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Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta, PhD, is a UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member and cancer researcher focusing on immunology.

PhD
Associate Professor, Genetics
UNC-Chapel Hill
Immunology

Area of Interest

The principal goal of my research program is to investigate mechanisms by which tumors co-opt the immune system to facilitate emergence and progression of cancer. I am particularly interested in biology of pancreatic cancer, where non-cell-autonomous pathways elicited by oncogenic Kras and tumor suppressor p53 can modify stromal and immune responses that promote tumorigenesis. I use genetically engineered mouse models of pancreatic cancer, featuring activation of oncogenic KRAS in pancreatic epithelium, to investigate immunological mechanisms relevant to pathogenesis of this deadly disease. This area of research is especially pertinent in the context of KRAS-driven carcinogenesis, where the driving oncogene is to this day considered an undruggable target.

Awards and Honors

  • Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2022
  • Emerging Leader Award, Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, 2022
  • Pathway to Leadership Award, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and Pancreatic cancer Action Network (PanCAN), 2013
  • Young Investigator Travel Award, American Pancreatic Association, 2010
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cancer Immunology, Cancer Research Institute, 2009
  • Summer undergraduate research fellowship, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 1999

Find publications on PubMed

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Headshot of Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta