Sachin Bhagchandani, a graduate student in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) currently working at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, wins the National Cancer Institute Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition (F99/K00) Award, according to MIT News. Bhagchandani reportedly will use the award, which provides six years of funding, as he completes his PhD in chemical engineering and moves toward a mentored, cancer-focused postdoctoral research position that draws on his interest in synthetic chemistry and immunology.
According to MIT News, Bhagchandani joined the laboratory of chemistry professor Jeremiah Johnson as a PhD candidate to learn macromolecular synthesis with a focus on nanomaterials designed for drug delivery. His interest has shifted toward cancer immunotherapy and making treatments more viable and less toxic. Bhagchandani is reportedly modifying a bottlebrush-shaped molecule to inactivate imidazoquinolines – a promising class of drugs that activates the immune system to fight cancer but can trigger significant side effects when administered intravenously – and carry them safely to tumors.
Bhagchandani reportedly is one of 24 candidates selected for the fellowship this year. Nominations were limited to one student per institution. He is the first student at MIT to receive the award.
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