Three students from Dr. Radhashree Maitra’s lab attend a prestigious cancer research meeting

Yeshiva College students Aaron Shaykevich, Alexander Siegman, and Isaac Silverman from Dr. Radhashree Maitry’s lab on the Wilf campus attended the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in San Diego, April 5-10, 2024. AACR is the leading and the world’s most recognized professional association for cancer research, with more than 50,000 members. The annual meeting is attended by nearly 25,000 professionals traveling from around the world.

It was the fifth year in a row Doctor Maitra’s laboratory has published abstracts in AACR, and this year students had the honor of presenting their research in four posters. The posters presented are: Targeting PRMT5/BRG1 axis intermediates as combination therapy AND Carbamazepine-mediated SMARCA4 inhibition as a therapeutic target for KRAS-mutated CRCpresented by Szejkiewicz; Erlotinib inhibits autophagy in colorectal cancer, presented by Siegman; AND Molecular dynamic simulations of RAS family protein interactions: binding of mutant KRAS to wild-type HRAS and NRASpresented by Silverman.

“This was an exciting opportunity to help the global scientific community with the common goal of fighting cancer,” Shaykevich said. “We had the opportunity to hear from leading researchers in the field about the current therapies they are working on. When we presented our work, we talked to many scientists and answered their questions, and received a lot of valuable feedback.

At YU, Dr. Maitra has two labs that focus on research on colorectal cancer with a mutation in the KRAS gene. In his wet lab, Shaykevich conducts research on oncolytic reovirus – a project that has received almost $500,000 grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Additionally, Siegman studied the effects of Erlotnib chemotherapy on colon cancer. In his dry lab, Silverman works on protein modeling, focusing on KRAS protein interactions and pathways. Their research is ongoing, and two additional manuscripts are currently under review.

The labs consistently published research in peer-reviewed journals. Co-authors are Shaykevich and Silverman BRG1: cancer promoter or suppressor? Result of BRG1 interaction with specific cellular pathways and Shaykevich, Silverman and Siegman are co-authors Effect of carbamazepine on SMARCA4 (BRG1) expression in colorectal cancer: modulation by KRAS mutation status.

The students expressed their deepest gratitude to their mentor, Dr. Maitra, for the dedication and support she shows to her students. “We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to pursue colorectal cancer research under Dr. Maitra’s leadership,” Silverman said. “She provided us with constant guidance and support throughout the entire process. Her encouragement to push boundaries and keep discovering things was an inspiration.”

Students also appreciate the support in their research from Dr. Selma Botman, provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Dr. Karen Bacon, Mordecai D. Katz, and Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean of the Faculty of Undergraduate Arts and Sciences. They also extend their heartfelt thanks to the faculty and staff of Yeshiva College who provided them with this opportunity.