Recent Grants Awarded By VAS
2026
Small Project Research Grants
Matthew M. Cooke Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
Liberty University
This project investigates whether sublethal larval exposure to the insecticide deltamethrin induces adult tolerance and molecular resistance in Aedes albopictus in Central Virginia. The primary aims are to determine if environmentally realistic larval exposure increases adult insecticide tolerance and to identify associated transcriptomic changes linked to exposure. Results will inform mosquito control strategies and improve understanding of how agricultural and public health pyrethroid use may contribute to resistance development.
Parrish Waters
University of Mary Washington
The social organization of mice in the laboratory provides an exciting model to study the impact of social stress on the brain. When socially housed, dominant mice restrict other mice from accessing limited resources, such as food, mates, and housing. This leads to an extended state of stress in more subordinate mice. This chronic stress can induce behavioral and physiological changes that reflect human disorders, including major depression and general anxiety, making subordinate mice an excellent model to study the etiology of these human disorders. Funds from this grant will allow the construction of multiple ‘Visible Burrow Cage Systems’, which are complex home cages that allow the reliable identification of subordinate mice through simple behavioral observations. We will use these Visible Burrow Cages to identify subordinate mice and assess endocrine and neurobiological changes in these animals that may mediate the behavioral changes that we see in these mice. Multiple UMW undergraduate students will participate in these studies, making this both an educational and an applied research project.
Andrews Award for Cancer Research
Iordanka N. Panayotova, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics
Christopher Newport University
Email: Iordanka.Panayotova@cnu.edu
Website: https://cnu.edu/faculty/iordankapanayotova.html
Optimizing Cancer Immunovirotherapy with Mathematical Modeling
"Immunovirotherapies—combining oncolytic viruses with immunotherapies—offer strong potential for cancer treatment, but their effectiveness is limited by complex tumor–virus–immune interactions and numerous treatment options. This project aims to develop a data-informed mathematical modeling framework using differential equations to study tumor growth, viral dynamics, and immune responses. The goal is to explore how treatment timing, dosing, and combinations influence outcomes, with attention to immune activation, viral persistence, and tumor heterogeneity. This work aims to generate interpretable insights and provide quantitative guidance for optimizing immunovirotherapy strategies."
Lindsay Caesar, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
James Madison University
This project aims to identify novel anticancer lead compounds from microbes isolated from Grand Caverns by leveraging the unique biosynthetic potential of organisms adapted to nutrient-limited cave environments. It integrates selectivity-driven antiproliferative screening with mass spectrometry data to prioritize metabolites that preferentially target cancer cells over non-tumorigenic cells. The work will generate a focused set of candidate compounds for downstream purification, structural characterization, and future mechanistic studies.
Connor Gilhula, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
James Madison University
Targeted delivery of alpha particle-emitting radioisotopes to tumors has exciting potential for selective destruction of cancerous cells. An outstanding challenge in this area is ensuring that the radiopharmaceutical survives its own intense radiation field until it reaches its tumorous target. We aim to develop new chemical strategies that resist such undesirable radiolytic degradation using a catalytic, "self-healing" approach.
Laura Sipe
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Mary Washington
Methionine Restriction primes triple-negative breast cancer for an immunogenic cell death
This proposal aims to change how cancer cells die. Chemotherapy typically causes a silent form of cell death (apoptosis). In contrast, when cell death triggers an immune response (immunogenic cell death), it can train the immune system to recognize and eliminate remaining cancer cells—potentially reducing relapse rates. We plan to investigate whether metabolically starving cancer cells can prime them for an immunogenic cell death.