The AACR Anna D. Barker Basic Cancer Research Fellowship represents an effort to encourage and support mentored young investigators to conduct basic cancer research and to establish successful career paths in this field. Eligibility is limited to postdoctoral and clinical research fellows who have completed their most recent doctoral degree within the past three years. The research proposed for funding may be in any area of basic cancer research.

2026 Grantee

Scientific Statement of Research

Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is commonly treated with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy, yet approximately 50% of patients develop recurrent or progressive disease. Emerging evidence suggests that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a major stromal component of the tumor microenvironment, contribute to immune exclusion and resistance to immunotherapy. Dr. Levandowski will investigate how distinct CAF states regulate CD8+ T cell localization and function in treatment-naïve NMIBC. Using patient-derived CAF models, three-dimensional organoid systems, single-cell RNA sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics, she will define how matrix-remodeling and inflammatory CAF programs shape tumor-immune architecture and influence response to BCG. These studies aim to identify stromal mechanisms limiting antitumor immunity and inform rational strategies to improve bladder cancer immunotherapy outcomes.

Biography

Dr. Levandowski earned her undergraduate degree in Biology with a concentration in Genomics from Davidson College and completed research training at the National Human Genome Research Institute. She completed her MD/PhD through the University of Colorado, where her doctoral research focused on transcriptional regulation and aging biology. She is currently a Clinical Fellow in Hematology and Oncology and Physician-Scientist Training Program trainee at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her research investigates how cancer-associated fibroblasts regulate antitumor immunity and immunotherapy resistance in bladder cancer using single-cell and spatial transcriptomic approaches.

Statement of Support

“I am deeply honored to receive the 2026 AACR Anna D. Barker Basic Cancer Research Fellowship. This support will help launch my independent physician-scientist career investigating how the tumor microenvironment shapes antitumor immunity and immunotherapy resistance in bladder cancer, advancing fundamental cancer biology with the goal of improving patient outcomes.”

2024 grantee

Research

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a highly aggressive disease and a prominent cause of death worldwide, with a five-year survival rate of 12%. PDA tumors remodel the branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolic pathway to support cancer progression, but the underlying molecular mechanism is still elusive. Building on her preliminary findings, Dr. Demetriadou aims to explore the nuclear role of BCAA catabolism in promoting aberrant epigenomic and transcriptional signatures to sustain PDA tumor growth and resistance to anticancer treatment. Elucidating this novel link between nuclear metabolism and epigenetics may provide a promising therapeutic avenue to improve the poor clinical outcomes of PDA patients.

Biography

Dr. Demetriadou received her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Cyprus, and her master’s degree in oncology from the University of Nottingham. She completed her doctorate at the University of Cyprus, where she received the top research award for her studies on the oncogenic role of the epigenetic modifier NAA40. In 2022, she joined the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University as a co-mentored postdoctoral researcher. Her research focuses on the link between epigenetics and cancer metabolism.     

Acknowledgment of Support

“I am extremely honored to be awarded the prestigious AACR Anna D. Barker Basic Cancer Research fellowship. This fellowship will empower me with the essential tools and expertise needed to achieve my goal of being an independent researcher, leading interdisciplinary work at the intersection of chromatin biology and cancer metabolism.”