These 36 Scientists Are Leading the Way to Biomedical Discoveries

Behind every research breakthrough and lifesaving treatment are biomedical scientists working in labs exploring fundamental questions about human biology and disease. For more than 40 years, The Pew Charitable Trusts has supported these efforts: funding early-career researchers who are driving discoveries and improving health throughout the globe.

On June 16, Pew announced the 2026 class of the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences, Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences, and Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research. These researchers will receive multiyear grants and join a community of more than 1,000 scientists who are taking creative approaches to cancer biology, neuroscience, immunology, and more.

Uncovering findings in cancer research

Millions of Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year, and these researchers are at the cutting edge of cancer prevention and treatment. For example, one scholar seeks to improve early disease detection by using innovative techniques to assess how genetic mutations initiate the development of cancer. Others will examine the ways cell signaling orchestrates cancer-driving inflammation, and how lymph nodes act as a haven for cancer cells, allowing the disease to spread covertly throughout the body.

Some researchers will focus on specific cancer types, such as one scientist who’s pioneering a more precise model for understanding how glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer, grows and spreads. Another will dissect how the immune and nervous systems coordinate in colorectal cancer, and how this communication could be leveraged for treatment.

Still others hope to improve existing cancer drugs and create new ones. A researcher will investigate how stem cells work to resist immunotherapies, using these findings to design better therapeutics. Another scientist aims to build modified versions of immune cells called macrophages as a solution for difficult-to-treat tumors. Additionally, a scholar hopes to create a vaccine capable of priming the immune system to attack an array of cancer types.

Unraveling the brain and aging

The brain serves as the body’s central command center, controlling everything from sleep to movement. Several scientists are decoding how the brain works, and their research could yield a wealth of new strategies for maintaining health.

Neurons act as the brain’s building blocks, yet they can be vulnerable to injury and disease. One scholar hopes to develop an approach for taking astrocytes—support cells in the central nervous system—and transforming them into functioning neurons to aid brain disorders, while another will study the mechanisms behind how neurons coordinate to plan and execute movement. One scientist will look at naked mole rats and their remarkable regenerative capabilities for insights into protecting the brain against neurodegeneration. And because neurological damage can often impede people’s ability to communicate, a scholar will explore the use of prosthetic devices that translate neural signals into speech.

Others are exploring pressing questions about how the brain orchestrates important processes. One fellow will assess how the brain digests new information and organizes memory as we sleep. Another scholar will analyze how the heart, brain, and immune system coordinate after a heart attack, sometimes triggering an inflammatory response that can impede healing. Since certain diet choices during pregnancy can lead a baby to develop a lifelong craving for sugary foods, a scholar will examine the gut-brain connection in this process. Another scholar will research a protein in specialized auditory cells that helps translate sounds into the brain.

Finally, two fellows will explore various neurological implications of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One will examine the differences in brain development and behavior in ASD between men and women. Another will analyze the ways certain immune cells called microglia affect sensory circuits in the spine and contribute to touch sensitivity, which is often experienced by people with ASD.

Exploring the underpinnings of immunity

Understanding how the immune system develops and evolves is key to treating a range of diseases. A scholar hopes to determine how exposure to “good” gut bacteria primes and sustains the immune system’s infection-fighting ability over a lifetime. Meanwhile, another researcher seeks to uncover how our immune cells work together to take in information about possible invaders and mount a coordinated response. And yet another will evaluate why fever gives immune cells a helping hand in their attack against microbes.

Others will engineer approaches for preventing or treating certain diseases. For example, one researcher aims to engineer a vaccine against hepatitis C, leveraging a neutralizing antibody to help clear the rapidly mutating virus. A scholar will dissect the molecular mechanisms behind how certain bacteria carefully store and regulate a special molecule that helps them resist antibiotics. A fellow will look at what happens when pregnant patients are infected with the monkeypox virus, and how time of infection and viral strain affect the health of mother and baby. Another fellow will investigate how a sometimes-deadly fungus called Cryptococcus neoformans challenges its host by invading key infection-clearing immune cells. Meanwhile, a scholar will look at the ways viral RNA—in diseases ranging from dengue to Zika—fold themselves into complex, three-dimensional structures capable of infiltrating and infecting host cells.

Like humans, bacteria possess a robust immune system that helps them ward off viruses. A fellow will examine this system, hoping to uncover strategies for approaching difficult-to-treat infections in humans. Specialized immune cells “remember” when we get sick to help protect us against future infections. One fellow’s research aims to inform vaccine strategies that boost more long-lasting immune responses in the lung. Another fellow will investigate the intricacies of long-lived plasma cells and their role facilitating durable antibody responses from vaccines.

Deciphering life’s building blocks

Cells make up all life forms, yet the inner workings of these key building blocks remain poorly understood. Several scientists across the new class are applying innovative approaches to ask fundamental questions about cell growth, death, and evolution. Take meiosis, a process where chromosomes match up and exchange important genetic information that prompts the creation of sperm and eggs. One fellow will study the molecular mechanisms behind this exchange event and what happens when it goes awry.

Some scholars will examine how organisms adapt and evolve. One is looking at how sea slugs acquire new survival traits from their prey; another will investigate the molecular systems behind how some animals protect their eyes from light damage, informing therapeutics for visual impairments in humans.

Still others are exploring how the human body maintains healthy production of cells. A scholar will evaluate how a molecule helps cells get rid of damaged or useless proteins to maintain function. Another will study how the liver, which processes iron, is more vulnerable to a stress-induced cell-death process called ferroptosis—and how this can drive both injury and regeneration in the liver. A fellow will search for clues about how a specific molecular modification affects messenger RNA molecules, which transmit the genetic information cells use to develop proteins. And finally, a scholar will use artificial intelligence to characterize metabolites, the body’s molecular biomarkers aiding in disease diagnosis and treatment.

Tanisha Jackson, Ph.D., is project director and Donna Dang, Ph.D., is principal associate for The Pew Charitable Trusts’ biomedical programs.