Drew is also among five new recipients of the Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists who will each receive $100,000 toward their research. This award provides additional funding to scientists completing a Damon Runyon Fellowship Award who have greatly exceeded Damon Runyon’s highest expectations and are most likely to make paradigm-shifting breakthroughs that transform the way we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

Dr. Bridges, a postdoc in the lab of Bonnie Bassler, studies how bacterial cells form communities called biofilms, three-dimensional structures that are implicated in multiple forms of cancer and can provide a breeding ground for infection in patients undergoing chemotherapy. He is investigating how a communication process inside bacterial cells called “quorum sensing” drives the gene expression patterns that govern biofilm formation. By discovering the quorum-sensing mechanism bacteria use to sculpt biofilm architectures, he hopes to contribute to the development of new strategies to interfere with formation of these bacterial communities.

“Historically, Damon Runyon Fellows have gone on to become leaders in cancer research, making discoveries that are not only consequential in their field but also for the lives of patients. We are excited to welcome these brilliant scientists from across the country into their ranks and honored to continue to support the work of these Breakthrough Scientist awardees,” said Yung S. Lie, PhD, President and CEO of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.