Urbana, Ill. – Four Illinois students received the Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) Graduate Cancer Scholarships to pursue cancer research projects under the mentorship of CCIL scientists.
“A core mission of the Cancer Center at Illinois is to mobilize and inspire students across campus to pursue careers in cancer research,” Rex Gaskins, CCIL’s Associate Director for Education, said. “Not only do CCIL scholarships accelerate cancer discoveries at Illinois, but they provide students with real-world laboratory experience on exceptional, interdisciplinary teams.”
The four students selected include:
Bashar Emon — Bashar Emon is a graduate research assistant in mechanical science and engineering. The CCIL scholarship will fund a project to study the simultaneous biophysical and biochemical cellular interactions in 3D cancer models. He will be working with CCIL member Taher Saif, professor of mechanical science and engineering, Rohit Bhargava, CCIL Director and professor of bioengineering, and and Kannanganattu Prasanth, professor of cell and developmental biology. Emon is interested in continuing his studies in tumor stiffness and whether stimulation encourages growth production of cancer cells.
Sarah Gardner — Gardner is a graduate student research assistant in biochemistry. The CCIL scholarship will fund a project investigating how key enzymes and pathways regulate development of cancer stem cells. She will be working with CCIL associate member Jefferson Chan, assistant professor of chemistry, and CCIL Director, Rohit Bhargava, professor of bioengineering. Her long-term research goals include studying cancer stem cells and how their phenotype is influenced by the tumor microenvironment.
Yoon Jeong — Jeong is a graduate student research assistant in bioengineering. The CCIL scholarship will fund a project that establishes a bacteria-oncological screening strategy based on High-throughput Phenotype Screening (HTPS) and explore the role of the microbiome in pancreatic cancer recurrence. He will be working with CCIL Associate Director for Shared Resources Joseph Irudayaraj, professor of bioengineering, and CCIL associate member John Erdman, professor of food science and nutrition. Jeong is interested in better understanding the tumor microenvironment and microbiome alterations that could lead to elevated risks for diseases, like cancer, and re-occurrence in cancer patients.
You Jin Song — Song is a graduate student research assistant in cellular and developmental biology. The CCIL scholarship will fund a project that will test whether Metastasis-Associated Lung Adenocarcinoma Transcript 1 (MALAT1)-mediated SRSF1 activity plays an essential role during hypoxia response in cancer cells. She will be working with CCIL members Prasanth Kannanganattu, professor of cell and developmental biology, and Erik Nelson, associate professor, molecular and integrative physiology. Song is studying the intracellular mechanisms of cellular processes during cancer progression.
The scholarship funds will support projects starting in Fall 2021 – Spring 2022. The Cancer Center at Illinois Graduate Cancer Scholarship Program (GCSP) provides graduate students in CCIL member labs with experience preparing research proposals for supporting high-quality collaborative research conducted by those students.
Learn more about the GCSP program.
– Written by the CCIL Communications Team