Awarded in 2026
Home Department: Cancer Biology
Faculty Advisors: Scott Dixon (Biology), Julien Sage (Pediatrics – Hematology & Oncology and Genetics), and Steven Corsello (Medicine – Oncology)

Research Title: Activating a Novel Cell Death Pathway to Treat Cancer

Agents that induce non-apoptotic cell death may kill apoptosis-resistant cancer cells and enhance anti-tumor immunity, but existing inducers of non-apoptotic cell death have not advanced beyond preclinical testing. To address this, Krystina has screened two compound libraries to identify drug candidates that can induce non-apoptotic cancer cell death. This work aims to uncover translatable clinical agents that will activate novel cell death pathways in cancer cells.