Susan G. Komen Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Research Grant: Biological Underpinnings of IBC
Apply to Internal Competition // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1
Limited Language
This is a limited submission opportunity: each institution may nominate ONE applicant for this funding opportunity
Program Overview
At Susan G. Komen®, we are committed to saving lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities and investing in breakthrough research to conquer deadly and aggressive breast cancers. We are determined to change the unacceptable reality that each year about 43,000 people in the U.S. will die from breast cancer. As part of this goal, we are focused on improving the care and outcomes for people with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), a rare and highly aggressive form of breast cancer.
IBC is characterized by tumor cell emboli blocking the breast lymph vessels. This blockage causes inflammatory-like changes in the breast, including swelling and skin reddening. The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) guidelines define IBC by the rapid onset (less than 6 months) of erythema occupying at least 1/3 of the breast, edema, peau d’ orange (orange peel-like appearance) and/or warmth (with or without an underlying mass), and pathologic confirmation of invasive carcinoma. Although IBC has been recognized as a distinct form of breast cancer for over a century, its etiology and underlying biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Consequently, no validated, widely adopted IBC-specific biomarkers or targeted therapies exist, and current management is largely informed by evidence from non-IBC breast cancer. This limited understanding of IBC biology remains a significant barrier to the development of more precise diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, highlighting the need for research focused on the unique mechanisms driving the disease. Therefore, the goal of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Research Grant is to support innovative, hypothesis-driven research that advances our understanding of the biological underpinnings of IBC and opens new avenues of investigation into the disease.
To identify areas where investment could have the greatest impact, the Susan G. Komen-IBCRF IBC Collaborative, in partnership with the Milburn Foundation, convened the Biology of IBC Task Force, a group of IBC researchers and patient advocates. The Task Force identified three broad areas of scientific opportunity that require significant investigation to advance the field:
1. IBC onset and development, including studies focused on the tumor and host microenvironment, epigenetic and proteomic drivers of disease, host genetic factors and biological contributors to health disparities.
2. IBC metastatic dissemination, including mechanisms of cell migration and mobility, biological characteristics associated with therapeutic response and the role of tumor and host, epigenetic and proteomic factors in IBC disease progression.
3. IBC monitoring and detection, including approaches to detect minimal residual disease (MRD), improve prognostication, assess therapeutic response and advance theragnostic strategies.
Eligibility
Applicant/PIs and Institutions must conform to the following eligibility criteria to apply for an Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Grant. Grants will be awarded to a single Principal Investigator (PI). Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs) are not allowed. CoInvestigators are permitted.
Applicant/PI
- Must be nominated as the sole Applicant/PI from their institution by the Institution’s Office of Sponsored Programs, Grants Office, or equivalent. This is a limited submission opportunity, and the Applicant/PI cannot self-nominate.
- Must have a doctoral degree, such as M.D., Ph.D., D.Ph., D.O. or equivalent.
- Must hold a full-time faculty appointment or have a formal offer letter from the Institution that confirms position and start date by the Full Application due date (January 18, 2027), documented by the Applicant/PI Biosketch.
- May NOT be the PI of an active Komen Grant that includes specific aims or objectives focused on IBC at the Full Application due date (January 18, 2027).
- May NOT be the PI of two or more active Komen Grants at the Full Application due date (January 18, 2027)
- Must ensure that all past Komen-funded Grants are up to date and in compliance with all Komen requirements, e.g., progress and financial report submissions, IRB approvals, etc. by the Full Application due date (January 18, 2027), if applicable.
- Is not required to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- The institution-nominated Applicant/PI may submit only one Letter of Intent in response to this funding announcement.