Meet Cancer Research Students
Monday, October 6, 2025
Meet Alexandra Bernadac, a participant in the 2025 Cancer Health Engagement Summer Scholars (CHESS) program at the University of Illinois Cancer Center.
One of the Cancer Center's summer research programs, CHESS is an eight-week program that trains and mentors high school students interested in careers focusing on cancer research and other health professions. CHESS is a collaboration with the UIC Urban Health Program. The Cancer Center is part of UIC and its academic health system, UI Health.
Bernadac was mentored by Cancer Center member Yulia Komarova, PhD, and PhD Candidate Martin Chan, who is part of the Komarova Lab in the Department of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine at UIC.
She presented her project, “Role of Endothelial End Binding Protein (EB3) in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome,” during the Cancer Center’s summer cancer research symposium.
“By analyzing lung tissue samples using immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy, I learned about the role of EB3 in the lung’s response to injury. I was excited to gain hands-on experience in the lab as well as with imaging and data analysis techniques,” she said of her summer research experience.
Click this link to learn more about our summer research programs.
Summer research programs are a critical part of the mission of the Cancer Center Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) team to build pipeline programs to train cancer researchers. The goal is to educate, support and retain trainees to address the needs of the Cancer Center’s diverse patient population.
