Top Row: Giulia Monticone, PhD, LSU Health New Orleans, Gianluca Veggiani, PhD, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Efthymios "Makis" Papadopoulos, PhD, LSU School of Kinesiology

Bottom row: Brent Stanfield, PhD, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Velencia Witherspoon, PhD, Tulane School of Science and Engineering

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The Louisiana Cancer Research Center awards funds to support early-stage projects and new investigators.  Below are descriptions of five projects that received 2026 LCRC New Investigator Awards—designed to help early-career scientists establish their research programs and transition to independent investigators. These awards are highly competitive and are granted to active LCRC members and faculty conducting research relevant to our region. Funding supports high-impact projects that advance LCRC’s mission and strengthen our collaborative research community.

Giulia Monticone, PhD, LSU Health New Orleans – Immunotherapy has greatly improved outcomes for some patients with advanced lung cancer, but many people do not respond to these treatments. Little is known about how the immune system behaves in the earliest stages of lung cancer. The immune system uses T cells, a specialized cell type that can recognize cancer cells, to find and destroy cancer cells. However, T cells can become “exhausted” or “senescent,” meaning they lose their ability to fight cancer effectively. A specific protein called Cbl-b acts like a brake on these T cells by turning off another important molecule, Notch1, which is needed for T cells to stay active. Dr. Monticone, in collaboration with Dr. Vijay Nijjar at LSU Health New Orleans, will study how these changes happen in T cells in patients with small lung nodules that may be early lung cancers. By comparing patients with benign and cancerous nodules, the project aims to find early immune “warning signs” of lung cancer.

Efthymios "Makis" Papadopoulos, PhD, LSU School of Kinesiology - Louisiana’s rate of head and neck cancer exceeds the national average. Surgery carries risk of complications, longer hospital stays and higher costs. Improving risk assessment before surgery could enhance care and surgical outcomes. Dr. Papadopoulos, in collaboration with Dr. Sagar Kansara, LSU Health New Orleans and Our Lady of the Lake Health Hospital, will examine whether radiographic skeletal muscle measures can predict short- and long-term outcomes and explore links between muscle characteristics and social vulnerability. Findings may help better assess risk before surgery and guide targeted interventions to improve patient care.

Brent Stanfield, PhD, Mohammed "Tan" Hussain, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine - While prophylactic HPV vaccines have been remarkably successful at preventing infection, they offer no benefit to those already infected with the virus or living with HPV-related precancerous lesions. This project aims to fill this void by developing a first-in-class therapeutic vaccine that can treat existing HPV infections and HPV-driven cervical cancer. The approach harnesses VC2, a live-attenuated herpes simplex virus type 1 vector developed at LSU that is safe, highly immunogenic, and uniquely capable of stimulating the mucosal immune responses needed to eliminate HPV-transformed cells. This Louisiana-developed platform could ultimately benefit patients with other HPV-associated malignancies, including head-and-neck and anal cancers.

Gianluca Veggiani, PhD, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine - CAR-T cell therapy uses  a patient’s own genetically reprogrammed immune cells to fight cancer transforming treatment for several blood cancers. However, it is less effective against chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), where patients’ T cells often fail to keep the disease under control. Dr. Veggiani’s research focuses on improving these cells by targeting a protein called ITK, which influences how T cells function. It is believed that by reducing ITK activity, CAR-T cells will become stronger, longer-lasting, and better at fighting cancer. The team is developing a new approach that allows these reengineered cells to adjust themselves from within, without needing additional drugs or complex gene editing—making the therapy safer, more effective, and easier to deliver to patients.

Velencia Witherspoon, PhD, Tulane School of Science and Engineering - This project uses a novel form of MRI—low-field MRI—to study ovarian cancer in a faster, safer and more accessible way. Unlike traditional MRI systems, which rely on large, expensive magnets, low-field MRI uses smaller magnets and simpler hardware, making it more affordable and easier to operate.  Dr. Witherspoon and her team will evaluate whether low-field MRI can detect key microscopic features within ovarian tumors, such as cell density and tissue stiffness. Researchers will pair these scans with detailed 3D images from light-sheet microscopy to better understand how MRI patterns reflect tumor structure. The goal is to identify MRI biomarkers that reveal tumor type, aggressiveness and treatment response without invasive biopsies, potentially expanding access to advanced cancer imaging.

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