VK Gadi, MD, PhD, and Ece Mutlu, MD, MBA, receive 2026 Pilot Project Program Awards from the University of Illinois Cancer Center
2026 Awardees
Department of Medicine faculty members VK Gadi, MD, PhD, and Ece Mutlu, MD, MBA, received 2026 Pilot Project Program Awards from the University of Illinois Cancer Center.
VK Gadi, MD PhD, and collaborator Bin He, PhD, are leading a project focused on the development of a novel oncolytic virotherapy platform that kills cancer cells and stimulates antitumor immune responses, significantly reducing tumor growth and metastasis in preclinical models. These efforts aim to develop the next-generation treatment for breast cancer.
Ece Mutlu, MD, MBA, and collaborator Constance Jeffery, PhD, are investigating whether differences in aldosterone signaling in the intestinal lining, potentially influenced by the gut microbiome, contribute to an underlying colorectal cancer disparity.
These $50,000 pilot awards support innovative collaborations and help generate preliminary data for future NIH grant applications.