Shaji Kumar Hematology Research Award

Samarpana Chakraborty, PhD, is one of the 2026 recipients of the Shaji Kumar Hematology Research Award. Dr. Chakraborty, an Instructor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, received the faculty grant of $50,000 for her project "Combined STAT3 degradation and RAS inhibition in myeloproliferative neoplasms." The award was conferred at Binaytara's National Summit on Hematologic Cancers.

Myeloproliferative neoplasms are blood cancers in which the bone marrow overproduces blood cells, and while current drugs ease symptoms, they rarely eliminate the disease, and often stop working and cannot prevent progression to acute leukemia. Dr. Chakraborty will test a two-drug combination that shuts down two backup routes cancer cells use to survive, and early lab results show the pair kills cancer cells far more effectively than either drug alone. If the combination works in drug-resistant cells and patient samples while sparing healthy cells, it could open a new treatment path for patients who have run out of options.

“Winning this award is deeply meaningful to me because it supports our search for better treatments for people with chronic blood cancers called myeloproliferative neoplasms," Dr. Chakraborty said, "including those whose disease progresses to an aggressive leukemia known as MPN-AML. This funding will help us investigate whether blocking two routes that cancer cells use to survive could offer new treatment possibilities when current therapies fall short.”

Learn more about Binaytara's Impact Pitch and other funding opportunities.