Dr. Alam, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Department of Immunology, is working to uncover new treatment options to improve survival rates for PDAC patients. His research will focus on how fungi in our bodies might impact the development of pancreatic cancer.
“With this support, I will be able to improve my research, collaborate with other researchers in the field and gain a better understanding of how this type of cancer works,” said Dr. Alam.
Being selected for SAC funding is a competitive and rigorous process, one in which Dr. Alam needed to demonstrate high potential and established groundwork.
This project aims to explore how interactions between cancer and any present fungi affect the release of an immune signaling protein, which could ultimately impact the progression of the disease. Understanding the role of the exocyst complex (an important protein complex) could lead to new treatment strategies to change the tumor’s environment, encouraging a stronger immune response against PDAC and improving pancreatic cancer patient survival.
