Apply to the Academic Clinical Trials Program

ACT will open in January 2025. The information below will be updated at that time.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) recognizes the scientific and clinical merit of research developed and conducted by independent investigators affiliated with academic institutions. Such investigator-initiated trials (IITs) play an important role in developing experimental agents to address unmet medical needs, expanding the use of approved therapeutics, and improving the use of novel treatment regimens in real-world clinical settings. To support this important aspect of research, LLS created the Academic Clinical Trials Program (ACT) in 2022-23, and now presents a fourth request for applications.

The LLS ACT initiative is a clinical trial award program designed to develop cutting edge treatments that will have meaningful impact for blood cancer patients. These awards will fund clinical trials, up to $1M USD over a period of up to three years.

The primary focus will be Phase 1 or 2 trials with novel experimental agents. Repurposing of approved therapies into novel indications will also be considered. Investigators conducting existing trials, indication expansion trials, or additions of new cohorts are welcome to apply. Investigation of corporate-owned assets is allowed. If a corporate asset is studied, the asset should be in ongoing, active development. Proposals may include correlative studies that accompany the proposed trial or trial expansion. 

Examples of projects of potential interest include:

• Novel immunotherapy approaches (cell therapies, biologics, small molecules) relevant to blood cancers
• Therapies targeting the tumor microenvironment
• Treatment approaches in premalignant conditions for the prevention or early intervention of disease 
• Personalized medicine approaches for blood cancers, including novel companion diagnostics that may stratify patient responses to therapy 
• Enhanced safety and/or efficacy of stem cell transplantation 
• Precision medicines with small molecules to new targets as monotherapy or in combination 

Highlights of the LOI and Application Process:

• A Structured Clinical Abstract at the LOI stage will provide succinct information about the objectives, expected outcomes, and clinical significance of the proposed study.
• A Clinical Protocol Synopsis is required in the Appendix of the Full Application.  
• A Patient Involvement Plan Summary is required at the LOI stage (2 pages and a table). A full plan is required at the Full Application phase. Patient engagement activities help assure that patients’ needs (both unmet medical needs and first-hand experiences) are reflected in the design of the clinical trial.
• Applicants will provide an IRB approval date OR a scheduled IRB review date at both the LOI stage and in the Full Application. Similar to the 2023-2024 round, an application may be submitted with IRB approval pending, but an award will not be made without documented IRB approval. Projects that can begin near or on the specified Award Start Date of July 1, 2025 may be prioritized.

Award:

• Budget submitted should reflect the actual needs of the project but cannot exceed $1M USD in total for up to three years of the grant.
• This budget ceiling includes all costs associated with the grant including indirect costs (often referred to as Institutional Overhead), which will be capped at 15% of the total award.

How to apply:

• Please refer to the Guidelines & Instructions document above
• Is this your first time applying for an LLS Research grant? You can get started by requesting a new account in the LLS Research Portal by clicking here.
• See the table below for all the key dates and deadlines: 

Do you have any questions?

Please refer to the downloadable Guidelines and Instructions document above for answers and for contact information.

Alternatively, please contact researchprograms@lls.org for any questions not answered in the Guidelines and Instructions