The National Cancer Institute awarded Wayne State University School of Medicine student Jugmohit Toer The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award will be presented to an M.D.-Ph.D. individual fellow to support his research.
Jugmohit is a medical doctorate student currently in his third year of doctoral studies in the School of Medicine’s Cancer Biology Graduate Program. His doctoral thesis topic is “Investigating the relationship between MAIT cells and the microbiome in pancreatic cancer liver metastasis.”
“I’ve always been interested in how T cells work and how they can be used to fight cancer. In this project, I had the opportunity to elucidate how this unique subset of T cells, MAIT cells, interact in the tumor environment and how we can target them to shrink tumors. Apart from my personal interest, this research could one day have a real impact on the treatment of patients with liver metastases from pancreatic cancer,” said Toole.
This competitive award combines support for medical school and predoctoral education, including an annual stipend and tuition/fee funding.
His thesis supervisor is Qing-Sheng Mi, MD, PhD, an adjunct professor in the Department of Oncology and the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology. Toor joined Dr. Mi’s lab in 2021.
“Jugmohit’s achievements are a testament to his dedication, hard work, and passion for research. The award of this prestigious NCI grant marks a significant milestone in his academic career and reflects the high quality of his work and the potential impact of his research,” said Dr. Mi. “I am extremely proud of him and am confident that his contributions will advance our understanding and inspire his colleagues in his field.”
