09/06/2019
GMI Postdoc Receives National Cancer Institute Training Grant
Emily Fink, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Angela Ting, PhD, Genomic Medicine, was recently awarded funding through a Cancer Biology Training Grant from the National Cancer Institute, through the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University, to support her research into the impact of abnormal methylation on tumorigenesis.
To date, most research into the effects of gene methylation (a chemical change to the structure of DNA) has focused on methylation of promoter regions. Instead, the Ting lab is studying the impact of gene body methylation—specifically how chemical changes to the gene itself may drive cancer’s development and progression. With these funds, Dr. Fink will initiate her studies into the role of gene body methylation in the HEATR2 gene (HEAT Repeating Protein 2), which has not previously been tested in cancer.
The Cancer Biology Training Grant supports pre- and post-doctoral researchers whose projects focus on interdisciplinary and collaborative research directly relevant to cancer, helping to prepare early-stage cancer scientists for a future independent career. The grant will provide roughly $100 thousand over two years, with the potential to be extended for a third.