6 Pew-Stewart Scholars Selected to Advance Innovative Cancer Research

PHILADEPHIA–The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust announced today the 2022 class of Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research.

These early-career scientists will receive four-year grants to explore the complexities underpinning how cancer develops and novel ways to treat it. This is the ninth year the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust has partnered with Pew to advance a legacy of cutting-edge cancer research.

“Cancer remains a leading cause of death and affects millions of lives every year,” said Susan K. Urahn, Pew’s president and CEO. “We are pleased to support these early-career researchers, who are embarking on pioneering research approaches for one of the most complex diseases of our time.”

These six scientists will examine some of the most pressing questions in cancer research, including what drives a rare type of bone cancer, how the nervous system regulates the body’s immune response to cancer, and how metabolic processes give way to cancer therapy resistance.

“This new class of scientists brings innovative ideas and approaches to the complex study of cancer,” said Peter M. Howley, M.D., chair of the Pew-Stewart national advisory committee. “I look forward to seeing their research accomplishments help in better understanding, preventing, and treating this disease.”

The 2022 Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research are:

Monther Abu-Remaileh, Ph.D.
Stanford University
Dr. Abu-Remaileh will determine how lysosomes help to orchestrate the rewiring of metabolic processes to fuel tumor growth in KRAS-driven cancers.

Alexander Bick, M.D., Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Dr. Bick will develop an algorithm to determine why and how only a small subset of pre-cancerous cells drive the development of blood cancers. 

Shasha Chong, Ph.D.
California Institute of Technology
Dr. Chong will investigate how the expression of a transcription factor in Ewing sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer, drives the expression of genes causing cancer development.

Alexander Huang, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Huang will investigate the underlying T cell responses from a new immunotherapy to develop safer and more effective treatments for melanoma.

Chengcheng Jin, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Jin will determine how the nervous system regulates immune responses to lung cancer.

Christina Towers, Ph.D.
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Dr. Towers will explore how cancer cells adapt their metabolic processes to resist therapy.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems.