(l-r) front row: Daniel Berrebi and River Hames (l-r) back row: Stephen Chen, Emmanuel Chan and Joseph McGuire
What: Five undergraduate students have completed cancer research fellowships at the WVU Cancer Institute this summer. They will share their research findings with their peers and mentors during a symposium.
Who: Daniel Berrebi studied the role of fat tissue in contributing to the spread of breast cancer to other parts of the body. His mentor was Linda Vona-Davis, PhD, in the WVU Department of Surgery. Daniel is the son of Denise and Albert Berrebi of Morgantown. He is a senior at WVU and is majoring in biology.
River Hames studied the mechanisms by which head and neck cancer squamous cell carcinoma moves into neighboring tissue and spreads to other parts of the body. His mentor was Scott Weed, PhD, in the WVU Department of Biochemistry. River is the son of Lori Montague of Morgantown and Michael Hames of Florence, Alabama. He is a senior at WVU and is majoring in biology.
Emmanuel Chan studied the effectiveness of targeted therapy drugs to treat lung cancer. His mentor was Patrick Ma, MD, in the WVU Department of Medicine. Emmanuel is the son of Rebecca and Perry Chan of Phoenix, Arizona. He is a sophomore at UC Berkeley and is majoring in molecular cell biology and psychology.
Stephen Chen studied novel nanotherapeutics to treat patients with lung cancer. His mentor was Erik Bey, PhD, in the WVU Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Stephen is the son of Lucy and Roger Chen of Morgantown. He is a junior at Princeton University and is majoring in molecular biology.
Joseph McGuire studied the role two gene families play in the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. His mentor was Alexey Ivanov, PhD, in the WVU Department of Biochemistry. He is the son of Catherine Mullens of Philippi and Bernard McGuire of Belington. He is a senior at WVU and is majoring in biology.
When: Tuesday, August 1 at 2 p.m.
Where: WVU Cancer Institute’s Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center atrium
Why: The highly competitive Summer Research Fellowship Program at the Cancer Institute provides funding and opportunities for undergraduate students who want to pursue careers in cancer research or medicine. Students receive a $4,000 stipend and are paired with a WVU cancer scientist for a 10-week research project.
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CONTACT: Sherry Stoneking, Public
Relations Manager, WVU Cancer Institute
304.293.4599; sstoneking@hsc.wvu.edu