Postdoctoral researcher Devon Jeltema has been named one of 14 new Damon Runyon Fellows by The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. The prestigious fellowship supports the nation's most promising young scientists in pursuing careers in cancer research by providing $300,000 in independent funding over four years to investigate the causes, mechanisms, therapies, and prevention of cancer.
Jeltema earned her PhD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and is now a postdoc in the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology in the lab of Britt Glaunsinger. Her research explores the modification of RNA by PARPs—a family of enzymes that helps cells defend against viruses and other stressors by chemically modifying other molecules.
While most research on PARPs has historically focused on their modification of proteins, Jeltema studies their modification of RNA and how it affects immune responses to threats such as viral infection and cancer. Using biochemical and sequencing tools to map which RNA molecules are modified, Jeltema hopes to identify a new facet of immune defense that can be harnessed to treat cancer.
Learn more about the award on the Damon Runyon Foundation website
