Funding Progress

Dr. Ji is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He joins a prestigious group of current and former Lynn Sage Scholars diligently investigating new approaches to the detection and treatment of breast cancer.

“I am really excited to be selected as a Lynn Sage Scholar. I am deeply grateful for the generous funding of the genomics research in my lab as we tackle breast cancer,” commented Dr. Ji upon receiving the award.

Dr. Ji’s group is studying the steps of breast cancer progression by dissecting the gene regulatory network and RNA translation. As a Lynn Sage Scholar, Dr. Ji and his team will use unbiased, high-throughput genomic sequencing technologies and computational modeling in their project, “Characterizing the Gene Regulatory Landscape Mediating Breast Cancer Metastasis”. His group’s ultimate goal is to reveal novel therapeutic strategies for personalized cancer treatment.

“My lab carries out data-driven research, performs cutting-edge genomic sequencing experiments, and develops novel computational tools for integrative data analyses using machine learning and deep learning. The Lynn Sage Foundation provides us with an invaluable resource to pursue a brave idea for the cancer research in my lab.”

Dr. Ji joined Northwestern University in 2018 and is a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. He received his Ph.D. in computational genomics from Rutgers University in 2012 and completed his postdoctoral training in cancer systems biology and computational biology at Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in 2017. Dr. Ji has received the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) and the Dean Morris Schaffer Endowed Scholarship from Rutgers University.

We look forward to personally introducing Dr. Ji to The Lynn Sage Foundation community at Summer Toast later this year.

Dr. Hibler’s lab is studying the biological links between behavior and breast cancer risk with the goal of using biological signatures to improve precision prevention programs among high-risk individuals. She is studying modifiable risk factors, such as physical activity and diet, and molecular biomarkers of primary and secondary prevention of breast cancer. She has evaluated the impact of diet and behavior interventions on circulating levels of inflammation and patterns of DNA methylation among both healthy adults and women at high risk for cancer.

As a Lynn Sage Scholar, Dr. Hibler is investigating associations between device-based measures of physical activity and DNA methylation by breast density status. High breast density is a recognized risk factor because it can mask breast cancer tumors on routine mammograms. However, it is not yet clear if the differences in high versus normal density breast tissue may also be related to changes in molecular signatures.

Dr. Hibler started as an Assistant Professor in the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 2016. Her prior training included an MPH in health policy with a focus on epidemiology from the University of Michigan and a PhD in epidemiology with a minor in cancer biology from the University of Arizona. She then completed postdoctoral training in Cancer Prevention and Control at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology of Cancer at Vanderbilt University. These unique training opportunities focused on laboratory-based molecular techniques, while expanding her skills in epidemiologic research to incorporate -omics biomarkers into population studies.