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A group of highly qualified college undergraduates and postgraduates presented research projects culminating an 8-week program designed to support the next generation of our state’s cancer researchers.

Each year, the Louisiana Cancer Research Center’s (LCRC) Summer Undergraduate Cancer Research Experience (SUCRE) selects a group of highly qualified college students interested in pursuing a career in cancer or biomedical research. The SUCRE Fellows are assigned a faculty mentor from LSU Health New Orleans, Tulane University School of Medicine, or Xavier University of Louisiana.  

Now in its fourth year, SUCRE has become an important pathway for aspiring scientists to explore careers in Louisiana.  Louisiana has some of the highest cancer rates in the country, and the LCRC and its partners are committed to expanding our already strong cancer research community through programs like SUCRE.  “By working directly with experienced faculty mentors and participating in meaningful research projects, fellows gain insight into the scientific process and the opportunities available through careers in biomedical research,” said Charles Wood, PhD, SUCRE director and a member of the LCRC faculty and Cancer Crusader Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology, and associate director of basic science at LSU Health  New Orleans.

Each Fellow presented their research during a final poster session on July 23 at the LCRC, showcasing the knowledge and skills they developed. The contributions of past SUCRE Fellows have been acknowledged in published research.

Saanvi Gambhira, Temple University, studied gene expression using bioinformatics and data from breast cancer cell lines with mentor Victoria Belancio, PhD, at Tulane Cancer Center.

Sohan Gummadi, Seton Hall University,  investigated the impact of obesity on prostate cancer in Black and White males, working in the lab of his mentor, Hari Koul, M.Sc., PhD, FACN, FASN, of LSU Health New Orleans.

Handerson Hasseth, Tulane University, researched endocrine receptor positive breast cancer with two LCRC faculty mentors at Tulane School of Medicine: Matt Burow, PhD, and Jorge Belgodere, PhD.

Jake Hebert, Louisiana State University, researched the CD36 protein for therapeutic options against triple-negative breast cancer in the lab of mentor Fokhrul Hossain, PhD, at LSU Health New Orleans.

Emily Jemison,   Duke University,  analyzed the Equity Justice Index for the Louisiana Tumor Registry under the mentorship of Director Xiaocheng Wu, MD, MPH, at the LSU School of Public Health.

NyEla Pete, Xavier University of Louisiana, conducted spatial mass spectrometry analysis of pancreatic cancer biomarkers in the lab of Jiri Adamec, PhD, at LSU Health New Orleans.

Rohit Srivastava,   Baylor University, analyzed the CISD1 protein for the development of potential new therapies for triple-negative breast cancer with mentor Qiang Shen, MD, PhD, at LSU Health New Orleans.

Sebastian Salm, Emory University, assisted SUCRE Director Charles Wood, PhD, of LSU Health New Orleans, with research detecting Kaposi Sarcoma Herpes Virus in tissues for downstream testing.

Laniyah Thurman, Louisiana State University, worked in the lab of Jennifer Fang, PhD, at the Tulane School of Science and Engineering, studying vascular biology and the growth of tumor blood vessels.

Imille Woodard, Grambling State University, analyzed data on potential links between e-cigarette use and academic performance at the Louisiana Tobacco Control Initiative under the direction of mentor and TCI Director Dr. Michael Celestin of LSUHSC School of Public Health.

In addition to SUCRE, the Louisiana Cancer Research Center provides research and travel grants to new researchers in the state to promote their development.

Applications will be accepted for next year’s SUCRE program in November 2026.

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