Awardees & Updates – 2023

RECIPIENT: Leelabati (Leela) Biswas, MD/PhD candidate, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School & Princeton University

RESEARCH: Decoding Pregnancy Loss: Validating a Novel Genetic Biomarker of Poor Egg Quality

SUMMARY: Infertility affects 10% of women in the U.S. The leading genetic cause of pregnancy loss is egg aneuploidy (an incorrect number of chromosomes in the egg). The only biomarker for a patient’s risk of this is maternal age, however, for a subset of patients, this is not so. The goal of this study is to identify and validate maternal genetic variants that cause aneuploidy in order to identify the first potential precision biomarker. This would enable women to identify such fertility challenges at a younger age.

Leela’s career goal is to become a physician-scientist in women’s health. She is an NIH F30 fellowship recipient and first place winner of the 2022 American Medical Association’s research challenge award (from over 1,200 applicants). Her supervisor said that she “..will be a leader in the field of women’s health. She is outstanding.”

RECIPIENT: Andi Cani, PhD in molecular and cellular pathology. Postdoctoral fellowship, hematology/oncology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School

RESEARCH: Monitoring the Tumor Evolution in Metastatic Lobular Breast Cancer Patient by Liquid Biopsy to Inform on Precision Treatment and Immunotherapy Options in Real Time

SUMMARY: In a portion of women diagnosed with lobular breast cancer, metastatic spread will be fatal. The tumor samples doctors use for relevant biomarker information lacks real-time information. Easily obtained, non-invasive liquid biopsies promise to revolutionize care by allowing real-time tumor monitoring which has the potential to fill the gap in understanding latestage disease progression and its molecular underpinnings relevant to precision oncology treatment development.

Andi was raised in severely impoverished Albania and left home after high school to immigrate to the U.S. with his parents’ life savings, enough to cover one semester of college. He worked as a school janitor to cover expenses and wrote about how his experiences lead him to “…live a life of caring and doing my small part [to help people] live a healthy life.” His supervisor wrote that “[Andi’s’ proposed studies will address a major gap in the field” and that he is “one of the top trainees whom I have had the luxury of mentoring.”

RECIPIENT: Xiyin Wang, PhD candidate (3rd year), biochemistry and molecular biology, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

RESEARCH: Discovery and Characterization of circRNAs that Drive Chemotherapy Resistance in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

SUMMARY: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Triplenegative breast cancer (TNBC) represents 15-20% of all breast cancers with high recurrence rates and few targeted treatment options to address chemoresistance. circRNAs are a new class of RNA molecules that play a crucial role in regulating tumor development and chemoresistance. One specific circRNA has been identified in TNBC and this study will examine its predictive biomarker and novel drug target potential.

Xiyin received degrees in biotechnology and medical genetics in China and has successfully published and been recognized for his research which focuses on understanding gene mechanisms in breast and ovarian cancers in order to develop effective targeted drug therapies. His supervisor wrote, “[Xiyin] independently brought to light an entirely new direction for our lab [thru identifying a specific circRNA associated with TNBC]. He is one of the most sincere, hardest working, productive, and intelligent students I have ever met.”

RECIPIENT: Bashir Lawal, PhD in cancer biology and drug discovery. Postdoctoral associate, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh

RESEARCH: Functional and Mechanistic Characterization of EPHA3 Intragenic Rearrangement (EPHA3d4-5) in High-Grade Serous Carcinoma Progression and Recurrence

SUMMARY: High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) accounts for 70-80% of ovarian cancer mortality and overall survival has not improved for decades, in part because recurrent diseases is often chemo-resistant and the mechanisms behind this resistance are not well understood. Intragenic rearrangements (IGRs) have been sporadically reported to be cancer drivers but they have not been rigorously studied in HGSC. This study will investigate a specific IGR as a potential key activator in HGSC for the purpose of developing effective targeted treatment.

Bashir grew up in rural Nigeria as one of seven children. He wrote about how Nigerian women do not have access to advanced medical care and the suffering and death of his friend to breast cancer is his reason for pursuing a career in cancer research. Bashir is the winner of a postdoctoral award for innovative cancer research and is the first author on a high number of publications at this early stage of his career. His supervisor wrote, “[Bashir] is highly motivated, exceptionally hard working, talented, capable, and intelligent molecular cancer biologist. We are confident that [he] will become a very successful and independent scientific researcher and make tremendous impact on the healthcare of cancer patients.”

RECIPIENT: Garyfallia (Fay) Papaioannou, MD/PhD. Fellow, endocrinology, Mass General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

RESEARCH: Cross Talk Mechanical and Hormonal Signals to Increase Bone Mass in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

SUMMARY: Fragility fractures due to osteoporosis disproportionately affect women due to bone loss following menopause. Current osteoporosis treatments are only partially effective and new therapies are needed. Exercise (mechanical loading) boosts bone formation and bone mass. Understanding the mechanisms that are responsible for exercise’s bone anabolic effects is crucial to develop ‘next generation’ therapies. Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) is a tyrosine kinase that when inhibited mimics the effects of exercise and promotes bone formation. This study will explore FAK specific pathways in order to develop novel treatments.

Fay is an endocrinologist physician-scientist focused on bone biology and osteoporosis management. She has numerous awards and published articles and her supervisor wrote that “her contributions..[have] made a major impact and established her as a ‘rising star’ in the skeletal biology field. [I am] overwhelmed by her intellect, presentation skills, work ethic and scientific potential.”

RECIPIENT: Ethiopia D. Getachew, MD student, Harvard Medical School

RESEARCH: Scholar in the Underrepresented in Medicine Visiting Scholars Program at Mass General Hospital Endocrine Department. This program is intended to attract future physician-scientists from
underrepresented backgrounds to a career in endocrinology and neuroendocrinology. There is a growing national shortage of clinical endocrinologists while the need is increasing due to the prevalence of diabetes and obesity. In addition, there is a lack of physicians and researchers from underrepresented backgrounds in this field.

SUMMARY: Ethiopia is the winner of numerous awards including grants from the National Institute of Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. While in this program she developed independent academic research projects on sex differences in neural response to food images and sex differences in the neurobiology of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), both of which were presented at the Endocrine Society.