NCI Cancer Education Program Class of 2018

Fadumo Abdullahi

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: La Creis R. Kidd, Ph.D.
Research Project: Impact of Chemokine Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Pair Jointly Modified Prostate Cancer Risk among men of African Descent

 Cady Barbour

University of Kentucky undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Ramesh C. Gupta, Ph.D.
Research Project: Role of Anthocyanidins on Immune Checkpoint Protein, PD-L1 in HCT116 and HT-29 Colorectal Cancer Cells

Lloyd Bartley

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Chi Li, Ph.D.
Research Project: A CRISPR Platform for Rapid and Inducible Genome Editing in Human Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

 

Campbell Bishop

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Susan Galandiuk,  M.D.
Research Project: Expression of Long Non-Coding RNA in Colon Adenocarcinoma and Matched Normal Adjacent Epithelium

 

 

Tessa Blevins          

University of Kentucky undergraduate
Faculty Mentor:  Sandy Sephton, Ph.D.
Research Project: Factors Related to Cancer Patients’ Willingness to Participate in an iPod-based MBSR Intervention

 

 

Caleb Bridgwater

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Haixun Guo,  Ph.D.
Research Project: Development of a PD-L1 PET Imaging Biomarker for Cancer Immunotherapy

Keegan Curry

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Jill Steinbach-Rankins,  Ph.D.
Research Project: The Development of Hybrid Lipid-Polymer Nanoparticle Architectures for the Sustained-Release of Small Hydrophilic Molecules

Brittani D'Angelo

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Jonathan Freedman, Ph.D.
Research Project:  The Effects of Cadmium on Kidney Tissue

                                                          

 

Erica Daly

University of Kentucky undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Craig McClain, M.D.
Research Project:  Hyaluronic Acid is a Biomarker for Hemangiosarcoma Development

Damion Davis

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor:Levi Beverly, Ph.D.
Research Project: Cloning of Ubiqilin-1 Gene

Evan Delfino

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Melissa Potts, M.D..
Research Project:  Radioembolization with Yttrium-90 in Patients with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma and a Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt

Alisha Deshmukh

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Shirish Barve, PhD
Research Project:  Histone Deacetylation is the Primary Epigenetic Mechanism for Silencing of Tumor Suppressor Gene - Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor-2 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Sara Frigui

Stanford University undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: John Trent, Ph.D.
Research Project: Biophysical Investigation of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors as Ligands of G-quadruplexes

Devin Frisby

College of Wooster undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Robert Mitchell, Ph.D.
Research Project: Glutamine Dependent Regulation of PD-L1 Expression in Macrophages
and non-small cell lung cancer

Mariah Geisen

Bellarmine University undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: John Wise Sr., Ph.D.
Research Project: Comparative Effects of Particulate Hexavalent Chromium on Mitotic Stages in Human and Whale Lung Fibroblasts

 

Delana Gilkey

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentors: Richard Baumgartner, Ph.D. and Kathy Baumgartner, Ph.D.
Research Project:  Epidemiologic Evaluation of Black:White Breast Cancer Disparities by Age in Kentucky

Alana Gipson

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Jorge Gomez-Gutierrez, Ph.D.
Research Project: Targeting Breast Cancer Resistance to Palbociclib via Oncolytic Virotherapy

Jenci Hawthorne

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentors:  Haval Shirwan, Ph.D. and Esma Yolcu, Ph.D.
Research Project: Assessing the Efficacy of the SA-4-1BBL Checkpoint Stimulator for Cancer Immunotherapy (embargoed)

Talaijha Haynes

Jackson State University undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Robert C.G. Martin, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Project: Surgical Quality of Acute Diverticulitis at the University of Louisville

Sherrika Denise Howell

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor:  Sucheta Telang, M.D.
Research Project:  The Effect OF PFKFB Inhibition on Cell Survival in Lung Cancer

Olivia Jacobs

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Leah Siskind, Ph.D.
Research Project: Chronopharmacology Studies in a Clinically-relevant Mouse Model of Cisplatin Nephrotoxicity

Jeremy Jones

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Joshua Hood, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Project: Macrophage Polarization Status Influences Macrophage Responsiveness to Lung Cancer Exosome-derived Nanocarriers

Cyrus Khalily

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Zhao-hui Song, Ph.D.
Research Project: GPR12-Mediated Alteration of the mTOR Pathway by Phytocannabinoids

Dara McDougal

North Carolina Central University undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: La Creis R. Kidd., Ph.D.
Research Project: Complex Interactions Among Toll-Like Receptor Related Sequence Variants and Prostate Cancer Susceptibility Among Men of African Descent

 

Evan Meiman

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Sucheta Telang, M.D..
Research Project: 6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 4 (PFKFB4) Inhibition in Lung Cancer

Paige Mitchell

Arizona State University undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: David W. Hein, Ph.D.
Research Project: The Relationship between NAT1 and N-Acetylasparagine or N-Acetylputrescine

Asim Mohiuddin

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Nejat Egilmez, Ph.D.
Research Project: Effects of Lung Microbiota on Lung Tumorigenesis

Evgeniya Molotkova

Georgia Institute of Technology undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Geoff Clark, Ph.D.
Research Project: Characterization of a First-in-Class Targeted Inhibitor of the RALGDS Oncoprotein

 

Lexina Patel

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Cash, PhD
Research Project: Neighborhood Socioeconomic Stressor Effect in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Zachary Pulliam

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Robert C.G. Martin, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Project: Electrochemotherapy Augments Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Tumor Cell Killing by Inducing Apoptosis and Disrupting Cell Adhesion

Charmi Shah

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Levi Beverly, Ph.D.
Research Project: Effects of Alterations on SAM/Met Pathway on Normal HSPCs

Kendall Smith

Hanover College undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Norman Lehman, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Project: The Aurora-A Inhibitor Alisertib is Synergistic with VEGFR Inhibitors in Glioblastoma Cell Lines

    Cibi Sripathi

        University of Louisville undergraduate
        Faculty Mentor: Chendil Damodaran, Ph.D.
        Research Project:  Identification of a Novel Molecule for the Treatment of Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

   Manasa Sunkara

      University of Cincinnati undergraduate
      Faculty Mentor:  Michael Egger, M.D.
      Research Project: Effect of Preoperative Narcotics and Benzodiazepines on Perioperative and Postoperative Outcome in Cancer- related  Surgeries
 

   Kennedy Walls

     University of Louisville undergraduate
     Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Leah Siskind
     Research Project:  Repeated Administration of Cisplatin Increases EGFR/EGFR Activation and Renal Fibrosis in Kras4bG12D Lung    Adenocarcinoma-bearing Mice, but Kidney Injury is Further Exacerbated with Erlotinib/Cisplatin Combination Treatment 

 

Stephen Winter

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Jill Steinbach-Rankins, Ph.D.
Research Project: Evaluation of Surface Modified Nanoparticle Transport and Metastatic Invasion using a Novel Multicellular Ovarian Tumor Spheroid Model

 Al exandra Wright

  University of Louisville undergraduate
  Faculty Mentor:  Jun Yan, M.D., Ph.D.
  Research Project:  Modulation of Macrophage Polarization by Urolithin A 

Manting Xu

Williams College undergraduate
Faculty Mentor:  Hari Bodduluri, Ph.D.
Research Project:  Localization of Rab35 to Lipidosome During Crystalline Silica-Induced Inflammation

 

 

 Daniel Zetter

  University of Louisville medical student
  Faculty Mentor:  Robert C. G. Martin, M.D., Ph.D.
  Research project:  Laproscopic Liver Resection: A 17-Year Analysis of Outcomes, Patient Selection and Changing Trends

 Yue Zhang

Massachusetts Institute of Technology undergraduate 
Faculty Mentor: Shao-yu Chen, Ph.D.
Research project:  MicroRNAs are Involved in DNA Damage and Cytotoxicity in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells Concurrently Exposed to Ambient Particulate Matter and Ethanol

Corey Ziemba

 University of Louisville medical student
 Faculty Mentor: John Wise, Sr., Ph.D.
 Research Project: Effects of Prolonged Hexavalent Chromium Exposure on Homologous DNA Recombination in Human Epithelial Cells Grown in Minimal Serum Media