USA Health Awarded Grant For Breast Cancer Research

 Dr. Debanjan Chakroborty, a cancer researcher at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute, is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama (BCRFA). These highly competitive grants provide investigators funding over two years. The awards act as seed funding for early-stage studies, allowing researchers to generate crucial data needed to attract major national grants. Chakroborty’s project will explore a novel axis in breast cancer progression. Specifically, the study will identify the role of lysine-deficient protein kinase 1 (WNK1) on matrix stiffness in breast cancer. WNK1 is a protein abundantly expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts, the most prominent non–cancer cell population in the breast cancer tumor microenvironment and the primary depositor of extracellular matrix. The research will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Dhananjay T. Tambe, associate professor of mechanical engineering/biomedical engineering at USA, and Dr. Elba A. Turbat-Herrera, professor of pathology and director of the USA Health Biobank. BCRFA is a nonprofit organization with a mission to find a cure for breast cancer by funding promising breast cancer research in Alabama. BCRFA funds promote a comprehensive approach to battling breast cancer by fueling collaborative and innovative research to help diagnose, treat, prevent and eradicate the disease.