Congratulations to Dr. Wentao Li, postdoctoral research associate in the Sancar lab who received a highly competitive K99 Pathway to Independence Award from NIH effective September 6, 2019.
The objective of the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) is to help outstanding postdoctoral researchers complete needed training and transition to an independent tenure-track or equivalent faculty position. The awards are highly competitive and allow for one to two years of mentored post-doctoral research, followed by up to three years of independent research.
Dr. Li is currently a postdoctoral research associate training in the lab of Dr. Aziz Sancar, Sarah Graham Kenan distinguished professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Dr. Li’s research efforts focus on DNA damage and repair. Particularly, he is interested in genome-wide mapping and analysis of carcinogen- and chemotherapy-induced DNA damage formation and repair. With this K99 award, Dr. Li will extend his studies on aflatoxin-induced DNA damage formation and repair. The studies will apply innovative approaches to delineate the role of aflatoxin-induced DNA damage formation and repair in human hepatocellular carcinoma, which is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the world.