Student Awarded Prize for Cancer Research

During the 2021 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Undergraduate Student Caucus and Poster Competition in May, Taylor McGee '23 was awarded a Margaret Foti Foundation Undergraduate Prize for Cancer Research (Honorable Mention). His award-winning research—conducted when he was just a sophomore—examines the expression levels of interferon pathway genes as potential biomarkers of patient response to ipilimumab, the first immune checkpoint inhibitor to receive FDA approval for cancer therapy.

This research was initiated during his time in the Hampden-Sydney Research Fellows Program working alongside Associate Professor of Biology Kristian Hargadon ’01. “It has been a true joy to work with Taylor, who is one of the most talented undergraduates I have mentored in my 12-year career at H-SC. Being recognized as a sophomore at this prominent international cancer research conference is beyond impressive and speaks to the quality of Taylor's work and the potential he has as a student and research scientist,” says Professor Hargadon.

Taylor explained that this research and all of his research at H-SC has not only been a group effort with several current students but also with former students as well, calling it “an intergenerational legacy that one simply would not get at any other school.” He adds that previous students’ research with Dr. Hargadon was the “instigating force” and inspiration that led this research project. Research in this capacity is meaningful to Taylor because as he describes it, “I know that the work I’m doing now will inspire work four to six years down the road.”

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