We're delighted to share more about John Krais, PhD, one of CRF's 2025 Young Investigators. Dr. Krais, an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, is investigating the link between Fanconi Anemia and cancer development. Individuals with inherited mutations in the Fanconi Anemia DNA repair complex are at higher risk of cancer, especially solid tumors, even after hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HCT). Dr. Krais is using a unique mouse model to explore how these mutations cause genome instability and lead to tumor formation. His research aims to reactivate DNA repair mechanisms to prevent cancer in high-risk individuals and to uncover new therapeutic strategies to target the root cause of cancer-causing genome instability. CRF is proud to support Dr. Krais's groundbreaking work! Read more about his project here: https://www.cancerresearchfdn.org/recipient/john-j-krais-phd/?back=young-investigator-awards John J. Krais, PhD - Cancer Research Foundation (fb)

We're excited to share more about Salman Banani, MD, PhD, another of our 2025 YIAs. Dr. Banani is a Neubauer Family Assistant Professor, University of Chicago, and is investigating the role of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) in cancer, an essential but often underexplored part of the genome. rDNA is responsible for producing ribosomes, which are crucial for protein synthesis and cell growth. Cancer cells often increase rDNA activity to meet their high demands for growth. With his Young Investigator Award, Dr. Banani aims to uncover how rDNA becomes dysregulated in cancer, identify proteins that mediate this dysregulation, and explore how these changes drive cancer progression. His research could lead to new therapeutic targets, enabling strategies to control ribosome production and rDNA regulation in cancer treatment. CRF is proud to support Dr. Banani's work! Read more about his project here: https://www.cancerresearchfdn.org/recipient/salman-banani-md-phd/?back=young-investigator-awards (fb)