Awardees & Updates – 2024

RECIPIENT: Lena Batoon, PhD, Post-doc (3rd yr), cancer biology, Mayo Clinic

RESEARCH: Exploiting therapy-induced senescence for the treatment of estrogen receptor alpha breast cancer

SUMMARY: This study is investigating how to prevent breast cancer recurrence and effectively treat it in the cases when it metastasizes to the bone. Lena is trained in bone biology with a focus on osteoporosis and fractures; with the addition of training in cancer biology she seeks to become an independent researcher combining these fields. Her pursuit is deeply personal having lost her mom to metastatic bone disease. Lena was honored the PhD Graduate of the Year Award along with multiple young investigator awards. Her supervisor wrote that she “is the most well-rounded and capable post-doctoral fellow that I have ever encountered.”

RECIPIENT: Marisa Brake, PhD, Post-doc (3rd year), hemostasis and thrombosis, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School

RESEARCH: Breast cancer-dependent regulation of tissue factor expression and coagulant activity

SUMMARY: Cancer is a major risk factor for both venous and arterial thrombotic events (ie blood clots). This study evaluates the genetic and mechanistic causes that may drive such life threatening cardiac occurrences in women with breast cancer in order to prevent them. Marisa has published and presented at different conferences on this subject. Her supervisor wrote that she is “the most gifted trainee I have supervised” with “the raw talent..to thrive as an independent investigator.”

RECIPIENT: Mihai Dumbrava, MD/PhD candidate, 4th yr regenerative sciences, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine & Graduate School of Biomedical Science

RESEARCH: Modulating the regulators of immune checkpoints to improve response to immunotherapy in early malignant stages of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma

SUMMARY: High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC) is the most common and lethal subtype of ovarian cancer; the majority of late-stage HGSC recur with chemotherapy ineffective. This study seeks to improve response to immunotherapy in early malignant stages of the disease. Mihai wrote that he is motivated to study and advance ovarian cancer treatment after witnessing the limited options that diagnosed women face. His supervisor wrote that “his academic brilliance” combined with his “exceptional personal qualities” will make him a “significant contributor to the field of women’s health and cancer research.”

RECIPIENT: Ke Shan, PhD candidate, 5th yr, biochemistry, Duke University

RESEARCH: Targeting force-induced hypercoagulability and cardiovascular complications during pregnancy

SUMMARY: Thrombosis (blood clots) is the leading cause of pregnancy complications, maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. This study is seeking to improve understanding of thrombosis in pregnant women and treatment options. Ke is motivated by her family members’ complications from cardiovascular disease and the understudied nature of pregnancy in this field. Ke graduated #1 in rank from a highly competitive joint master’s program at National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica and has received several competitive awards and honors. Her supervisor wrote that she “has made a number of novel discoveries” and that she is “a talented..and highly promising young female scientist.”

RECIPIENT: Huaizhi (Gilbert) Huang, PhD candidate, 4th yr, molecular pharmacology & experimental therapeutics, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

RESEARCH: Systematic functional characterization and clinical classification of missense variants of uncertain significance (VUS) in the BRCA2 cancer predisposition gene

SUMMARY: BRCA2 variants predispose individuals to higher risk of breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancers. Genetic testing has led to identifying thousands of individual variants, however the clinical significance of the majority of these variants is unclear. This study seeks to improve understanding and clinical significance of BRCA2 variants using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Huaizhi was first exposed to the power of next-generation sequencing when learning about rare genetic diseases in children in his mother’s pediatric endocrinology clinic in China. His supervisor wrote that he “is by far the best student I have ever been associated with in 35 years in research” and that his research is potentially “ground breaking in the cancer genetics field.”

RECIPIENT: Alaa Ali, PhD, microbiology and immunology, Post-doc fellow, Dana Farber Cancer Institute

RESEARCH: Mabkine, a novel soluable anti-NKG2A and IL-15 fusion protein combined with HER2-CAR NK cells for the treatment of advanced breast cancer

SUMMARY: This study seeks to develop immunotherapies to treat breast cancer using antibody-cytokine conjugates such as the mabkine by merging the specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the potent immunomodulatory effects of cytokines and natural killer (NK) cells. This innovative approach aims to improve the effectiveness of breast cancer treatment with less systemic toxicity. Alaa is interested in gene manipulation of NK cells to enhance and advance cancer treatment. His supervisor wrote “I believe Alaa is in the top 1%…he is a “stellar postdoc [with an] extraordinary publication record.”