Nofar Erlichman, PhD, a postdoctoral associate at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences, was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Cancer Society (ACS) for her project, “Adipocyte PD-L1 mediates the promotion of mammary tumor growth by the sympathetic nervous system.”
The ACS fellowship will provide Erlichman with three years of funding and a travel stipend to attend a scientific conference in her final year.
Erlichman studies the effects of adipocytes, or fat cells, as a contributor to triple-negative breast cancer progression. Adipocytes produce the protein PD-L1, which contributes to the secretion of specific fatty acids that can promote more aggressive cancer cell behavior. Her project will investigate the body’s communication between adipocytes, cancer cells, and nerves. The study is expected to provide molecular insights into PD-L1’s role in cancer progression and uncover new treatment strategies for patients most likely to benefit.
After earning a PhD in Cancer Research and Immunology from Tel Aviv University in 2023, Erlichman knew she had a limited window to secure a specialized postdoctoral grant. The ACS fellowship, available to researchers within three years of the start of their postdoctoral training, made that goal possible.
Erlichman said the grant-writing process helped her to think about her future goals and become a stronger scientist. She joined GW in 2024 to conduct her research under the mentorship of Rong Li, PhD, Ross Professor of Basic Science Research and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine.
“No one I knew had written an ACS postdoctoral fellowship grant before,” Erlichman said. “But my mentor was incredibly supportive throughout the process, guiding me through the application, reviewing my drafts, and providing valuable feedback that helped me strengthen the proposal.”
She submitted her first ACS fellowship application in June 2025, and used comments from reviewers to refine this resubmission application in December 2025 that was ultimately awarded.
Prior to receiving her ACS award, Erlichman was a trainee of GW’s Cancer Biology Training Program (CBTP), funded by an NIH/NCI T32 grant and led by Norman Lee, PhD, professor of pharmacology and physiology, and Edward Seto, PhD, King Fahd Professor of Cancer Biology and professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine.
