Barnita Haldar, M.
Barnita Haldar, M.D., Ph.D.D., Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, has been awarded the 2024 Relay for Life Champion of Mission Award by the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Haldar, who conducts research in the lab of Susan Bellis, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, received the honor in connection with her American Cancer Society-funded postdoctoral fellowship for her project titled “The Role of the Sialic Acid-Siglec Axis in Pancreatic Cancer Immune Evasion.” The research focuses on how pancreatic cancer cells use glycan-mediated mechanisms to escape detection by the immune system, an area that could yield promising insights for future immunotherapy approaches.
The Relay for Life Champion of Mission Award is a component of the ACS’s Hero of Research program, which allows top community fundraising teams to sponsor and spotlight a specific research grant. Haldar’s grant was selected for this recognition by the Charlotte County, Virginia, Trucker’s Parade Against Cancer (TPAC), a volunteer fundraising team that raised more than $180,000 in 2024.
“I’m honored to have my research selected for this meaningful recognition,” Haldar said. “It’s deeply encouraging to know that grassroots volunteers see value in and connect with the work we’re doing in the lab. I’m grateful to the American Cancer Society and to TPAC for their commitment to advancing cancer research.”
The American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship supports promising early-career researchers as they pursue projects aimed at improving cancer treatment and outcomes.
As part of the award, the ACS has designated Haldar’s project as the American Cancer Society – Charlotte County, Virginia, Trucker’s Parade Against Cancer – Postdoctoral Fellowship.
For more information on ACS postdoctoral fellowships, visit: https://www.cancer.org/research/we-fund-cancer-research/apply-research-grant/grant-types/postdoctoral-fellowships.html.