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Funded Projects

Unraveling the Crosstalk Between Estrogen and Viral Immunoevasion in Murine Papillomavirus Infection Model

Awarded in 2025
Postdoctoral Grant
Updated Dec 3, 2025

At a Glance

The project, Unraveling the Crosstalk Between Estrogen and Viral Immunoevasion in Murine Papillomavirus Infection Model, led by research associate Umar Sheikh, PhD, investigates how papillomaviruses evade the immune system and persist in the body, with a particular focus on the role of estrogen in shaping these infections. Using a laboratory model that closely mirrors human papillomavirus infection, the study aims to uncover how hormonal signals and viral strategies interact to allow long-term infection and potential progression to cancer. Paul Lambert, PhD, professor and chair of Oncology and director of the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, serves as the supervising mentor.

More Funded Projects

research icon: microscope and stethoscope
Postdoctoral Grant

Improved Detection of Breast Cancer During Imaging and Surgery with a New Contrast Agent

Awarded in 2025
The project, Improved Detection of Breast Cancer During Imaging and Surgery with a New Contrast Agent, led by research associate S. A. Amali S. Subasinghe, PhD, aims to improve the detection and surgical removal of breast cancer using a new contrast agent that becomes visible only within tumor tissue. The agent is activated by the enzyme cPLA2α, which is more active in cancer cells than in healthy cells, causing the compound to form a natural black pigment that highlights tumors. The study will test the contrast agent using optoacoustic imaging to detect tumors deep within the body and evaluate its ability to help surgeons visually identify tumor tissue during operations. Mark (Marty) Pagel, PhD, professor in the Department of Medical Physics, serves as the supervising mentor.
research icon: microscope and stethoscope
Postdoctoral Grant

Fibroblast-mediated Extracellular Matrix Remodeling as a Driver of Radiation Resistance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Awarded in 2025
The project, Fibroblast-mediated Extracellular Matrix Remodeling as a Driver of Radiation Resistance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, led by research associate Adeel Ahmed, PhD, investigates how changes in tumor tissue structure contribute to radiation resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a cancer closely linked to alcohol and tobacco use and nearly twice as common in Wisconsin as in the rest of the United States. With about half of patients showing limited response to standard radiation and chemotherapy, understanding why treatment fails is critical. This study examines how radiation alters the microstructure of tumor tissue and how these changes may enable cancer cells to survive therapy. David Beebe, PhD, professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UW–Madison, serves as the supervising mentor.