The American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024 will mark the 10th anniversary of the AACR’s NextGen Stars Program by welcoming in a class of 10 outstanding early-career scientists. Since 2014, the program has supported the professional advancement of graduate students, postdocs, and assistant professors by providing highly visible opportunities to present scientific findings at the Annual Meeting.

Hear from one of the newest NextGen Stars in their own words, below, and click here to read Q&As with other members of the NextGen Stars Class of 2024.

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Alison M. Taylor, PhD

AACR NextGen Stars Class of 2024
Assistant Professor
Columbia University, New York, New York

Abstract Presentation:
NG03 – Functional and computational approaches to uncover selection advantages of cancer aneuploidy

Session Details:
AT06 – Systematic Functional Approaches for Understanding and Targeting Cancer
Monday, April 8, 10:15 – 11:45 a.m. PT
Ballroom 6 CF, Upper Level, Convention Center

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What is the subject of your research?
Changes in number of chromosomes or chromosome arms, aneuploidy, is a near universal feature of cancer. With the large number of sequencing tumors, along with recent advances in genome engineering, we are now able to characterize and understand the benefits of specific chromosome changes in cancer development.

What sparked your interest in this area of research, and why is it important?
In the past two decades, targeted therapy (against individual gene mutations) and immunotherapy have revolutionized cancer care. However, there is a large proportion of patients who aren’t responsive to these treatments. By studying the effects of aneuploidy in cancer, my goal is to identify ways to target specific aneuploidy events and reach a larger patient population.

What (or who) inspired you to apply for the NextGen Stars program?
Anil Rustgi, the director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia (where I work), encouraged me to apply.

What are you looking forward to as a member of the NextGen Stars?
I am excited to be presenting with other invited speakers in my field of functional genomics. I am also excited to connect with other early-career cancer researchers as part of the NextGen Stars community.