Research Funding

Piscataway, N.J. – September 28, 2026 -- Sampled has secured a five-year contract worth up to $27.1 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide genomics analyses for the Million Veteran Program (MVP), one of the world's largest research initiatives of its kind.

MVP has enrolled more than one million veterans since its 2011 launch

The program studies how molecular factors, lifestyle, and service-related experiences drive elevated veteran health risks, including PTSD, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Published MVP findings have already advanced understanding of PTSD, artery disease, suicide risk, stroke, and substance use.

Washington – September 26, 2026 -- A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would create the Heart Security Foundation, a federally chartered nonprofit housed within the National Institutes of Health to accelerate cardiovascular research funding and coordination.

Cardiovascular disease kills nearly one million Americans annually

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming close to one million lives each year, according to figures cited in the legislative push. Roughly 120 million American adults -- nearly one-third of the U.S. population -- are living with some form of cardiovascular disease, with risk levels disproportionately distributed across communities.

North Chicago, Illinois – September 25, 2026 -- Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFU) neuroscientist Nicole Ferrara, PhD, has secured a five-year, $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate how social disruptions, including COVID-19 lockdowns, alter brain development in adolescents.

NIH funds five-year study on amygdala development and social behavior

The project, titled "Social Experience Guides BMA Mediated Social Development," will examine how the basomedial amygdala (BMA) responds to restricted or inconsistent social contact during adolescence and young adulthood. Dr. Ferrara's preliminary data indicate the BMA functions differently during teen and young adult years compared with other brain regions, making it potentially more vulnerable to social disruption.

Toronto – September 23, 2026 -- The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation has secured a $100 million gift from an anonymous donor, the largest single donation in the foundation's history and the largest cancer-related gift ever recorded in Canada.

Foundation launches $2.5 billion campaign to fund cancer breakthroughs

The gift anchors the launch of "Carry The Fire," a $2.5 billion fundraising campaign aimed at accelerating cancer research, treatment and care at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. The donation, tied to the donor's personal experience with cancer, will be directed toward the Centre's highest-priority needs across research, education and patient care, giving administrators flexibility to fund breakthroughs as they emerge.

Aurora, Colo. – September 22, 2026 -- University of Colorado Anschutz has received an anonymous $50 million gift, one of the largest in campus history, to expand its CSF Leak Program into a world-leading center for diagnosis, treatment and research of cerebrospinal fluid leaks.

Patient survey reveals systemic diagnostic failures across the field

CU Anschutz researchers, working with the Spinal CSF Leak Foundation, conducted the largest patient survey ever done on the condition. Nearly 80% of patients reported being misdiagnosed, seeing a median of more than six clinicians before an accurate diagnosis. More than 60% said long waitlists blocked access to specialized care, forcing many to travel across state lines for treatment.

Los Angeles – September 15, 2026 -- Partillion Bioscience has secured a two-year, $2.1 million NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award to scale its Cell-Cell-seq technology toward datasets of up to one million cell pairs. The grant, awarded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under Award Number R44GM165220, is Partillion's 10th SBIR grant and brings the company's total non-dilutive federal funding past $8 million, roughly matching its private investment to date without additional equity dilution.

New York – September 14, 2026 -- Michael J. Fox, founder of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF), has been named a laureate of the 2026 Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award, one of America's most prestigious biomedical research prizes. The Lasker Foundation cited Fox for "dispelling the stigma of the disease and spearheading a revolution in the world of Parkinson's research." More than 100 past Lasker Laureates have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.