Physician-scientists from UCLA have been recognized by the Conquer Cancer Foundation, part of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), for their work in breast cancer research and care. Several researchers received awards supporting early-career development and innovative projects.
Two clinical instructors in the division of hematology/oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA were each awarded a Career Development Award. This three-year, $200,000 mentored grant is designed to help early-career physician-scientists transition to independent clinical research careers and aims to accelerate discoveries in oncology.
Dr. Lipsyc-Sharf, mentored by Dr. Bardia—an internationally recognized expert in breast cancer therapeutics and blood-based biomarkers—will lead a Phase II clinical trial with industry partners. The study will test whether changing treatments based on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) blood tests can reduce recurrence risk in estrogen-receptor positive breast cancers.
Dr. Ji, under the mentorship of Dr. Sedrak, a leader in cancer and aging research at UCLA, is investigating if targeting aging biology with fisetin—a natural supplement—can reverse chemotherapy-related aging effects in older breast cancer survivors. The study will focus on physical function and biological markers of aging among postmenopausal women who have undergone chemotherapy.
Another recent addition to UCLA’s faculty as a clinical instructor in hematology/oncology received a Young Investigator Award from the foundation. Her project examines whether the gut microbiome can predict response to immunotherapy in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer and how it influences anti-tumor immune responses.
Additionally, Dr. Yuliya Zektser, a hematology-oncology fellow at UCLA, was honored with a Conquer Cancer Merit Award for her abstract presented at the 2025 ASCO meeting. Under Dr. Sedrak’s mentorship, her research found that older adults with early breast cancer who were prefrail or frail before starting chemotherapy faced higher risks of severe toxicity, dose reductions, treatment delays, early discontinuation of chemotherapy, and non-breast cancer deaths compared to robust patients.
“We are incredibly proud of the team members for their ongoing translational work and potential impact,” said Bardia, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of Translational Research Integration at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “These awards underscore UCLA’s strong commitment to nurturing the next generation of physician-scientists and advancing breakthrough research that will directly benefit patients with cancer.”
