03/02/2021
GMI Postdoc Receives National Cancer Institute Fellowship Award
Emily Fink, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Angela Ting, PhD, Genomic Medicine, recently received the National Cancer Institute Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award to support her research into the cause of abnormal DNA methylation in colorectal cancer (CRC) development.
Although DNA methylation (or the addition of a methyl group to DNA) is known to be dysregulated in every form of cancer, the cause of the abnormal methylation is not completely understood. With this project, Dr. Fink seeks to determine a potential source of the abnormal DNA methylation observed in CRC, which is the third most common cancer worldwide. Specifically, given that CRC has been associated with imbalances in the microbial community found in the gut (known as the gut microbiome), she will investigate if abnormal DNA methylation in CRC is caused by interactions between colon cell DNA and certain components of the gut microbiome (i.e., bacterial DNA methyltransferase enzymes).
The Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award is given to promising postdoctoral fellows who have the potential to become productive and successful independent cancer research investigators. The award will provide nearly $70,500 for up to two years.