Speed of Light – The ASTRO Foundation awards $2.4 million to accelerate radiation medicine research

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and Speed of Light – The ASTRO Foundation today announced $2.4 million in new research grants for 14 scientists working to advance patient care in radiation medicine.

The 2026 awards are the first annual grants announced since ASTRO relaunched its foundation as Speed of Light earlier this year, with a renewed focus on accelerating research and strengthening the radiation oncology workforce. The grants are made possible by donor support and partnerships with leading cancer research organizations, including the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), the LUNGevity Foundation and the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).

"ASTRO and its nonprofit Foundation are committed to fostering progress in radiation medicine by investing in innovative research and the people driving it," said Vivek S. Kavadi, MD, MBA, FASTRO, CEO of ASTRO. "These awards come at a pivotal moment for the field, as scientific advances in radiation oncology are expanding even as research funding becomes more constrained. By supporting promising investigators, we can speed the translation of new discoveries into better treatments and cures for patients."

Since 2013, ASTRO and its Foundation have awarded $15.8 million to more than 150 research teams. These investigators have subsequently attracted more than $90 million in follow-on funding, extending the impact of the combined investment.

The 2026 grant recipients include:

ASTRO-ACS Dr. Felix Feng Clinician Scientist Development Grant
In partnership with the American Cancer Society

• Jie Deng, MD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles; Project: Activating lymph node immunity to enhance radiation therapy

ASTRO-ACS Clinician Scientist Development Grant
In partnership with the American Cancer Society

• David D. Yang, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Brigham; Project: Advancing biomarker discovery in prostate cancer through computer vision-driven profiling of tumor and microenvironmental heterogeneity

ASTRO Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant

• Reza Djavadian, MD, PhD, The University of Alabama at Birmingham; Project: Precision identification and targeting of radiotherapy-resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma

• Akshat Patel, MD, Mass General Brigham; Project: Long-term outcomes and integrated tumor–immune molecular correlates following neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX and chemoradiation for esophagogastric cancer

ASTRO-AAPM Physics Residents/Postdoctoral Fellows Seed Grant
In partnership with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine

• Chloe Min Seo Choi, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Project: Multi-institution validation on a pretrained vision-language prediction model for thoracic radiation-induced toxicity

• Hajar Moradmand, PhD, Georgetown University; Project: Integrated imaging and multi-omics biomarkers for characterizing biological responses to FLASH proton radiotherapy

ASTRO-BCRF Emerging Investigator Award
In partnership with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation

• Chidinma Anakwenze, MD, MPH, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Project: Low-dose radiotherapy to preserve immunotherapy delivery in breast cancer patients at high risk for immune-mediated arthritis (PRAISE-BC)

ASTRO-LUNGevity Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
In partnership with the LUNGevity Foundation

• Elio Adib, MD, Mass General Brigham; Project: Evolutionary single-nucleus profiling of multifocal lung adenocarcinoma to guide treatment strategies

ASTRO-PCF Young Investigator Award
In partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation

• Luca Valle, MD, University of California, Los Angeles and Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System; Project: Validation of a DNA-based genomic classifier for prediction of metastasis-directed radiotherapy response in oligometastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer and prognosis of high-risk localized prostate cancer

James D. Cox Resident Research Award

• Meghana Pagadala, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Project: Decoding the spatial immune microenvironment of brain metastases

• Yorleny Vicioso Mora, MD, PhD, Duke University School of Medicine; Project: Utilizing radiation to induce novel target for CAR-T cell therapy

Innovation Award to Optimize Combination Radiation Therapy and Immunotherapy

• Sabrina Campelo, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Project: Targeted immunomodulation in PDAC by combining proton radiation and H-FIRE

• Rohan Katipally, MD, The University of Chicago; Project: Radiotherapy and immunotherapy in HPV-negative head and neck cancer

• Yvonne Mowery, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh; Project: Deciphering the impact of RT/ICI sequencing on immune dynamics and response

Profiles of the researchers and information about their projects are available on the Foundation’s website.

ABOUT SPEED OF LIGHT – THE ASTRO FOUNDATION
Speed of Light – The ASTRO Foundation accelerates bold and innovative ideas in radiation medicine to help ensure every person has access to the best treatments to live a longer, healthier life. Founded in 2006 by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) as the Radiation Oncology Institute (ROI), the Foundation relaunched in 2026 as Speed of Light, reflecting a clearer, more focused approach to advancing science and patient care. Powered by purpose and partnerships, the Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity accelerating high-impact science, expanding trusted patient resources and strengthening the radiation oncology workforce. Learn more at SpeedofLightFoundation.org. 

ABOUT ASTRO
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is the world’s largest professional society dedicated to advancing radiation medicine, with 10,000 members including physicians, nurses, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other professionals who work to improve patient outcomes through clinical care, research, education and advocacy. Radiation therapy is integral to 40% of cancer cures worldwide, and more than one million Americans receive radiation treatments for their cancer each year. For patient resources, visit Speed of Light – The ASTRO Foundation. To learn more about ASTRO, visit our website and press room and connect with us on social media.