The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust have selected five early-career scientists as the 2026 class of Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research. Each scholar will receive a four-year grant to pursue innovative studies aimed at advancing cancer understanding and treatment.
Now in its 13th year, the Pew-Stewart Scholars Program supports promising investigators exploring critical questions in cancer biology, from disease mechanisms to novel therapeutic strategies. The program emphasizes high-impact, creative approaches that have the potential to improve patient outcomes. Among this year’s recipients is Roarke Kamber, BARI member and Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Kamber’s research centers on macrophages and their interactions with cancer cells.
Macrophages are long-lived immune cells present within tumors that can kill cancer cells, yet their antitumor activity is frequently suppressed by inhibitory signals that are not fully understood. As a Pew-Stewart Scholar, Kamber will use advanced genetic approaches, including genome-wide CRISPR screens to identify molecules that either promote or inhibit macrophage anticancer function. He plans to develop and optimize strategies, such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modifications and target receptor ablation via CRISPR editing, to boost cancer-fighting activity while disabling suppressive signals. His work aims to transform macrophages into potent, durable antitumor agents, expanding cell-based therapies beyond T cells. Such approaches could prove especially valuable for treating solid tumors and metastases, which often respond poorly to existing immunotherapies.
This recognition comes as Kamber builds an independent research program, building on foundational insights into macrophage-mediated cell clearance. His studies hold promise for developing new immunotherapies that enhance the body’s natural ability to fight cancer, complementing existing treatments like CAR T-cell therapy.
Congratulations to Roarke and the full 2026 Pew-Stewart class on this significant honor, which underscores their potential to drive meaningful progress against cancer.