Translational Grants

Emily’s Entourage’s (EE) Translational Grant Program provides critical seed funding to innovative investigators with promising strategies that accelerate research and drug development for those in the final 10% of the CF community who do not benefit from CFTR modulators, including those with rare and nonsense mutations.

The objective of this initiative is to fund promising therapies and drug-delivery mechanisms that have the potential to accelerate the development of gene-based therapies for people with CF. Potential areas of interest include but are not limited to the following list.

• Nucleotide based therapies—Gene editing and nucleotide-based therapies—including CRISPR, base editing, TALENs, ZFNs, and RNA—offer promising strategies for permanent CFTR correction, with key focus areas on addressing rare CFTR mutations, minimizing bystander effects, identifying optimal airway cell targets, and advancing delivery technologies for DNA repair and full gene replacement.
• Viral and non-viral gene delivery technologies—With recent advances in encapsulation techniques, carrier particles, and nanoparticle modifications, EE is focusing funding on de-risking non-viral delivery platforms for genetic therapies and advancing novel viral vectors for gene delivery.
• Treatment and prevention of Staphylococcus aureus and other clinically important pathogens that present an unmet need in people with CF—Given the significant impact of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens on CF health outcomes, advancing therapies and vaccines targeting unmet needs—including MRSA, Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), and other critical CF pathogens—remains essential, with approaches involving novel antimicrobials, aerosol antibiotic formulations, new vaccination targets, and antifungals.
• Drug repurposing—Drug repurposing offers novel therapeutic potential for CF by identifying new uses for approved or investigational drugs beyond their original indications; a systems biology approach enables the identification of molecular features, such as disease-causing phenotypes shared with CF, that might otherwise remain undiscovered.
•  Promising early-stage research—Research and development of novel CF therapeutics has reached a pivotal stage, with numerous therapies entering or nearing clinical trials. EE is eager to fund early-stage research that addresses CFTR mutations with innovative, new approaches.

Support is available for $100,000 per year (plus 10% for indirect costs). Typically, funding will last for two years. Continuation of funding is contingent on progress, which is reported every six months. View contract terms and conditions here.

To date, EE has awarded 38 grants to researchers from numerous countries and helped to secure over $52.3 million dollars in follow-on funding. The research projects funded by EE have made significant progress in advancing therapeutic development with a number of projects currently advancing to the preclinical stage.

Applicant Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must have a faculty appointment at an academic institution; a PhD, MD, or DO; and a track record of publication and funding. There are no restrictions on citizenship or geography.

Deadline

Applications will be accepted beginning November 1, 2024, and are due by December 20, 2024, at 11:59 pm (ET).

Please review the 2024 grant application guidelines for complete submission requirements.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your interest in EE’s funding opportunities, please feel free to contact us below.