MEET THE FORB
MEET THE 2024 FALL FORBECK SCHOLARS
ADDRESSING DISPARITIES AMONG POPULATIONS IN CANCER RESEARCH
Carino Gurjao, PhD Columbia University SPONSORED BY: THE LEINEBERG FOUNDATION Carino, a researcher at Columbia, focuses on addressing disparities in colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly in African Americans. By analyzing a large cohort using advanced sequencing, Carino aims to uncover the genetic and environmental factors affecting CRC in under-served populations. Paulina Podszywalow-Bartnicka, PhD Yale University SPONSORED BY: THE LEINEBERG FOUNDATION Paulina studies how leukemia cells interact with bone marrow support cells, especially in resisting treatment. Her research shows that certain proteins control BRCA1, a cancer-fighting gene, making leukemia cells more responsive to specific drugs.
Mónica Cappetta, PhD Universidad de la República, Uruguay SPONSORED BY: THE MILLER FAMILY
I research cancer epigenomics, focusing on breast cancer, melanoma, and leukemia, with an emphasis on epigenetic diversity in under- represented populations. We’ve developed cost-effective methods to study genetic and environmental factors in these groups.
CELLULAR QUIESCENCE AND TUMOR DORMANCY
Lucia Borriello, PhD Temple and Fox Chase Cancer Center SPONSORED BY: THE LEINEBERG FOUNDATION My lab studies how lifestyle factors like smoking and aging affect the tumor environment, causing dormant cancer cells to become active and spread. Attending this Forum helps me stay informed, collaborate with peers, and share ideas to advance cancer research.
MECHANISMS OF CANCER GENOME REARRANGEMENTS
Timour Baslan, PhD University of Pennsylvania SPONSORED BY: MARILYN HEDBERG
Sudarshan Pinglay, PhD University Of Washington SPONSORED BY: ANN LEHMAN
Our group examines how cancer DNA changes and how those changes drive the disease. We focus on Copy Number Alterations (CNAs), which are key in cancer’s growth, spread, and resistance to treatment, especially in pancreatic, breast cancer, leukemia, and sarcoma.
My background is in synthetic biology and genomics technology development. I’ve created tools for genome writing in mammalian cells with large synthetic DNA and for analyzing large structural variants, including ecDNAs, at the single-cell level.
MOLECULAR MECHANISMS DRIVING METASTASIS
Kaloyan Tsanov, PhD Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center SPONSORED BY: MAGGIE GAGE
Christina Ferrer, PhD University of Maryland Baltimore AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP
Kaloyan’s research focuses on understanding how genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors contribute to the spread of pancreatic and gastric cancer. His goal is to uncover how metastatic tumors thrive in different organs and identify potential treatment targets.
Christina investigates cancer metastasis, particularly in pancreatic cancer. Her lab focuses on understanding how cancer cells adapt at the genetic and environmental levels, with recent findings revealing a key protein that could lead to new treatments for metastatic pancreatic cancer.
ENVIRONMENT, HOST AND TUMOR INTERACTIONS
Isaac Chan, MD, PhD UT Southwestern SPONSORED BY: THE LEINEBERG FOUNDATION Isaac’s research looks at how cancer spreads to other organs and how we can stop it. He discovered that natural killer (NK) cells, which initially fight cancer cells, can be “reprogrammed” to help them spread. His team is working on understanding this process to find new ways to prevent cancer metastasis.
Lisa Sudmeier, MD, PhD Emory University SPONSORED BY: BILL KINZER
Lisa’s research aims to develop better treatments for brain metastases, focusing on strategies that utilize the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Combining immunology, cancer biology, and neuroscience, her work builds on her PhD in developmental neuroscience and postdoctoral training in CD8+ T cell biology.
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