Wang, who is also a Robert Black Fellow, is working with
Jeffery F. Miller, professor and chair of UCLA's Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, to study Bacteroides fragilis, a common human gut bacterium that protects against inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in experimental models. This project will explore the mechanisms that contribute to bacterial colonization and long‐term maintenance in the gut. Through her research, Wang hopes to better understand host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions in the complex mammalian gut environment and to potentially utilize B. fragilis as a preventative and therapeautic against IBD and/or colon cancer.
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation provides today's best young scientists with funding to pursue innovative research. Each of its award programs is extremely competitive, with less than 10 percent of applications funded. Since its founding in 1946, the foundation has invested over $240 million and funded more than 3,300 young scientists.
