CTS MD-PhD Student Elizabeth Borden Receives Award from Melanoma Research Foundation

Elizabeth Borden, a student in the M.D.-Ph.D. program who is pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Translational Sciences, has received a Medical Student Research Award from the Melanoma Research Foundation.  Ms. Borden was granted this $3000 national award to support her research project “Evolution of the Neoantigen Landscape through Melanoma Progression.”  Per Ms. Borden, “In this project, we will examine changes in the abundance and immunogenicity of neoantigens through the progression from normal skin to malignant melanoma. This analysis will contribute to our understanding of what allows these lesions to escape detection by the immune system, which has significant applications to risk stratification of precursor lesions and drug discovery.”

The Melanoma Research Foundation’s Medical Student Research Awards promote scientific inquiry and research opportunities to medical students early in their careers by funding concise clinical or laboratory-based research projects focused on better understanding the prevention, biology and treatment of all forms of the disease, including cutaneous, ocular, mucosal and pediatric melanoma.  Ms. Borden’s Ph.D. mentor, Dr. Karen Hastings, reports that she independently prepared the proposal and proactively applied for this award.