COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) announces the following awards, honors, grants and more that were recently given to the organization, teams or individuals: OSUCCC – James scientists honored at 2026 ASCO® Annual Meeting Three medical scientists and a postdoctoral fellow at the OSUCCC – James were honored with special awards at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO®) Annual Meeting in Chicago. Congratulations to these recipients: • Raphael E. Pollock, MD, PhD, researcher and director emeritus of the OSUCCC, was recognized as one of 14 scientists worldwide who were inducted into the Giants of Cancer Care® recognition program by OncLive, the nation’s leading multimedia resource for oncology professionals.  • Lingbin Meng, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist and member of the Translational Therapeutics (TT) Program, received a 2026 Career Development Award from Conquer Cancer ®, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Foundation. This $200,000, three-year grant funds clinical investigators in the first to fourth year of their faculty appointment. • Mateus Trinconi Cunha, MD, a medical oncologist and member of the TT Program, received a 2026 Conquer Cancer ® Young Investigator Award. This one-year, $50,000 award supports promising investigators during their transition from fellowship to a faculty appointment. • Zachary Braunstein, MD, a postdoctoral and future Ohio State faculty member, received an ASCO Conquer Cancer ® Young Investigator Award for his project titled “Targeting Molecular Subtypes in T-Prolymphocytic Leukemia.” Jonathan Brammer, MD, is his mentor for the award. NCI grant-funded study aims to enhance cancer immunotherapy and improve patient outcomes OSUCCC – James researchers will use a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to probe the biological complexities of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in hopes of enhancing patient responses to cancer immunotherapy. The grant was awarded to principal investigator Stanley Huang, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity at The Ohio State University and member of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James. Dr. Huang’s research primarily focuses on mechanisms that regulate the development, function and homeostasis (stability and survival) of innate immune cells. Scientists land separate NCI grants for innovative breast cancer treatment studies The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded two R21 developmental research grants that will support OSUCCC – James researchers in separate early-stage, high-risk, high-reward studies that may ultimately improve breast cancer treatment. Daniel Stover, MD, associate professor in the Division of Medical Oncology, received a two-year grant of $394,695 to study image-based infiltrating immune cell detection and outcomes in breast cancer clinical trials. Blaise Kimmel, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, received a two-year grant of $384,524 to study targeted prodrug cytokines for metastatic breast cancer immunotherapy. Both scientists are in the Translational Therapeutics Program. Pelotonia Scholars Program awards funding to 21 Ohio State student cancer researchers The Pelotonia Scholars Program has awarded 21 scholarships that will enable Ohio State students in various disciplines and levels of study to conduct cancer research in the labs of faculty mentors at the OSUCCC – James. The scholar awardees in the spring 2026 funding cycle include 12 undergraduates, six graduates, two medical students and one postdoctoral researcher. The scholars are from the United States (16), China (two) and one each from India, Nigeria and Senegal. The OSUCCC – James annually allocates $2 million in funding from Pelotonia – the community and annual cycling event series that raises money for cancer research at Ohio State – to the Pelotonia Scholars Program, which since 2010 has awarded 761 scholarships to 341 undergraduates, 238 graduates, 17 medical students and 165 postdoctoral scholars. The scholarship recipients have represented 55 countries and 37 U.S. states. O’Donnell and Krull elected to ISCT leadership positions Lynn O’Donnell, PhD, and Ashley Krull, PhD, who serve respectively as professor and assistant professor in the Division of Hematology at Ohio State, have been elected to high-profile leadership roles for 2026-2028 within the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT). Dr. O’Donnell was elected to the ISCT Global Board of Directors, and Dr. Krull was elected to serve as regional vice president-elect for North America. At Ohio State, Dr. O’Donnell’s research interests include novel cellular therapies for malignancies and regenerative medicine, translational development, good manufacturing practices (GMP), investigational new drug (IND) and investigational device exemption (IDE) submissions for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Krull is in the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James, where she also is associate director of cellular therapy manufacturing and engineering. In that role, she oversees activities of the W.W. Williams Cellular Therapy Laboratory, which handles the preparation, distribution and manufacture of cellular therapies at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and the OSUCCC – James. Cetnar named as an AAPM Fellow Ashley Cetnar, PhD, FAAPM, associate professor and medical physicist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Ohio State, has been named a 2026 Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). This designation recognizes AAPM members who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to medical physics and outstanding service to society. Dr. Cetnar has developed clinical and educational initiatives and serves in many leadership roles within the AAPM. Founded in 1958, the AAPM is a scientific and professional organization composed of more than 9,000 scientists whose clinical practice is dedicated to ensuring accuracy, safety and quality in the use of radiation in medical procedures such as medical imaging and radiation therapy. The organization’s new Fellows will be recognized during the AAPM annual meeting in July. Written by Bob Hecker Media Contact: Mary Ellen Fiorino, MaryEllen.Fiorino@osumc.edu