UToledo researcher receives $80,000 to investigate pancreatic cancer treatment resistance
A University of Toledo scientist received an $80,000 two-year award to study how pancreatic cancer cells resist treatment, the university announced Oct. 12.
A University of Toledo scientist has received an $80,000 grant to investigate how pancreatic cancer cells withstand treatment, the university announced Oct. 12, 2026.
The two-year Ohio Cancer Research award supports Dr. Kuo-Hui Su, an assistant professor in the Department of Cell and Cancer Biology. The funder’s grant directory lists the award for 2026–2028.
According to the university, Su’s team will examine the relationship between Heat Shock Factor 1, a protein involved in cells’ response to stress, and the way pancreatic cancer cells use fatty acids. Researchers want to determine whether disrupting that relationship exposes weaknesses that future treatments could target.
The university describes the funding as support for early research that could generate evidence for larger studies and federal grant applications. Its announcement does not report a new treatment available to patients or results establishing effectiveness.
Su will work with fellow UToledo researchers Dr. Shi-He Liu and Dr. Charles Thodeti, with Dr. Andrea Kalinoski collaborating. The project also draws on resources at the university’s Northwest Ohio Cancer Research Institute.