing tumors have shown great promise, only a fraction of lung cancer patients respond well to these immunotherapies. Developing new effective therapies requires that we develop a thorough understanding of the numerous complex interactions and cross-talk that occurs among lung immune cells, normal and cancerous lung epithelial cells, and lung stromal cells. Here, we seek to map some of these tumor-immune regulatory “circuits” in a novel mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma and then use this model to understand how these circuits promote, or prevent, tumor development. This knowledge can then be used to better design and implement future immunotherapeutic strategies.”  

This year’s Pre-Pilot awardees are: 

Nimrat Chatterjee, PhD.  
Targeting REV1 to suppress colorectal cancer resistance 

Dr. Chatterjee will test the in vivo efficacy of REV1 inhibitors in xenograft models and patient-derived organoids (PDOrg) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Her team will conduct a mouse study using HCT116 CRC cells in nude immunocompromised NCRNU-F (nude) female mice aged 6 to 8 weeks. This cell line is a reliable model for CRC drug responsiveness and will help gather initial in vivo evidence in one model, providing a proven strategy for future studies. Additionally, Dr. Chatterjee’s team aims to capture human CRC biology and tumor behavior by using patient-derived organoids (PDOrg) from NCI, which have already been received and are being hosted at the UVM Cancer Center’s Translational Research Center.  

Ashley Volaric, M.D.  
Diagnostic Detection of Epstein-Barr Virus Involvement in Primary Large B-cell 

Dr. Volaric’s study looks at primary large B-cell lymphoma of the brain (PCNS-LBCL), a rare, aggressive cancer with limited treatment options. A very common virus, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) may play a bigger role in these tumors than currently recognized, but standard tests often miss it. This project will use new highly sensitive imaging tools to better detect EBV in brain lymphoma samples, which will improve diagnosis, patient care, and the development of new targeted therapies.