A Community’s Contribution to Research
Funds from Paint the Town Pink support internal seed grants awarded to cancer research projects led by scientists at The Hormel Institute. This crucial initial support made possible by you is often the kick-start these life-changing projects need to make new progress.
Take a moment to learn about the most recent recipients of Paint the Town Pink seed grants and their work:
Professor Ningling Kang, PhD
What I Research
My lab is investigating colorectal cancer liver metastasis—when colorectal cancer spreads to the liver. This specific instance of metastasis occurs in 50%–60% of colorectal cancer patients, and current immunotherapies don’t effectively eradicate it.
We are working to determine if and how a specific protein influences the ways different types of liver cells facilitate this metastasis. If our hypothesis is correct, we can then design clinical trials to test if an inhibitor of this protein could minimize or prevent liver metastasis in colorectal cancer patients.
Award Impact
My lab members and I greatly appreciate donors’ support through Paint the Town Pink. Given the competitive national funding climate, only a few outstanding grant applications succeed. This Paint the Town Pink award has been invaluable, allowing us to get vital supplies for experiments to test our novel ideas and create preliminary data for future grant applications. It has made a tremendous impact on my lab and research program, enabling us to submit stronger and more competitive grant applications to continue advancing our research.
Assistant Professor Annie Lin, PhD
What I Research
Many cancer survivors have limited access to nutrition care due to limited time during medical visits and limited insurance coverage.Our project, ForkCancer Pals, is a digital program designed specifically for breast cancer survivors to learn how social support can help them eat better and live healthier. Participants are paired with a food support buddy and receive guidance that allows them to develop their own personalized diet strategies to improve food quality.
Our lab is also working with Hedgsoft to design a mobile app for the program. With program success, it has the potential to be scaled to even more people.
Award Impact
Your investment in cancer research is incredibly humbling, especially knowing that these donations come from the hard work and dedication of so many individuals and organizations. Thank you for your trust and belief in this research.
Funding for this digital nutrition program gives me hope that we can reach breast cancer survivors with the right resources when they’re needed most and simultaneously reduce the amount of misinformation surrounding nutrition and cancer.
Senior Scientist Estanislao Peixoto, PhD
What I Research
My work aims to uncover why some bile duct cells lose their natural ability to repair DNA
and how this contributes to deadly bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). I am exploring the relationship between a cellular structure called primary cilia and DNA repair, hypothesizing that the presence of primary cilia helps maintain the cell genome’s stability, while their loss—which happens in tumor cells—promotes damage and disease. In the long term, this research could lead to therapies that slow cancer progression, enhance current treatments, and ultimately improve survival and quality of life for patients.
Award Impact
Receiving this award is both an honor and a source of motivation. It represents trust in my potential and support for research that seeks to understand and treat devastating liver diseases.
I’m deeply grateful to the donors whose generosity makes this possible. Your commitment to advancing biomedical research helps early career investigators like me move discoveries from the lab toward improving patient outcomes.
Assistant Professor Eric Rahrmann, PhD
What I Research
Metastasis, the spread of cancer to other areas of the body, causes nearly all breast cancer deaths. My lab is studying how and why breast cancer spreads—specifically, how we can prevent breast cancer cells from entering the bloodstream and spreading throughout the body. By uncovering how electrical signals help keep blood vessels stable, our research could open new doors to prevent or slow cancer’s spread. We aim to identify new ways to block the escape routes cancer cells use to travel through the body.
Our long-term goal is to turn these discoveries into better treatments that protect patients from relapse.
Award Impact
Thanks to community-driven support from Paint the Town Pink, we’re building the foundation for future breakthroughs that could help families everywhere facing metastatic breast cancer. Your generosity makes it possible for scientists like me to take bold risks and explore new ideas that can save lives.
This award means a great deal to me, both personally and professionally. It connects my research to the Austin community, where people rally together for a common cause. Every day, the energy and generosity of the Austin community reminds me that science and compassion go hand in hand.