COLUMBUS, Ohio – Research on firefighter cancer prevention, the health impact of switching to e-cigarettes and artificial intelligence tools to guide kidney cancer treatment are among the eight new research studies funded by Pelotonia and conducted by scientists at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). Since 2010, Pelotonia-supported funding programs at the OSUCCC – James have invested more than $37.5 milllion in 261 Idea Grants and awards supporting faculty more than 250 researchers from 11 of Ohio State’s 15 colleges, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “Many of the advances that change cancer care begin as bold, early stage, curiosity-driven ideas,” said W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, CEO and director of the OSUCCC – James. “Investment funding gives researchers the freedom to test new approaches, generate evidence and build collaborations that can lead to better ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer.”). The following new faculty-led studies were awarded Pelotonia Idea Grant funding: Immune strategy targets aggressive breast cancer Investigator: Blaise Kimmel, PhD, OSUCCC – James Translational Therapeutics Program Triple-negative breast cancer can grow quickly and be harder to treat than other breast cancers. This early-stage lab study will test a new way to deliver immune-boosting molecules directly to tumors. The goal is to help the immune system find and attack cancer cells while limiting damage to healthy tissue. If successful, the approach could help researchers design more precise immunotherapies that may work at lower doses and cause fewer side effects. New target could expose a weakness in multiple myeloma Investigators: Emanuele Cocucci, MD, PhD; Francesca Cottini, MD; and Blake Peterson, PhD, OSUCCC – James Leukemia and Hematologic Malignancies Program Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that often comes back after treatment and is not curable with today’s therapies. In this early lab study, researchers will test whether blocking a protein called CALM can kill myeloma cells or make immunotherapy work better. Normal cells do not appear to depend on CALM in the same way, which could make it a potential cancer drug target. If the idea holds up, it could point to a new treatment path for patients whose disease returns. Targeted approach takes aim at common lung cancer Investigators: Junran Zhang, MD, PhD; Zaibo Li, MD, PhD; Zihai Li, MD, PhD; Qin Ma, PhD; Amanda Toland, PhD; and Xiaoli Zhang, PhD, OSUCCC – James Cancer Biology and Translational Therapeutics programs Some non-small cell lung cancers may have a genetic weakness that could make them easier to treat with targeted drugs. This early-stage study focuses on tumors with low levels of a gene called , which may be tied to worse outcomes. Researchers will test whether blocking a protein called PKMYT1 can slow or kill these cancer cells, either alone or with immunotherapy. The work could help identify which patients are most likely to benefit from this targeted treatment strategy. AI tool could help guide kidney cancer treatment Investigators: Elshad Hasanov, MD, PhD; Mehmet Asim Bilen, MD; Eric Jonasch, MD; Khalid Niazi, PhD; Reena Shakya, PhD; and Eric A. Singer, MD Kidney cancer treatments do not work the same way for every patient, even when tumors look similar. In this research study, scientists will look closely at cancer cells and the nearby immune cells, blood vessels and support cells that help shape how tumors behave. They will use AI to find patterns that may explain why some patients respond to certain targeted drugs and others do not. The goal is to help doctors better match kidney cancer patients with the treatments most likely to work for them. Rotating treatments may delay bile duct cancer resistance Investigators: Sameek Roychowdhury, MD, PhD; Wei Chen, MD, PhD; Aharon Freud, MD, PhD; Anjun Ma, PhD; Qin Ma, PhD; and Xueliang Pan, PhD Bile duct cancer can be hard to treat once it has spread, especially when tumors stop responding to targeted drugs. This clinical trial will test whether switching between two treatment approaches can delay resistance. Patients with certain FGFR-related tumor changes will rotate between FGFR-targeted drugs and chemo-immunotherapy every two months. If the strategy works, it could give patients more time before their cancer finds a way around treatment. DNA repair target offers possible path for rare lymphoma Investigators: Lapo Alinari, MD, PhD; Xiaolin Cheng, PhD; Tom Li, PhD; Matthew Summers, PhD; and Lianbo Yu, PhD Mantle cell lymphoma is a rare blood cancer that often comes back after treatment and is not curable with current therapies. In this early-stage lab study, researchers will test a drug designed to block RAD51, a gene that helps cancer cells repair damaged DNA. Because high RAD51 levels have been linked to worse survival in several cancers, blocking it may make lymphoma cells more vulnerable. The findings could help lay the groundwork for new treatments for mantle cell lymphoma. Firefighter cancer risks drive prevention program Investigators: Peter Shields, MD; Olorunfemi Adetona, PhD; Joseph McElroy, PhD; and Min-Ae Song, PhD Firefighters can face higher cancer risks because they are exposed to smoke, chemicals and other hazards on the job. This population health study will help build a prevention and screening research program for firefighters. Researchers will work with firefighter groups, public health leaders and national experts to study cancer risks, barriers to screening and practical ways to reduce risk. The goal is to turn the findings into prevention and screening strategies that fit firefighters’ work and lives. Researchers track health effects after smokers switch products Investigators: Min-Ae Song, PhD; Theodore Wagener, PhD; Alice Hinton, PhD; and Joseph McElroy, PhD Switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes may reduce exposure to some harmful chemicals, but scientists still do not know the long-term health effects. This clinical study will follow adult smokers who switch to e-cigarettes or FDA-approved quit-smoking products, such as nicotine patches or gum. Researchers will look for changes in DNA that may signal smoking-related harm, cancer risk or biological aging. The findings could help explain what happens in the body when smokers switch products or cut back on cigarettes. Annual Mason Fisher Award funds genetics of young-onset prostate cancer study Akshay Sood, MD, an assistant professor in the Department of Urology at Ohio State and member of the Cancer Biology Program at the OSUCCC – James, has received the third annual Mason Fisher Grant, a Pelotonia-funded research award that supports studies of genetic mutations that can lead to cancer. The grant provides up to $50,000 for early-career faculty members or learners in Ohio State’s College of Medicine or the OSUCCC – James. It honors Mason Fisher, an Ohio State medical student and three-year Pelotonia rider who died after a medical event while riding in Pelotonia in 2022 and who hoped to become a cancer surgeon-scientist. Sood, a urologic oncologist, studies how prostate and bladder-related cancers begin and grow. He will use the grant to study inherited genetic changes linked to prostate cancer diagnosed at younger ages. The work could help researchers better understand who is at higher risk, how these cancers behave and whether genetic testing could guide earlier detection or treatment decisions in the future. Pelotonia Research and 2026 Ride To learn more about Pelotonia-funded research at the OSUCCC – James, visit cancer.osu.edu.To get involved in 2026 Pelotonia event as a rider, volunteer or donor, visit pelotonia.org. ### MEDIA CONTACT: Amanda Harper, OSUCCC - James Media Relations, Amanda.Harper2@osumc.edu