Snapshot of Federal Grants

Speeding Up Discovery

The Accelerator was launched in 2020 to help scientists like Sanchez bring new cancer treatments to patients more quickly. A joint initiative between the Cancer Center, Geisel, and Dartmouth’s Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship, the program provides researchers from across Dartmouth with the support, entrepreneurial guidance, and infrastructure needed to translate innovations into diagnostics, devices, and treatments for patients through commercialization. “When you look at the number of biotech start-ups that have spun out of our cancer center, it’s astounding,” says Steven Leach, MD, director of the Cancer Center and the Preston T. and Virginia R. Kelsey Chair in Cancer at Geisel. “The Accelerator builds on our history and culture of collaboration and innovation.” In its first year, the Accelerator attracted 17 research teams—one of them led by Yolanda Sanchez— including 41 faculty and students, all eager to turn discoveries into life-changing treatments for patients with cancer. In a 10-week course taught by instructors from Simbex and Celdara Medical, two local biomedical companies, Accelerator participants learned about biomedical entrepreneurship, pitching to potential investors, regulatory requirements, and how to generate new invention disclosures and patents, and they created step-by-step, multiyear plans for the commercialization of their innovations. Although not typically the realm of biomedical researchers, these are all skills needed to ensure that a drug or device reaches its end goal of impacting the lives of patients. Participants also have access to a network of Dartmouth alumni who serve as industry guides and mentors throughout the program and beyond. At the conclusion of the first year of the program, the teams participated in a two-day pitch competition and an external review panel of successful biomedical entrepreneurs and investors selected three winning teams to receive awards of $300,000, $100,000, and $50,000. That money will fund critical next steps in the development of high-potential cancer treatments.

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Awards and Rewards

This year’s top prize was awarded to a team led by Arti Gaur, PhD, assistant professor of neurology at Geisel, for its project on a new potential therapy for high-grade gliomas, a kind of brain tumor for which the median survival is only 14 months. “For three and half years, I have pieced together funding for this project,” says Gaur. “This award will help us get to the next phase, where we can potentially attract the money that will be needed for clinical trials.” Though only three teams were awarded funding, all participants reaped the benefits of the program. Sanchez was especially grateful to learn all the steps involved in getting a drug to human trials and then into the market. She also appreciated the opportunity to meet people on the business side of drug development. “A CEO on the review panel was interested in our project, so our initial 10-minute pitch turned into an hour-long pitch later,” she says. “We received a lot of feedback from people who can help move our project forward.” Members of Sanchez’s team included Dartmouth College undergraduates Cindy Takagawa D’21 and Albert Wang D’21, and Bernice Leung, a PhD student in Dartmouth’s Molecular and Cellular Biology program. Sanchez notes, “It was empowering to see so many women participate in the Accelerator