University of Illinois Cancer Center member Laura Sanchez has been named a “40 under 40” by Halo Cures, the first online partnering platform that helps scientists fund their labs by connecting them to biotech and pharmaceutical companies for research collaborations.
Sanchez, PhD, assistant professor of medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy in UIC’s College of Pharmacy, will be recognized at the 2nd Annual Halo Awards on Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 Lake Shore Dr., Chicago.
Utilizing cutting-edge mass spectrometry techniques, Sanchez studies the chemical language microbes and cells used to communicate with one another and their surroundings. The research will add to “our understanding of how chemical cues influence primary and secondary metastases in cancers,” she said.
In addition to Sanchez, two scientists from the company Enzyme by Design – Amanda Schalk and Hien Anh Nguyen – were included. Enzyme by Design (EbD), a University of Illinois at Chicago spinoff formed out of research conducted in the laboratory of University of Illinois Cancer Center member Arnon Lavie, professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics, is developing a chemotherapeutic drug for the treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nguyen serves as the company’s chief scientific officer, while Schalk is the chief operating officer.