Markey researchers to present groundbreaking cancer findings at AACR meeting
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 21, 2025) — University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers will present their latest scientific advancements at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Chicago April 27-30. As part of the annual international gathering of cancer experts, the UK Markey Cancer Center team will present a range of studies with the potential to significantly transform cancer care.
Markey Cancer Center’s contributions to the 2025 meeting highlight the center’s commitment to tackling critical challenges in cancer, from understanding drug resistance to developing innovative therapeutic strategies. Researchers will present their findings through poster presentations on a variety of topics including overcoming drug resistance, metabolic dependencies in cancer and novel therapeutic strategies.
These presentations will provide valuable insights into cancer’s complexities and potential future treatment options, reinforcing Markey’s position as a leader in cancer research and a driving force for advancements in clinical care.
Schedule of Markey presentations at the AACR Annual Meeting
Markey researchers will present their work in the following poster sessions:
April 27
2-5 p.m.
- Parvanee Karimpour: Integrin α6β4 and immunosuppression in breast cancer
April 28
9 a.m.-noon
- Xudong Zhu: Glycogen metabolism in cancer-associated fibroblasts
- Felix F. Oyelami: Targeting PGK1 to induce ferroptosis in breast cancer
- Mithu Howlader: Lactate-induced c-Myc in prostate cancer progression
- Mahnaz Norouzi: Targeting DNA repair in neuroblastoma
2-5 p.m.
- Zhijie Yin: Fibroblasts and chemotherapy resistance
- Md Rakibul Alam: Improving docetaxel therapy in prostate cancer
- Amos Olalekan Akinyemi: Targeting ER stress in prostate cancer
- Erika M. Skaggs: Bias in AI-based digital pathology
- Dave-Preston Esoe: Targeting the tumor microenvironment
April 29
9 a.m.-noon
- Haley Stanczyk: PTPTF regulation of c-Src kinase
- Carolina Galeano-Naranjo: PTPRF regulation of c-MET in colon cancer
- Subin Kim: Enhancing doxorubicin therapy in neuroendocrine cancer
- Piotr Rychahou: Fatty acid synthase inhibition to prevent metastatic colonization by pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor cells
2-5 p.m.
- Mariah E. Geisen: Inhibiting FASN to combat drug resistance in colorectal cancer
- Kevin Fulp: EMT and pro-metastatic membrane trafficking in lung cancer
- Avery Childress: Targeting heterogeneity in non-small cell lung cancer
April 30
9 a.m.-noon
- Jinghui Liu: Targeting mRNA decay and heat shock protein in prostate cancer
- Elham Zokaei: PDCD4/mTORC2 axis in non-small cell lung cancer
- Josiane Weber Tessmann: Fatty acid synthase and exosomes in colorectal cancer
- Daniel R. Plaugher: Enhancing TIL efficacy in NSCLC through epigenetic reprogramming and computational modeling
- Christian M. Gosser: Targeting EZH2 in osimertinib-resistant lung cancer
- Jieyun Jiang: Role of obesity in acute myeloid leukemia progression
- Haoming Wu: Impact of NT/NTR1 signaling in colorectal cancer
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