American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant Recent Awardees

2021 Funding Year

Yajie Kevin Liang, MB, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Pilot Title: Multiplex single-cell functional analysis platform under intravital 2-photon microscopy to interrogate heterogeneity of patient-derived glioblastoma in a mouse model
Award Category: Cancer Related Project

Ahmed Sultan, BDS, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences
University of Medicine School of Dentistry
Pilot Title: Oral complication and characterization of oral microbiome shifts in patients receiving proton therapy for head and neck cancer
Award Category: Cancer Related Project

Jitao Zhang, PhD
Assistant Research Professor
Fischell Department of Bioengineering
University of Maryland College Park
Pilot Title: Mechanical phenotype as a new biomarker for early detection of metastatic cancer cell
Award Category: Cancer Related Project

2020 Funding Year

Rachel Abbotts, MBChB, PhD
Research Associate
Department of Radiation Oncology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Pilot Title: Targeting DNA Repair Defects Induced by Immune
Signaling in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Award Category: Cancer Related Project

Saurabh Dahiya, MBBS
Assistant Professor
Department of Hematology and Oncology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Pilot Title: A Pilot Study to Conduct Feasible of Point-of Care Manufacturing of Adapter CAR T Cells Using Semi-Automated Clinic MACS Prodigy System
Award Category: Cancer Related Project

Achuth Padmanabhan, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Pilot Title: Impact of P53 mutation status and Estradiol in regulating Ovarian Cancer Metastasis and response to immunotherapy
Award Category: Cancer Related Project

Melissa Ana Liriano Vyfhuis, MD, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of Radiation Oncology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Pilot Title: Effects of Food Deserts on Cancer Care and Outcome
Award Category: Cancer Health Disparities

2019 Funding Year

Sally Adebamowo, MSc, ScD
Assistant Professor
Department of Epidemiology & Public Health
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Pilot Title: Development of a multi-omics classifier for high risk HPV triage
Award Category: Cancer Related Projects

Darren Perkins, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Pilot Title: PGE2 Inhibition of STING in Cancer
Award Category: Cancer Related Project

Greg Szeto, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Pilot Project: Engineering inhibition of Yap to enhance cancer immunotherapy
Award Category: Cancer Related Project

Cher Dallal, PhD, MS, MPH
Associate Professor
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
University of Maryland School of Public Health
Pilot Project: Obesity phenotypes, metabolic heath, and breast cancer racial disparities
Award Category: Cancer Health Disparities