The National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Taslim Al-Hilal, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Utah, a $3.1 million R01 grant to investigate the role of the tumor coagulation microenvironment in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the most lethal malignancies. The proposal was funded with an outstanding 3% score.
The five-year project will examine how cross-linked fibrin within the pancreatic tumor stroma drives immune suppression and supports tumor progression. By defining the molecular mechanisms linking tumor coagulome and the immune microenvironment, the research team aims to identify therapeutic strategies that both prevent cross-linked fibrin deposition and reactivate anti-tumor immune responses, with the long-term goal of improving treatment options for patients with PDAC.
BME graduate student Mahedi Hasan and research fellow Dr. Shivaniben Dhadhal in the Al-Hilal lab played key roles in generating the preliminary discoveries that led to this award. The multidisciplinary effort also brings together collaborators Dr. Faraz Bishehsari of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Dr. Paul Grippo of the University of Chicago, whose expertise in disease modeling will strengthen the translational impact of the project.
This award highlights the Department of Biomedical Engineering’s commitment to advancing interdisciplinary research that bridges engineering, cancer biology, and immunology to address some of the most challenging diseases facing patients today.
