News and Congratulations
Congratulations to Bishoy Faltas, MD, CTSC K Scholar Alumnus, on receiving a Rapid Response Pilot Grant from the Functional Genomics Initiative (FGI) to improve the understanding of the signaling pathways that are critical for the growth of bladder cancer cells.
Each year in the US there are 17,000 deaths caused by bladder cancer, and there are currently no approved targeted treatments. Based on an improved understanding of the molecular changes that drive bladder cancer, Bishoy has identified two pathways that are critical for the growth of bladder cancer cells. Panagiotis (Panos) Vlachostergios, a postdoctoral fellow in the Faltas Lab, designed a strategy to combine two targeted treatments, namely CDK4/6 and FGFR inhibitors that work in sync to eliminate bladder cancer cells. This combination will be tested in new bladder cancer models which he has developed. Ultimately, Bishoy and his team hope to translate these findings into a treatment strategy that benefits bladder cancer patients.
Read more about his work with the Functional Genomics Initiative here: https://meyercancer.weill.cornell.edu/news/2018-11-15/functional-genomics-initiative-names-pilot-grant-recipients
Bishoy Faltas, MD, is Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology; Director, Bladder Cancer Research, Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, WCM. The Faltas Lab focuses on developing several novel models of urothelial bladder cancer including transgenic animal models and patient-derived models.
The CTSC KL2 Career Development Core Program supports junior faculty and senior residents and fellows by providing salary support, protected time, advanced degree training, and practical skills necessary to conduct interdisciplinary Clinical Translational Investigation within a team research environment.