PHILANTHROPY IMPACT, The Rich and Robin Porter Cancer Research Center and Fellows

TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CANCER RESEARCHERS

The Rich and Robin Porter Cancer Research Center (PCRC) was established at Indiana State University in 2020 by a generous donation from ISU alumnus Rich Porter and his wife Robin. Comprised of research laboratory space in ISU’s Science Building, and with affiliated faculty from multiple ISU departments, the PCRC pushes the boundaries of cancer research at ISU and transforms the University into a premier training center for the next generation of cancer researchers. The PCRC pursues this goal by recruiting the best and brightest graduate students from around the world. These Porter Research Fellows are provided the financial support to work year-round on cancer-related research in collaboration with ISU faculty.

“Cancer will be cured one discovery at a time, and our hope is that one of these discoveries will be made by a student from Indiana State University via the Rich and Robin Porter Cancer Research Center — whether that discovery takes place at Indiana State University or at some future point in these students’ careers. That’s our ultimate hope; that somebody from Indiana State University will be a participant in a discovery that will cure one version of cancer.” — Rich Porter, ’77

MEET THE RICH AND ROBIN PORTER FELLOWS

The Rich and Robin Porter Cancer Research Center at Indiana State University (ISU) provides competitive fellowships to the best and brightest incoming graduate students who seek training in cancer-related research.

Keeley is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biology at Indiana State University. She earned her bachelor’s in science with honors from Indiana State University. Her interests in the field began with the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program supported by The Center for Genomic Advocacy. Since that first summer, she has dedicated countless hours to investigations into breast cancer with an emphasis on the mechanisms of acquired chemoresistance. Her work, under the advisement of Dr. Catherine E. Steding, focuses on the role of microtubule associated proteins in acquired chemoresistance against Paclitaxel. Her findings include a novel role for KIF14 in acquired chemoresistance indicating its potential as a both a biomarker of resistance and a therapeutic target. She recently presented these works at two conferences and won second place for her poster at the Midwest Graduate Research Symposium. AJ is a Ph.D. student in biology under the guidance of Dr. Kristopher Schwab. He earned his pre-medicine bachelor of science degree in nutrition science from Purdue University, during which he became fascinated by the molecular, cellular, and developmental mechanisms underlying human congenital disease and cancer. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a model of heart development, AJ’s research in Dr. Schwab’s laboratory has extended our knowledge of critical transcriptional and epigenetic regulation machinery necessary for proper heart cell division and embryonic heart patterning. The epigenetic and transcriptional regulatory proteins encoded by these genes are evolutionarily conserved from insects to humans and required for embryonic development, cellular differentiation, physiological function, and the overall health of the organism. He has presented these scientific findings at the following conferences: The Annual Indiana Academy of Sciences Conferences, Midwest Drosophila Conferences, and a Genetics Society of America Annual Drosophila Research Conference. Rezaul completed a bachelor’s degree in genetic engineering and biotechnology at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh. His interests in cancer lie in the initiation and development of cancer from the perspective of cell division. He is particularly interested in how the processes controlling cell division becomes unregulated and unchecked. He plans to focus on research that enables clarification of the processes of cell division in heart development, cardiac disease, and cancer. His studies will be completed using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. Andrew is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biology at Indiana State University under the guidance of Dr. Shaad M. Ahmad. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science degree from ISU where he developed a passion for biology and genetics by sequencing the genome of a virulent strain of the Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria under the aegis of The Center for Genomic Advocacy and Dr. Kyu Hong Cho, an achievement that led to his first published manuscript. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, Andrew has made significant contributions to our understanding of cardiogenesis. These works are directly translatable to cancer as they elucidate key mechanisms and pathways for disease initiation, progression, and even metastatic potential. His work also shows significant promise toward clarifying the role of key molecules in gene regulation, cell fate specification, and cell division—thereby identifying new avenues of interest in cancer research. Danielle is a graduate of Indiana State University where she learned the essential foundation for culture and experimental activities associated with cancer research under the advisement of Dr. Catherine E. Steding. Her work will emphasize the role of cellular signaling in acquired chemoresistance. Her focus is on key players and potential markers for chemoresistance through investigations into the Wnt signaling pathway. This pathway has been established as a major mechanism for disease activity in a variety of cancers thus further elucidating its role in acquired chemoresistance stands to further our understanding of a wide range of biological processes essential to cancer development, progression, and metastasis. KEELEY CLEGHORN | PH.D. STUDENT | BIOLOGY AJ FARMER | PH.D. STUDENT | BIOLOGY REZAUL HASAN | PH.D. STUDENT | BIOLOGY ANDREW KUMP | PH.D. STUDENT | BIOLOGYDANIELLE MUSE | PH.D. STUDENT | BIOLOGY