Marlene Cano, MD, PhD, Awarded Parker B. Francis Fellowship to Study Mechanisms of Chronic Lung Transplant Rejection
The Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine is pleased to announce that Marlene Cano, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, has been awarded a Parker B. Francis Fellowship from the Francis Family Foundation. The three-year Faculty Career Development award provides $225,000 in support of her research project, “Immunometabolic Inhibitors of Chronic Lung Transplant Rejection.”
The Parker B. Francis Fellowship Program is one of the most prestigious career development awards in pulmonary medicine. Since 1976, the program has invested nearly $79 million to support more than 950 MD and PhD scientists pursuing careers in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine research.
Dr. Cano’s project focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which chronic rejection develops after lung transplantation, with a particular emphasis on the metabolic adaptations of the innate immune system that drive this process. Chronic rejection remains one of the leading causes of long-term graft failure and mortality in lung transplant recipients, and effective strategies to prevent it are critically needed. Her research aims to identify specific metabolic targets within the immune response to rejection that can ultimately be translated into new therapeutic approaches to protect patients after transplant.
This award reflects Dr. Cano’s commitment to advancing the science of transplant medicine and her potential as an emerging leader in pulmonary research. The Division looks forward to the contributions her work will make to improving outcomes for lung transplant recipients.