By Hazel Scott/ASU
Three rising junior investigators were awarded a total of $ $120,000 from Alabama State University’s newly established Cancer Research Center (CRC) to build cancer research capacity at ASU.
“CRC supports three rising junior investigators each year to build and expand the research capacity in cancer research at ASU,” said Dr. Manoj K. Mishra, director of the CRC and Freshman Biology Program. “It will involve and support undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students. This grant also allows intra and inter-institutional collaborations.”
The awards were made possible by a $2.7 million grant to CRC from the American Cancer Society. One focus of the grant is to provide pilot projects and clinical scientist development grants to junior faculty interested in cancer research at ASU. “It is important for me to see that the CRC is in a position to support future cancer researchers that will ultimately increase the cancer research workforce at our campus,” said Mishra, the principal investigator professor for the initiative.
The three faculty junior investigators who were awarded the three pilot projects during the 2024-2025 academic year and are working on different cancer research projects are:
Mohammad Saleem, Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, grant title: Exploring Microbial-Metabolite Signatures to Trace the Development and Control of Colorectal Cancer Using Multi-Omics Approaches.
Dawna Nelson, Ph.D., associate professor of social work, Department of Social Work, grant title: “A Pilot Study of a Train-the-Trainer Intervention to Address Prostate Cancer Screening Knowledge and Medical Mistrust among Black Men via Community-Based Barbershops.”
Sanket Kanekar, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics, College of Business, grant title: “Investigating the relationship between Socio-Economic Factors, Cancer Screening Rates, and Cancer Prevalence in Underserved Screening.
Additionally, the award supports master students focusing on cancer research by providing them with a stipend and tuition support for two years. The CRC is open to inter-departmental and intercollege collaborations.
"I have awarded one to Azura Murphy who will graduate in May 2025," Mishra said.
Anyone who desires to work in the cancer area, including community cancer research, can contact Dr. Mishra at mmishra@alasu.edu.