Awarded in 2017
Home Department: Bioengineering
Faculty Advisors: Jennifer Cochran (Bioengineering) and Carolyn Bertozzi (Chemistry)

Research Title: Tumor-targeting immunostimulants for cancer immunotherapy

Research Description: Despite recent advances in cancer research, pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains one of the deadliest solid malignancies due in part to its resistance to systemic therapies. Studies have revealed that limited therapeutic delivery and immune evasion are two key elements contributing to this therapeutic resistance. Eliminating factors that regulate these physical and biochemical barriers is a promising approach to improve delivery, abate immune evasion, and stimulate an anti-tumor immune response. Caitlyn’s project will evaluate the efficacy of tumor-targeting agents to modulate these resistance mechanisms and to enhance immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer. This project spans the fields of protein engineering, chemical biology, and immuno-oncology. 

WHERE IS SHE NOW?

Caitlyn is a Postdoctoral Entrepreneur-In-Residence, Innovative Medicines Accelerator (IMA), at Stanford University.