North Park University Receives Its First-Ever NIH Grant: $650,108 to Study How Lymphoma Spreads to the Brain
North Park University, in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, announced that on September 17 it was awarded a $650,108 Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) award (R16) from the National Cancer Institute. It is the first grant the university has ever received from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and North Park was one of 20 universities in Illinois to receive an NIH grant for the 2026 fiscal year.
The four-year project, led by assistant professor of biology Tracy O'Connor, runs from September 24, 2026, through August 31, 2030, under award number R16CA315399. Titled "Mechanisms of Lymphoma Cell Dissemination to the Brain," it will examine how lymphoma cells use chemokine networks and signaling pathways to access the brain, and how the brain protects itself from those cells. The findings could inform treatments that prevent lymphoma from spreading to the nervous system.
The NIH SuRE program supports research capacity and scientific investigation at institutions that have historically received limited NIH funding. The award will also expand hands-on and summer research opportunities for students in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.
"This award will significantly expand opportunities for directed and summer research in the biomedical sciences at North Park," O'Connor said. "The students and I are excited to get started and contribute to advancing our understanding of cancer." Provost Francisco X. Gaytán said the grant encourages student collaboration with faculty and strengthens the university's community of learning.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: North Park大学地标建筑Old Main（资料图）。Rputera 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Old Main, the landmark building of North Park University (file photo). Photo by Rputera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
