The Edward P. Evans Foundation awarded separate three-year, $750,000 Discovery Research Grants to Jeremy Baeten and Matthew Walter, both researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and members of the Siteman Cancer Center, according to an April 21 announcement.
These grants are intended to support research in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of blood cancers marked by low blood cell counts. The funding aims to advance precision diagnosis and treatment for patients with these conditions.
Baeten’s project will focus on improving therapies for MDS patients who have mutations in the TP53 gene, which is known to cause resistance to current treatments. He plans to study how a new drug combination can more effectively target these cancer cells and whether blocking another gene could further enhance treatment outcomes. Walter will use whole-genome sequencing to monitor mutated blood cells in patients with MDS or clonal cytopenias of undetermined significance—a condition that increases the risk of developing MDS—and track if changes in mutations correspond with disease progression. The grant will also support his collaboration with Kelly Bolton as they examine how mutated cells respond to targeted treatments, potentially guiding more personalized care options.
The Edward P. Evans Foundation has previously funded WashU Medicine researchers, including Baeten and Walter. In 2019, it established the Edward P. Evans Center for Myelodysplastic Syndromes at WashU Medicine—one of four such centers supported nationally—and endowed the professorship held by Walter.
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital was founded in 1999 and is located in Saint Louis, Missouri. Its current president is Timothy Eberlein; the hospital includes a pediatric ward and serves as a training hospital according to available information.
These grants represent ongoing efforts by both the foundation and Siteman Cancer Center researchers to improve outcomes for people living with MDS.
