The Bloom Syndrome Association is pleased to announce the launch of its 2026 Seed Grant Program, continuing the BSA’s commitment to support research that can improve understanding, care, and future treatment options for individuals living with Bloom syndrome.
For families affected by Bloom syndrome, research is not abstract. It is deeply personal. It is about better answers, better surveillance, better treatment decisions, and ultimately longer, healthier lives. Because Bloom syndrome is ultra-rare, progress depends on intentional investment: bringing researchers into the field, helping promising ideas get started, and building the data and collaborations needed to attract larger sources of funding.
Building on Recent Momentum
In 2024, the BSA awarded three seed grants to support projects focused on cancer surveillance, Bloom-associated tumors, and gene modification strategies. These awards supported work led by Dr. Vivian Chang at UCLA, Dr. Richarda de Voer at Radboud University Medical Center, and Dr. Caroline Kuo at UCLA – projects aimed at improving cancer detection, understanding how Bloom-associated cancers develop, and exploring whether gene-based approaches may one day offer therapeutic possibilities.
These grants were designed to do what seed funding does best: help researchers generate the early data needed to answer critical questions and position promising projects for larger follow-on funding.
The 2026 Seed Grant Program builds on that same approach, with an even sharper focus on research that can move the field toward therapeutic development.
Made Possible by Community Commitment
This next phase of research funding is possible because of the generosity and commitment of the global Bloom syndrome community and its supporters.
In 2025, the BSA announced an extraordinary $500,000 gift in honor of Rare Cancer Day to support ongoing work to understand and address cancer in Bloom syndrome. As the BSA shared at the time, Bloom syndrome is not only an ultra-rare genetic condition; it is also a rare cancer condition, with individuals facing a high lifetime risk of cancer, often at young ages and across multiple organ systems.
That gift is part of a broader story of community commitment, including earlier transformative gifts, the creation of the Hesch Hope Project, and the ongoing generosity of families, donors, and supporters who continue to make this work possible. Together, this support has strengthened the BSA’s ability to invest in research, clinical infrastructure, and initiatives designed to ensure that people with Bloom syndrome do not face cancer alone. The 2026 Seed Grant Program is part of that broader commitment.
A Focus on Research That Can Unlock the Next Stage
The BSA is especially interested in research that can generate meaningful early data within a focused timeframe. The goal is not to expect final answers in 6–18 months, but to help investigators produce the kind of decision-enabling results needed to compete for larger follow-on funding from government agencies, foundations, industry partners, or other third-party funders.
In other words, these seed grants are intended to help promising projects reach the next stage: generating preliminary data, validating an approach, building a collaboration, testing feasibility, or strengthening the case for a larger research program..
The 2026 program will prioritize two areas:
- Hematopoietic Biology & Pre-Leukemic Intervention
Research that helps define, detect, or modulate early blood and immune system changes that may contribute to leukemia or other hematologic cancers in Bloom syndrome. - Variant-Targeted Therapeutic Development
Research that advances mutation-specific or BLM-restoration strategies, including RNA-based, gene correction, or other approaches with clear translational potential.
The BSA also remains open to exceptional proposals outside these areas, especially projects that address important patient-centered research gaps (as outlined in the Patient-Centered Research Strategy), leverage shared BSA resources, or help build tools and infrastructure for future therapy development.
The BSA as a Research Partner
The BSA’s role is not only to fund research. We aim to serve as a partner in making Bloom syndrome research more connected, collaborative, and patient-centered.
That means helping researchers engage with the patient and family community, connect with other investigators and clinicians, and make use of emerging BSA-supported infrastructure, including the soon-to-launch International Bloom Syndrome Registry, biospecimen resources, clinical insights and networks, and collaborative research networks.
For families, this kind of infrastructure matters. It helps ensure that research questions are connected to real needs, that data and samples are used thoughtfully, and that progress in one lab or clinic can help inform the broader field.
How Researchers Can Learn More
Researchers interested in applying should visit the 2026 BSA Seed Grant Program landing page for the full Request for Proposals, application template, review criteria, and submission instructions.
Applications are due Sunday, June 21, 2026, at 11:00 PM Pacific Time.
The BSA expects to make funding decisions in early August, in coordination with the 2026 Bloom-Rx: Bloom Syndrome Research Exchange, held in conjunction with the BSA’s 2026 Blossoming Hope Patient & Family Conference.
Together, with the support of families, donors, clinicians, and researchers around the world, the BSA is working to build the foundation for better care, better treatments, and a stronger future for everyone affected by Bloom syndrome.