The goal of the Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research Awards is to support Krantz Center faculty in developing highly impactful cancer research projects. The Krantz Awards are expected to drive discovery, bolster cancer research across the institution, and produce a fundamental change in the understanding and treatment of cancer for patients around the world.

The Krantz Awards recognize varying degrees of progress and encourage collaboration across platforms. The number of awards within each category will be determined based on the quality, impact, and promise of individual projects.

Krantz Awards

Quantum Awards - Major initiative poised to have definitive impact on fundamental cancer research, diagnostics, or therapeutics.
Quantum Awards may provide up to $1 million per year for two years, with the possibility to extend to a third year upon review of progress. These awards fund projects that have established proof-of-principle based on promising initial findings, are appropriate for rapid expansion, and have the potential to transform our understanding and treatment of cancer.

Lab vials

Breakthrough Awards - Transformative project based on research findings poised for expansion and scale.
Breakthrough Awards may provide up to $500,000 per year for two years. These awards support new and innovative ideas to the point of proof-of-principle based on promising initial findings.

Spark Awards - Exploratory research with potential to yield major initiative.
Spark Awards may provide up to $100,000 per year for one year to test exciting new thought-provoking ideas to the point of proof-of-principle.

Krantz Awards Announcement Status

The Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research will issue a Request for Applications among its faculty biannually. The amount of funding distributed at each of these two cycles will be at the discretion of the Review Committee, reflecting the quality of applications. The Review Committee is comprised of senior leaders in the Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research with representation from clinical investigators in the Mass General Cancer Center. The funded projects will be presented annually to the Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research Scientific Advisory Board.

The proposal submission period for the 2023 Krantz Awards is now closed. The Krantz Awards review committee has started meeting and is thoughtfully evaluating all submissions. Due to the volume of outstanding proposals, the selection process will take some time. The review committee aims to send out a first round of notifications mid-fall 2023 and choose final award winners by late fall, with the potential to start funding in early winter.

Review Committee Members

Internal Review Committee
  • Daniel Haber, MD, PhD
    Director, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research
    Director, Mass General Cancer Center
    Kurt J. Isselbacher Professor of Oncology (Medicine)
    Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • Raul Mostoslavsky, PhD
    Scientific Director, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research
    Laurel Schwartz Professor of Oncology (Medicine)
    Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
  • Nir Hacohen, PhD
    Director, Center for Cancer Immunology, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research
    Director, Center for Cell Circuits, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT
    David P. Ryan Endowed Chair in Cancer Research
    Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
  • Andrea McClatchey, PhD
    Director for Academic Affairs, Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research
    Poitras Family Endowed Chair in Cancer Research
    Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
  • David Ryan, MD
    Clinical Director, Mass General Cancer Center
    Chief of Hematology-Oncology, Mass General Cancer Center
    Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
  • Rebecca Heist, MD, MPH
    Associate Director for Clinical Research, Mass General Cancer Center
    Lee Albright and Nile Albright, MD Endowed Chair in Clinical Cancer Research
    Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
  • Nicholas Dyson, PhD
    Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
  • Keith Flaherty, MD
    Director of Clinical Research, Mass General Cancer Center
    Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
External Scientific Advisory Board

External Advisory Board 2023

  • Dafna Bar-Sagi, PhD
    Saul J. Farber Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
    Senior Vice President and Vice Dean for Science
    NYU Langone Health
  • David E. Fisher, MD, PhD
    Chair, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital
    Director, Melanoma Program MGH Cancer Center
    Director, Cutaneous Biology Research Center, MGH
    Edward Wigglesworth Professor of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School
  • Robert E. Kingston, PhD
    Chief Academic Officer, Massachusetts General Hospital
    Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
  • David N. Louis, MD
    Associate Chief of Pathology for Research, Massachusetts General Hospital
    Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
    Atul K. Bhan, MBBS, MD, Endowed Chair in Experimental Pathology
  • M. Celeste Simon, PhD
    Scientific Director, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute
    Arthur H. Rubenstein, MBBCh Professor, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
    University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

External Advisory Board 2024

  • Robert E. Kingston, PhD
    Chief Academic Officer, Massachusetts General Hospital
    Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
  • David N. Louis, MD
    Associate Chief of Pathology for Research, Massachusetts General Hospital
    Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
    Atul K. Bhan, MBBS, MD, Endowed Chair in Experimental Pathology
  • David E. Fisher, MD, PhD
    Chair, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital
    Director, Melanoma Program MGH Cancer Center
    Director, Cutaneous Biology Research Center, MGH
    Edward Wigglesworth Professor of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School
  • M. Celeste Simon, PhD
    Scientific Director, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute
    Arthur H. Rubenstein, MBBCh Professor, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
    University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
  • Arlene Sharpe, MD, PhD
    Chair, Department of Immunology
    Kolokotrones University Professor, Harvard Medical School
  • Matt Vander Heiden, PhD
    Director, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
    Lester Wolfe Professor of Molecular Biology, MIT