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A research team from 51���� presented their findings at the 26^th annual meeting of the Translational Cancer Centers Consortium (TRCCC) in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 22-23.

Tharini Nagarkar, a senior majoring in , and Madelyn Dziezgowski, a senior biochemistry major, gave both poster and oral presentations on their research on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) performed in the lab of Dr. Kaitlyn Dykstra, an assistant professor of biology at St. Bonaventure. Nagarkar is from Danville, California, and Dziezgowski is from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

The TRCCC annual meeting brings together more than 300 researchers in the field of cancer immunology from 13 cancer centers in the Great Lakes region and beyond.

Nagarkar won a TRCCC award for her oral presentation titled “The role of Fez1 in retinoic acid receptor-mediated transcription in MLL-rearranged leukemias.”

The St. Bonaventure undergraduate students competed against all levels of trainees, including graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, in various breakout sessions where they gave five-minute talks about their research followed by a two-minute question-and-answer session.

“I was truly impressed by the presentations delivered by Maddie and Tharini. They showcased a remarkable level of professionalism through their talks and question-and-answer sessions. Their ability to articulate their research with clarity and confidence, while standing before some of the most esteemed researchers in the field, was really remarkable. As their mentor, I couldn’t be prouder of their achievements,” said Dykstra.

In addition to the presentations given by the trainees, the conference included plenary and keynote talks by prominent cancer immunotherapy researchers.

“Being able to attend and present at a conference where we could see the potential clinical future of our research and learn about current developments in cancer therapies was an amazing experience,” Nagarkar said.

Nagarkar was a recipient of the SBU Biology Department Weider Research Award in 2022. Dziezgowski was a recipient of the university’s Arnold T. Borer Summer Research fellowship in 2022.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, 51���� is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).