Hyderabad August 27, 2024: Young scientists worldwide who are conducting research in the field of stem cell transplantation or cell therapy for hematological diseases can apply for the DKMS John Hansen Research Grant 2025 from August 1, 2024 onwards. The foundation DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden will fund up to four innovative projects over a period of three years with 240,000 euro each. Possible aspects of the research include diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, transplant immunology, complications in stem cell transplantation, donor selection, or cell manufacturing. Applicants must have received a doctoral degree (PhD, MD or equivalent achievements) in a field pertinent to the grant within the last 10 years. The application deadline is November 20, 2024.

Every year, around 1.2 million people worldwide are diagnosed with blood cancer. For many, a stem cell transplant from a suitable donor is the only chance for a cure. Nevertheless, there can be relapses and serious complications. DKMS, known above all as the world’s largest stem cell donor center with more than 12 million registered donors, contributes to the further development of stem cell transplantation and other cellular therapies for blood cancer through its research funding and its own scientific studies and trials. “It is very important to us to pursue our mission sustainably and to continuously improve the basic medical requirements for a successful stem cell donation or therapy,” says Professor Dr. Marcel van den Brink, Chairman of the DKMS Medical Council. “We are therefore very pleased to support talented young scientists with the DKMS John Hansen Research Grant and allow them to realize their promising research projects for the benefit of patients worldwide.”

In 2025, the coveted research grant will be awarded for the eleventh time. For many young researchers, the grant is an important stepping stone in the early stages of their career. “The DKMS John Hansen Research Grant has enabled me to develop my own line of research and become an independent researcher in the field of leukemia and stem cell transplantation,” explains Dr. Esteban Arrieta-Bolaños, research associate at the University of Duisburg-Essen and one of the previous awardees.

DKMS – much more than a stem cell donor center

To date, DKMS has given more than 115,000 second chances at life to blood cancer patients from all over the world. The international non-profit organization has also recently established the DKMS Stem Cell Bank, the first and only facility in the world to cryopreserve surplus adult stem cells and make them available for allogeneic transplants. With these Adult Donor Cryopreserved Units (ADCUs), DKMS increases the chances of survival for blood cancer patients worldwide requiring a swift transplant. DKMS also operates its own research unit in Dresden, the Clinical Trials Unit, which coordinates the Collaborative Biobank, a joint scientific platform that provides resources for medical research projects in the field of blood cancer worldwide. Furthermore, DKMS has the world’s most powerful HLA typing laboratory, the DKMS Life Science Lab.

John A. Hansen – an outstanding physician with a big heart

John A. Hansen (1943-2019), after whom the grant is named, was a respected oncologist and distinguished immunogeneticist at the renowned Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. With his excellent achievements in the field of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, this dedicated and empathetic physician made a significant contribution to increasing the efficacy and safety of blood stem cell and bone marrow transplants—thus giving numerous patients a second chance at life. As a long-standing member of the DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden Foundation Board and a member of the DKMS Medical Council, he was very deeply involved with the organization.