Marcos Corchado
Project – The Role of LPR-3 as a Cell Non-Autonomous Regulator of Oncogenic Let-60/Ras in C. Elegans
Summary – Elucidate the mechanism of LPR-3 and test the hypothesis that LPR-3 is secreted and binds to a receptor to promote activated let-60 signaling. The results from this work will provide the groundwork to uncover a conserved mechanism for deregulation of Ras signaling in human cancer and identify novel therapeutic targets for treatment.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Rider: 25 miles
Watch as Marcos shares more details about his research project.
Corrine Haines
Project – Identifying the Mechanism by Which GREB1 Regulates Breast Cancer Proliferation
Summary – Study how the protein GREB1 regulates the proliferation of breast cancer in order to determine if could serve as a biomarker for response to therapies already approved by the FDA for other cancers.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Rider: 45 miles
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Kevin Huang
Project – Mitigating Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiac Toxicity Through OCT3 Inhibition
Summary – The anthracycline doxorubicin is among the most effective and commonly used anticancer agents, but its use is associated with potentially life-threatening cardiotoxicity. By identifying a previously unrecognized pathway of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity that is initiated by an organic cation transporter system and is highly sensitive to pharmacological inhibition, it could lead to the future development of new targeted interventions to mitigate this debilitating side effect.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Rider: 100 miles
Watch as Kevin shares more details about his research project.
Ezgi Karaesmen
Project – The Role of Pharmacogenomics in Survival Outcomes Following Blood or Marrow Transplants
Summary – Research how germline genetic variation, combined with the conditioning regimen given to a patient, can have a significant modifying impact on overall patient survival following a blood or marrow transplant.
Connection to Cancer – Last year, I lost my grandfather to cancer. He was a tall, healthy man who taught me not to be scared of any bugs, to love and respect the nature, and in fact, it was my grandfather who first planted the seeds of my interest in biology. I was devastated when cancer snuck up on him unexpectedly and took his life in a matter of weeks. At the time of diagnosis, his cancer was already at an advanced stage and there was nothing we could do but wait out its course. I have been conducting cancer research for over four years now, and the biology and complexity of cancer has been a great interest to me. But losing my grandfather put things in a different perspective; it made me realize what actually losing someone to cancer meant to a family. I believe that every little step counts towards a cancer-free world and doing research is my way of being there for families that are touched by cancer. I want to be involved in science that arms physicians with precise tools and that doesn't leave any room for desperation in our fight against cancer.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Rider: 45 miles
Watch as Ezgi shares more details about her research project.
Esko Kautto
Project – Using Long-Read Technologies for Fusion Detection in Cancer Genomes
Summary – Develop a technological approach that can detect every large structure variant in a patient's tumor genome. Comprehensive characterization of these molecular events will be critical for clinical care, as it will allow physicians to choose the best treatment for their individual cancer patients.
Watch as Esko shares more details about his research project.
Ila Marathe
Project – Screening for Inhibitors of M. smithii RNase P to Identify Anti-Obesity and Anti-Cancer Therapeutics
Summary – Validate and test the utility of a fluorescence polarization-based HTS assay to identify inhibitors specific for M. smithii RNase P. By identifying an Msm-targeted therapeutic, we expect to fight obesity and minimize the associated cancer risk.
Connection to Cancer – In spite of tremendous progress, cancer still continues to bring indiscriminate devastation to patients and caregivers alike. My interest in cancer research stems from personal experiences. It is my desire to join the fight against cancer and participate in the multi-disciplinary efforts to bring the world closer to being cancer-free.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Rider: 25 miles
Watch as Ila shares more details about her research project.
Giovanna Merchand Reyes
Project – Discerning Nurse-Like Cell Development as New Therapeutic Strategy to Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Summary – Investigate whether epigenetic changes associated with increased Mek/Erk and AP-1 activity drive the development of NLCs with the purpose of identifying novel therapeutic targets that may aid in the treatment of CLL.
Connection to Cancer – I have seen what it's like to suffer from the disease. I have lost family members and friends because of it. But what impressed me the most was to see a child suffering from leukemia and slowly recover from it. Some days, he would look sad and like he was giving up, but at the end of my hospital stay, I was able to see him way better, and that wouldn’t be possible without good research and constant effort.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Rider: 25 miles
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Effie Miller
Project – Harnessing Reactivity in the Novel Mn/Fe Proteins: A Biosynthetic Approach to Cancer Research
Summary – Utilize a multi-faceted approach consisting of steady state and time-resolved biophysical and spectroscopic techniques to probe the reaction mechanism in R2lox and provide a comprehensive understanding of the molecular elements that influence substrate binding and reactivity.
Connection to Cancer – During my sophomore year of undergrad, my mom found out she had breast cancer at age 49. After undergoing a mastectomy and chemotherapy, she was declared cancer free and has been a survivor now for almost 8 years. I was a physics major at the time, and with everything going on, I went from a great student to failing classes. I moved back home the summer after her diagnosis and switched my major to something more biologically driven, with the hopes that I would be able to eventually do cancer research. It was that motivation which sent me to graduate school, and I actually found Ohio State a very attractive choice because of the Pelotonia program.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Rider: 25 miles
Watch as Effie shares more details about her research project.
Brandon Murphy
Project – Defining Mutation-Specific NRAS Function in Melanoma
Summary – Understanding the pathways necessary for oncogenic NRAS to drive melanoma formation will identify vulnerabilities downstream of oncogenic NRAS that could be pursued and targeted to identify new and more effective treatment options.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Rider: 45 miles
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Ansel Nalin
Project – Notch Signaling Regulates Human NK Cell Maturation in Secondary Lymphoid Tissues
Summary – Study how Notch signaling in the SLT microenvironment regulates the developmental transition from immature to functional NK cells. We will perform in vitro culture studies and in vivo adoptive transfer experiments using NK and other SLT-resident cells isolated from human tonsils using protocols optimized and published by our lab.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Riding for the fourth year
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Sunayana Nayak
Project – Identification of Novel Autophagic Regulation
Summary – This project will map the activity of a novel regulator and test the functional consequences of targeting this gene in an established model of non-small cell lung cancer.
Connection to Cancer – I lost both my grandfathers to cancer when I was young. Recently, we lost one of my dad's cousins to cancer as well. Currently, my childhood friend's dad is suffering with cancer. We have lost too many people to this disease, and for all I know, someday I might get this disease too. If I do, I hope I will be content with the knowledge that I worked at understanding cancer better with the larger purpose of finding a cure for it in mind.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Rider: 25 miles
Watch as Sunayana shares more details about her research project.
Avelina Padin
Project – Longitudinal Effects of Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Depression on Cardiovascular Fitness and Central Adiposity in Breast Cancer Survivors
Summary – Investigate longitudinal relationships among chemotherapy, depression, cardiovascular fitness and central adiposity in breast cancer patients to mitigate negative health outcomes and other risk factors.
Connection to Cancer – I'm interested in cancer research because of the hands-on clinical and research experiences I've had with breast cancer survivors. Many of these women report changes in mood and anxiety after diagnosis, and their stories have really fueled my interest in how mental health affects physical health during survivorship.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Virtual rider
Mi Seul Park
Project – Human Argonaute3: A New Target of Cancer Research
Summary– Despite its significant potential as a new target of cancer therapeutics, little is known about the molecular mechanism of the AGO3-specific sorting system. The goal of this research is to provide insight into Argonaute3 as a new target of cancer research and provide a comprehensive list of mRNAs influencing carcinogenesis.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Rider: 25 miles
Watch as Mi Seul shares more details about her research project.
Christopher Schwebach
Project – Characterizing Novel Mechanisms for Regulation of Cancer
Summary – Distinguish how PLS2 regulation contributes to the migration of cancer cells and utilize PLS2 as a target for therapies inhibiting metastasis through modulation of the actin cytoskeleton in cancer cells.
2018 Pelotonia Participant – Rider: 45 miles
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Maximillian Westphal
Project – New X-ray Sources and Heavy Element Nanomoieties Enhance Radiation Therapy and Reduce Patient Risk
Summary – Study monochromatic and quasimonochromatic X-ray devices and nanoparticles to better understand how their spectra interact with cells, tissue and heavy atoms for enhancing biomedical imaging and therapy.
Watch as Maximillian shares more details about his research project.