Casandra Philipson, NIMML PhD student, receives Graduate Research Development Program Funding

Casandra Philipson, a PhD student in NIMML, was awarded the 2014 Graduate Research Development Program (GRDP) Award by Virginia Tech in collaboration with a fellow student, Hang Zhang, to continue a project originating from a GBCB problem-solving course. Casandra and Hang have developed a computational and mathematical model to understand how cells undergo phenotypic changes during cancer. This process, known as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), is at the core of cancer metastasis and considered a promising therapeutic target for new cancer treatments. By studying EMT using computational modeling, the team is able to make novel predictions about complex signaling patterns that govern cell plasticity. During the upcoming months, Casandra and Hang aim to validate key computational predictions and release a version of their model using the GRDP award funding.

About NIMML

The NIMML Institute is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit public charity foundation focused on a transdisciplinary, team-science approach to precision medicine at the interface of immunology, inflammation, and metabolism. The NIMML Institute team has led numerous large-scale transdisciplinary projects and is dedicated to solving important societal problems by combining the expertise of immunologists, computational biologists, toxicologists, modelers, translational researchers, and molecular biologists. The Institute is headquartered in Blacksburg, VA. For more information, please visit www.nimml.org or contact pio@nimml.org.