Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellowship Awardees

2025 Awardees

Ozge Saatci headshot

Ozge Saatci, Ph.D.

LOWVELO Post-doctoral Fellow

Project: Roles of Aminoacyl tRNA Synthetases in Tumor Progression

Mentor: Ozgur Sahin, Ph.D.

My research interests focus on discovering novel mechanisms of therapy resistance and metastasis, and preclinical testing of novel therapeutic approaches to treat aggressive breast cancers. I had an extensive training in cancer cell biology, functional transcriptomics/bioinformatics, translational medicine, and drug discovery during my postgraduate studies.

Alessandro Zuccotti

Alessandro Zuccotti, Ph.D.

LOWVELO Post-doctoral Fellow

Project: Therapeutic Targeting of HSP70 in Colorectal Cancer

Mentor: Tim Barnoud, Ph.D.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the most diagnosed cancers world-wide. In addition, it is estimated that over 50,000 people in the United States will die from CRC in 2024. Despite the emergence of new targeted and immune based therapies, the five-year survival rate for patients with metastatic CRC remains below twenty percent. The molecular chaperone known as ‘heat shock protein 70’ (HSP70) is markedly over-expressed in CRC and is significantly associated with poor survival.

Based on these clinical findings, we developed a unique HSP70 inhibitor that is highly potent in CRC cells but is significantly less toxic to normal colon epithelial cells and tissues. The long-term goal of this research project is to test our unique HSP70 inhibitor in pre-clinical models of CRC.

Importantly, we plan to develop new combination strategies for the hardest to treat subtypes of CRC, including mutant B-RAF and mutant p53 driven CRC. We will also determine the mechanism by which HSP70 inhibition promotes cell death in CRC. We hope that the successful completion of this project will advance our fundamental understanding of HSP70 in CRC.

2024 Awardees

portrait of cancer researcher Metin Cetin

Metin Cetin, Ph.D.

LOWVELO Post-doctoral Fellow

Project: Targeting Metabolic Plasticity in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Mentor: Ozgur Sahin, Ph.D.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype. It accounts for ~15% of all breast cancer patients yet is responsible for 30% of breast cancer deaths. The lack of receptors for targeted therapies limits the therapeutic options to conventional chemotherapy. Furthermore, high metabolic heterogeneity/plasticity allow TNBC cells to rewire their metabolism and activate compensatory pathways to survive. Therefore, blocking metabolic plasticity in TNBC remains an unmet clinical need to be addressed. This project will focus on targeting metabolic rewiring in TNBCs and will develop effective combinatorial strategies to exploit the metabolic vulnerabilities of tumors and block the compensatory metabolic pathways, ultimately improving clinical outcome.

portrait of cancer researcher Maria Turos Cabal

Maria Turos-Cabal, Ph.D.

LOWVELO Post-doctoral Fellow

Project: Uncovering Novel SHH Regulators for Patients with Treatment Resistant Medulloblastoma

Mentor: Jezabel Rodriguez Blanco, Ph.D.

Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children, is currently classified into four major subgroups. Tumors within the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) subgroup account for one-third of the cases and are characterized by constant activation of SHH signaling. While 75% of children with SHH medulloblastoma survive, they face the consequences of aggressive current therapies (surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy).

To mitigate treatment-associated toxicities, targeted therapies for children with medulloblastoma are being developed. These therapies aim to target specific drivers of tumor growth rather than indiscriminately targeting proliferating cells. Among these more specific therapeutics, those tailored for children with SHH medulloblastoma are the most advanced. These therapies primarily focus on targeting the key component of the SHH pathway, Smoothened (SMO). Despite promising efficacy, treatment resistance and relapse are often observed in medulloblastoma patients exposed to SMO inhibitors.

My project aims to identify compounds acting downstream of SMO, with a specific emphasis on targeting the ultimate pathway effectors—the Glioma-associated family of transcription factors GLI. Proteomic analysis in SHH medulloblastoma models has identified potential GLI regulators. I now propose to validate one of the identified candidates and assess its efficacy using ex vivo and in vivo SHH medulloblastoma models. The successful completion of this project may facilitate the translation of the validated GLI regulator for the treatment of children with SHH medulloblastoma.

Past Fellows