University of Cincinnati

09/01/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/01/2026 10:32

Cancer Center physician receives $150,000 New Investigator Research Grant to study treatment-resistant leukemia

Cancer Center physician receives $150,000 New Investigator Research Grant to study treatment-resistant leukemia

Dr. Sarah Skuli is one of 20 investigators chosen this year by the Leukemia Research Foundation

3 minute read September 1, 2026 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Reddit Print Story Like

The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center's Sarah Skuli, MD, PhD, has received a two-year, $150,000 New Investigator Research Grant from the Leukemia Research Foundation. The funds will go toward a project that focuses on leukemia carrying mutations in the TP53 gene, which leads to very poor outcomes for patients.

What will the research focus on?

Sarah Skuli, MD, PhD. Photo/University of Cincinnati.

Patients with TP53-mutated leukemia often don't respond well to the treatments that are currently available, with survival usually measured in months. Skuli's previous research found TP53-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells rely on a specific metabolic pathway that produces molecules that help activate proteins the cancer cells need to grow and survive.

"In preliminary studies, I identified one of these proteins, called RhoA, as a potential key driver of drug resistance in TP53-mutant AML," said Skuli, assistant professor in the UC College of Medicine and a Cancer Center physician. "Importantly, RhoA can be blocked with experimental drugs, making it a promising new treatment target."

Supported by the grant funding, Skuli will test whether blocking RhoA makes TP53-mutant AML cells more sensitive to these AML therapies using cell and animal models and patient-donated samples.

"If successful, this project will identify RhoA as a new therapeutic vulnerability of TP53-mutant AML and provide the preclinical evidence needed to support future clinical trials testing RhoA-targeted strategies," Skuli said.

What is the New Investigator Research Grant?

A total of 20 investigators from across the country and beyond received New Investigator Research Grant funding from the Leukemia Research Foundation.

  • Research projects selected this year span a range of topics to advance discoveries in one of four areas:
  • Cancer cell biology, including employing artificial intelligence to guide therapy development
  • Treatments, including those for rarer leukemias
  • Causes and risk factors, including how chromosomal changes can occur with AML
  • Relapse prevention, including the most common type of childhood leukemia

"These investigators, such as Skuli, represent some of the most promising minds in leukemia research, and we are inspired by the exciting ideas they bring to the field," said Kevin Radelet, executive director of the Leukemia Research Foundation. "The caliber of these proposals is extraordinary, and every new discovery that results from them brings us one step closer to better treatments and, ultimately, a cure."

In total, the Leukemia Research Foundation has invested $3 million this year in leukemia and MDS research. This is in addition to currently funded leukemia research for the 2025-2027 period, as well as the hundreds of other previously funded cutting-edge projects. Overall, the foundation has funded nearly 800 projects since its inception.

The next groundbreaking discovery

UC is a powerhouse of discovery and impact as a Carnegie 1 research institution. From pioneering medical research to transformative engineering and social innovation, our faculty and students drive progress that reaches across the world.


Discover more UC research.

Read more about Dr. Skuli's research study, or learn about the Leukemia Research Foundation's New Investigator Research Grant Program and its deadlines for 2027.

Featured photo at top of UC's Blood Cancer Healing Center. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.

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University of Cincinnati published this content on September 01, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 01, 2026 at 16:32 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]