Two HMS postdoctoral researchers have been named Damon Runyon Fellows by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. The fellowship supports postdoctoral scientists conducting basic and translational cancer research in the laboratories of leading senior investigators.
The prestigious award encourages promising young scientists to pursue careers in cancer research by providing them with $300,000 in funding over four years to investigate cancer causes, mechanisms, therapies, and prevention.
“We are committed to continuing to provide financial support for these exceptional researchers, whose much-needed breakthroughs in cancer prevention, diagnostics, and therapeutics might otherwise go unfunded,” said Yung Lie, president and CEO of the foundation. “Damon Runyon Fellows are the future leaders of their fields.”
Nicholas Aboreden, HMS research fellow in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, was awarded a fellowship with his sponsor Kimberly Stegmaier, the HMS David G. Nathan Professor of Pediatrics at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Aboreden is studying how cancer cells exploit poorly understood regions of the genome called silencers, which act as molecular switches that turn genes off. His research maps these regulatory elements in an aggressive form of pediatric leukemia marked by widespread gene repression. By identifying the silencers cancer cells rely on to maintain their malignant state, he hopes to uncover new therapeutic vulnerabilities that could lead to more targeted treatments. The findings could also have implications for other types of cancer.
Shuya Wang, HMS research fellow in pediatrics at Dana-Farber, was awarded a fellowship with her sponsor David Pellman, the HMS Margaret M. Dyson Professor of Pediatric Oncology and HMS professor of cell biology at DFCI.
Wang is studying why cancer cells within the same tumor can have different patterns of gene activity, enabling some to adapt, become more aggressive, or resist treatment. Her research focuses on how instability in the genome may drive changes in the epigenome, which regulates whether genes are turned on or off. By identifying the genes and pathways linking these processes, she hopes to uncover new ways to limit tumor evolution and treatment resistance across cancer types.
Adapted from Damon Runyon Foundation press materials.
