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2022 Sontag Award Recipient

"The support from the Sontag Foundation's Distinguished Scientist Award will be transformational for my research program, enabling my team to pursue novel therapies that improve the lives of patients with brain cancer. I am very grateful for the foundation's investment in my career and look forward to interfacing with other members of the Sontag Foundation community."

About DSA-Funded Research

Dr. McHugh's Lab will develop a highly targeted, personalized immunotherapy for the treatment of glioblastoma. By targeting specific mutations present in a patient's tumor at the DNA level, his approach aims to exclusively kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed, thereby eradicating cancer without affecting normal brain function. Ultimately, with the support of his clinical collaborators at MD Anderson and the Baylor College of Medicine, he hopes to create a clinical pipeline that enables patients with brain cancer to access a curative therapy with minimal side effects.

Current Appointment(s)
  • Assistant Professor of Bioengineering & CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research, William Marsh Rice University
Education
  • Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, B.S., Biomedical Engineering
  • Boston University, Boston, MA, M.S., Biomedical Engineering
  • Boston University, Boston, MA, Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, Postdoctural Fellowship, Biomedical Engineering