Cancer Center Members Awarded American Cancer Society Research Grants

Two UVM Cancer Center members received Institutional Research Grants from the American Cancer Society for the fiscal year 2027, each in the amount of $40,000. These awards support innovative, early-stage cancer research with strong potential to improve patient care and outcomes. 

Noelle Gillis, Ph.D., Faculty Scientist, Department of Pharmacology at UVM Larner College of Medicine. Gillis is a member of the Cancer Cell research group. Her project, “Progesterone Receptor Isoform Imbalance as a Predictor of Endocrine Resistance in ER+ Breast Cancer” investigates how differences in progesterone receptor biology may help predict which patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer will develop resistance to endocrine therapy. “Clinicians currently lack tools to predict which tumors will fail treatment,” Gillis says. “This project will lay the groundwork for improved treatment selection and better outcomes for patients across Vermont, Maine, and northern New York.” Her work aims to identify new biomarkers that could guide more personalized treatment decisions for one of the most common cancers affecting women in the region. 

Matthew Hannaford, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics at UVM Larner College of Medicine. Hannaford is a member of the Cancer and Host Interactions (CHI) research group. His project, “Defining Mechanistic Links Between Centrosome Fragility, Centrosome Amplification, and Chromosome Instability” seeks to understand how chromosomal instability – a hallmark of many cancers – develops at the cellular level. His research examines how fragility in the centrosome – that is, a cellular structure that regulates the cell cycle – can drive errors in cell division, leading to more aggressive, treatment-resistant disease. “Identifying the mechanisms that lead to chromosome instability is critical,” Hannaford says, “both to better understand cancer development, and to uncover vulnerabilities that could be targeted to improve patient outcomes.”