Career Enhancement Program

The Career Enhancement Program (CEP) for the Kidney Cancer SPORE is made up investigators assembled in the DF/HCC SPORE in Kidney Cancer have a substantial record in mentorship and development of junior faculty working in the kidney cancer field. The goal of the Career Development Program (CDP) of our SPORE is to build upon this record and continue a formal process for the identification, selection, funding and mentoring of individuals pursuing careers in the study of the basic, translational and clinical aspects of kidney cancer

Specific AIMS:

The Career Development Program (CEP) of the Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center Kidney Cancer SPORE has been very successful at developing the next generation of translational researchers in kidney cancer over the last 10 years. It will continue to accomplish this goal by:

  • Soliciting applications for CEP awards
  • Selecting Awardees
  • Mentoring the recipients of CEP awards
  • Monitoring the progress of CEP awardees careers
  • Evaluating the success of the CEP on an ongoing basis

Awarded in 2020


Evaluating Endogenous Retrovirus as Antigenic Targets of CD8+ T Cells in RCC

Investigator: D. Braun (DFCI)

Clinical Characterization of Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (Kim-1) as a Biomarker in Renal Cell Carcinoma 

Investigator:  W. Xu (BIDMC)

Awarded in 2019


Evaluating Endogenous Retrovirus as Antigenic Targets of CD8+ T Cells in RCC

Investigator: D. Braun (DFCI)

CliniCal Characterization of Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (Kim-1) as a Biomarker in Renal Cell Carcinoma 

Investigator:  W. Xu (BIDMC)

Awarded in 2018


Is Vista an Actionable lmmune Checkpoint Target in Kidney Cancer?

Investigator: K. Mahoney (BIDMC)

Detecting and Targeting Mitochondrial Vulnerabilities in Kidney Cancer 

Investigator:  R.Gopal (MGH)

Awarded in 2017


LAT1 and GLS1 Inhibitors for Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Investigator: D. Christodoulou (MGH)

Vista an Actionable Immune Checkpoint Target in Kidney Cancer 

Investigator:  K. Mahoney (BIDMC)

Awarded in 2015


Dysregulated Chromatin Modifications Yield Novel Targets in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinomas

Investigator: A. Chakraborty (DFCI)

Elucidating Mechanisms Driving Renal Medullary Carcinomas to Deliver a Rational Approach to Cancer Directed Therapy 

Investigator:  A. Hong (DFCI)

Awarded in 2013


Validation of YAP as a Therapeutic Target in RCC

Investigator: Chungling Yi, PhD (Georgetown)

Awarded in 2012


Optimization of Surveillance Strategies Following Localized Kidney Cancer Therapy

Investigator: Steven Lee Chang, MD (BWH)

Awarded in 2011


Evaulation of CUB-domain-containing protein 1(CDCP1) as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for renal cell carcinoma (RCC)

Investigator: Brooke Emerling, PhD (BIDMC)

Awarded in 2010


Functional Analysis of the Tumor Suppression Role of HIF1α in Kidney Cancer

Investigator: Chuan Shen, PhD (DFCI)

Awarded in 2009


Exploring FoxO Transcriptional Network in Kidney Cancer

Investigator: Boyi Gan, PhD (DFCI)

Identification of Novel Biomarkers Using Integrative and Systems Biology Oriented Analysis of RCC 

Investigator: Manoj Bhasin, PhD (BIDMC)

Awarded in 2008


Small molecule screen uncovers IRP1-mediated HIF translational repression

Investigator: Michael Zimmer, MD (MGH)

Evaluation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and CXCR4 activation in renal cell carcinoma

Investigator: Kevin Courtney, MD, PhD (DFCI)

The balance of angiogenesis and angiostasis determines response and resistance to antiangiogenic therapies

Investigator:  Rupal Bhatt, MD  (BIDMC)

Awarded in 2006


Enhancing the efficacy of Sorafenib and Sunitinib in the treatment of advanced RCC by concurrent inhibition of additional kinases

Investigator: Cho, Daniel, MD (BIDMC)

The Biochemical basis of the differential risk of RCC associated with Type 2A and Type 2B von Hippel-Lindau disease

Investigator:  Lianjie Li, PhD (DFCI)

Awarded in 2005


Human Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (hKIM-1) in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Investigator: Won K Han. MD (BWH)

Evaluation of the Response and Resistance of Clear Cell Kidney Cancer to VEGF-Ative Agents with Monocrystalline Iron Oxide Nanoparticle (MION)-Enhanced MRI

Investigator:  Robert Ross, MD (MGH)

Awarded in 2003


Determining the Role of HIF1 and HIF2 in VHL Associated Tumorigenesis

Investigator: William Y. Kim, MD  (DFCI)

Gene Profiling of Renal Cancer Cell Endothelium

Investigator: Pankaj Seth, PhD (BIDMC)