Bio-Techne Go Everywhere Travel Grant – February Recipient Selected!

Bio-Techne launched its Go Everywhere Travel Grant Program which awards $1000 USD (or equivalent) to 1 researcher each month to attend the meeting of their choice. This allows the researchers to attend more targeted meetings in their field and provides funding to support both small and large associations to further promote scientific discoveries and conversations.

The recipient of the February 2017 grant is Dr. Abhishek Kashyap from The University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland! 

Dr. Kashyap is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Professor Zippelius at the University Hospital Basel. He has chosen to attend the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy: Taking a Place in Mainstream Oncology Keystone Meeting in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada taking place in March.

Dr. Kashyap, a Postdoctoral Fellow from The University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland is the February Recipient of the Bio-Techne Go Everywhere Travel Grant in 2017

His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of anti-tumor immune cell activation upon treatment with microtubule disrupting drugs. The research he intends to present at this meeting centers around the role that microtubule de-polymerizing agents (MDAs) play. His team has previously reported MDAs increase the specific immune response to target tumor cells via a number of mechanisms including: boosting the activity of drugs targeting immune checkpoint inhibitors (such as PD-L1 and CTLA4), priming anti-tumor T-cells, and activating Dendritic Cells (DCs). His most recent research examined the immunomodulary effects of MDAs on dendritic cells. His team concluded the activation of DCs is independent of pattern-recognition-receptors (PRRs) but is dependent on the engagement of the tubulin-associated protein, GEFH1 (guanine nucleotide exchange factor-H1). His team’s findings have implications for the use of MDAs to maximize therapeutic efficacy, alone, as well as in combination with immunotherapeutics such as PD1 and PD-L1.

Dr. Kashyap’s research utilized several R&D Systems antibodies and ELISA kits, as well as Tocris signaling pathway inhibitors in his crucial preliminary tests needed for the research he will be presenting. If you are attending the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy: Taking a Place in Mainstream Oncology Keystone Meeting and would like to learn more about his work, look for his abstract titled: Guanine nucleotide exchange factor-H1 signaling is critical for induction of anti-tumor immunity induced by microtubule-depolymerizing drugs.

Bio-Techne and our brands are proud to support Dr. Kashyap’s work and the work of many of the researchers that have applied to our travel grants so far this year. If you are interested in applying to any of our travel grants, please go to www.rndsystems.com/travel.