Senior Director of Basic Science,
Professor, Department of Oncological Sciences,
Ralph E. and Willia T. Main Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research
Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah,
Salt Lake City, UT
For developing innovative breast cancer tumor models that accurately recapitulate breast cancer metastasis and tumor response. Through her collection of 180 paired patient-derived xenografts (PDX) and PDX-derived organoids (PDxO), Dr. Welm has elegantly demonstrated that these models allow for the investigation of how human breast tumors metastasize and can also be exploited to predict the risk of recurrence for patients with Triple Negative Breast Cancer. These models are used today to enhance drug screening of patients’ tumors providing an unprecedent resource for personalized medicine. Additionally, Dr. Welm has discovered the tyrosine kinase RON as a crucial contributor to breast cancer.
The AACR Award for Outstanding Investigator for Breast Cancer Research was established by the AACR to recognize an early-career investigator for meritorious achievements in basic cancer research. The award is intended to recognize an individual who has not yet reached 46 years of age at the time of their award presentation. To learn more, please visit the press release.
View Past Recipients.