2026 Pilot Project Awards
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
The University of Illinois Cancer Center has awarded two 2026 Pilot Project Program Awards to pairs of Cancer Center members: Bin He, PhD, and VK Gadi, MD, PhD; and Ece Mutlu, MD, MBA, and Constance Jeffery, PhD.
These one-year, $50,000 awards are intended to encourage new collaborative cancer research that stimulates inter-programmatic research initiatives, leading to competitive grant applications to external peer-reviewed funding organizations, specifically organizations on the National Cancer Institute peer review list.
The project by He and Gadi, “Targeted Oncolytic HSV Immunotherapy,” focuses on the development of a novel oncolytic virotherapy platform that kills cancer cells and stimulates antitumor immune responses, significantly reducing tumor growth and metastasis in preclinical models. These efforts aim to develop the next-generation treatment for breast cancer. They are looking to submit for an R01 or equivalent grant. The R01 is the National Institutes of Health Research Project grant to support independent research.
A member of the Cancer Center’s Cancer Biology Research Program, He is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at UIC. Gadi is Deputy Director of the Cancer Center, a Professor in the College of Medicine, and a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at UI Health.
The project from Mutlu and Jeffery, “Exploring a Role for Steroid Synthesis, Receptors and Microbiota in Colon Cancer,” investigates whether differences in aldosterone signaling in the intestinal lining, potentially influenced by the gut microbiome, contribute to an underlying colorectal cancer disparity. Preliminary data suggest altered aldosterone receptor expression in polyp tissues, particularly in African Americans, suggesting early involvement in cancer development. Racial differences in enzymes related to aldosterone activity were also noted, which may also affect cancer development. These findings point to potential biological differences in colorectal cancer disparities. Mutlu and Jeffery plan to submit an R01 or R21 grant application after completing additional papers and studies together.
A member of the Cancer Center’s Translational Oncology Research Program, Mutlu also heads the Cancer Center’s Gastrointestinal Cancers Working Group, is a Professor in the College of Medicine, and a board-certified gastroenterologist who practices at UI Health. Jeffery, a member of the Cancer Center’s Cancer Biology Research Program, is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UIC.
