DKMS Opens John Hansen Grant: Nearly €1 Million for Blood Cancer Research

The next generation of blood cancer researchers is being invited to apply for the DKMS John Hansen Research Grant 2027, an international funding program designed to support early-career scientists developing new approaches to hematological disease. Since its launch in 2015, the grant has backed researchers whose work addresses some of the most persistent challenges in blood cancer care, including the limitations of stem cell transplantation, immune complications, donor selection, and the development of more precise diagnostic methods. The program is aimed at scientists who have earned a doctoral degree in medicine or the natural sciences—such as an MD, PhD, or equivalent—within the past ten years. By focusing investment on researchers at a formative stage of their careers, DKMS seeks to accelerate promising ideas before they become established clinical technologies.

The scientific scope of the grant reflects the rapidly changing landscape of blood cancer treatment. Eligible projects may investigate innovative cell therapy strategies, transplant immunology, methods for preventing or managing complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, donor selection, cell manufacturing, or new diagnostic procedures for blood disorders. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation replaces diseased or damaged blood-forming cells with healthy stem cells capable of rebuilding the patient’s bone marrow and immune system. Although the procedure can be lifesaving for people with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other disorders, its success depends on a complex interaction between malignant cells, donor-derived immune cells, and the recipient’s tissues. Research supported by the grant could help make these therapies safer, more targeted, and available to a broader range of patients.

One of the central scientific challenges in transplantation is the need to balance immune activity. Donor immune cells can recognize and destroy residual cancer cells, a beneficial effect known as graft-versus-leukemia activity. However, the same cells may also attack healthy tissues in a potentially serious complication called graft-versus-host disease. Researchers are therefore exploring ways to preserve the antitumor effects of transplantation while reducing harmful immune reactions. These efforts include studying immune-cell behavior, identifying molecular markers that predict complications, engineering therapeutic cells, and developing interventions that can selectively control immune responses. Such work requires collaboration across immunology, genetics, cell biology, clinical medicine, and bioinformatics, and the DKMS grant is intended to support precisely this kind of translational research.

The program is named after Professor John A. Hansen, an internationally recognized oncologist and immunogeneticist who worked at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Hansen, who died in 2019, made important contributions to the understanding of immune compatibility in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. His work helped advance the use of tissue matching to improve transplant outcomes and reduce the risk of severe immune complications. The human leukocyte antigen system, commonly known as HLA, is central to this process. HLA molecules help the immune system distinguish the body’s own cells from foreign cells, and differences between donor and recipient HLA profiles can influence whether transplanted cells are accepted, whether complications develop, and how effectively donor immune cells target cancer.

The grant also recognizes that scientific progress depends not only on individual discoveries but on the networks that allow researchers to share methods, data, and clinical experience. Prof. Johannes Schetelig, Professor of Stem Cell Transplantation at TU Dresden, Director of Clinical Research at the DKMS Clinical Trials Unit in Dresden, and Global Chief Scientific Officer of the DKMS Group as of July 2026, said the organization wants to support young scientists whose ideas are driving innovation. He emphasized that the program is intended to help researchers build lasting professional connections while advancing therapies for blood cancer. For early-career investigators, access to international collaborators can be especially valuable because clinical samples, transplant cohorts, specialized laboratories, and advanced analytical platforms are often distributed across different institutions and countries.

DKMS is widely known for maintaining one of the world’s largest registries of potential blood stem cell donors, but its activities extend beyond donor recruitment and matching. The organization conducts research in multiple areas of stem cell transplantation and operates a biobank containing blood samples and associated medical data from people with blood cancer and compatible donors. Carefully collected biological samples can allow investigators to study disease mechanisms, immune responses, genetic variation, and treatment outcomes across large patient groups. These resources are particularly important in rare or complex blood disorders, where individual hospitals may not see enough cases to identify reliable patterns. By connecting donor information, clinical data, and laboratory research, DKMS aims to support evidence that can eventually improve patient selection and treatment decisions.

The organization is also developing programs intended to address practical barriers in urgent transplantation. These efforts include international support initiatives and the cryopreservation of adult stem cells, allowing collected cells to be stored and made available for allogeneic transplantation when time is critical. In an allogeneic transplant, the stem cells come from another person rather than the patient, making donor compatibility and logistics essential. DKMS also operates the DKMS Life Science Lab, described as a state-of-the-art facility for high-resolution HLA typing. HLA typing examines the genetic variants that shape immune compatibility, and more detailed typing can improve the search for a donor whose cells are less likely to trigger dangerous immune reactions. Faster and more accurate laboratory analysis can be decisive when a patient’s condition is progressing rapidly.

A second DKMS funding opportunity, the DKMS Impact Grant 2027, is aimed at physicians and scientists working at nonprofit institutions, including public hospitals, in Central and South America, Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. The program will support up to three research or sustainability projects, with each receiving €120,000 over two years. Proposed projects may focus on improving the diagnosis, treatment, or care of hematological diseases, particularly in settings where specialist services, laboratory infrastructure, donor registries, or access to transplantation remain limited. Applicants for this program must first submit a letter of intent by August 31, 2026. By supporting locally led projects, the grant seeks to strengthen regional capacity rather than relying solely on research models developed in wealthier health systems.

The broader goal behind both funding programs is to turn advances in laboratory science into treatments that can reach patients with fewer delays and fewer risks. Blood cancers are biologically diverse diseases, and therapies that work for one patient may be ineffective or harmful for another. Progress will depend on combining molecular diagnostics, immune profiling, engineered cells, improved manufacturing methods, and carefully designed clinical studies. DKMS says the John Hansen Research Grant 2027 is intended for researchers ready to contribute to that effort at a critical stage in their careers. Full information about the current call for applications is available through the DKMS professional website, and inquiries can be directed to grant@dkms.org. Founded in Germany in 1991, DKMS now has more than 13.5 million potential donors registered worldwide and has facilitated more than 135,000 blood stem cell donations, while continuing to invest in research aimed at giving people with blood cancer a better chance of recovery.

Web References: https://professional.dkms.org/research-publications/research-grant ; https://professional.dkms.org/impact-grant