WPI researcher granted $300K for cancer tissue research

Photo | Courtesy of Worcester Polytechnic Institute WPI researcher Catherine Whittington has received roughly $300,000 for her work on tissue stiffening and cancer.

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By Katherine Hamilton

Worcester Polytechnic Institute researcher Catherine Whittington has received nearly $300,000 for her research on the role tissue stiffening plays in pancreatic cancer, cancer metastasis, and lymphedema.

Whittington, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, was awarded grants from three different organizations for her research, according to a Tuesday press release from WPI. The funding will support undergraduate and graduate student researchers in her lab beginning this summer.

The grants consisted of $147,257 from the National Cancer Institute, $199,995 from the National Science Foundation, and $50,000 from the University of Michigan.

“These awards help build out project areas where undergraduate and master’s students can participate in research into cancer or the lymphatic system,” Whittington said in a written statement. “In addition, some of the funding will provide wages so students can continue their research in the lab over summer breaks, bringing greater continuity to their experiences and the lab’s progress.”

The $50,000 grant is part of a national initiative aimed at addressing historical discrepancies in the amount of federal grant money awarded to Black scientists. It will allow Whittington to offer paid research positions to students in her lab.