Photo: Hallie Leo
Nikita Bhalerao, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at UMass Chan Medical School, has received the prestigious 2025 Rising Star Award from the National Pancreas Foundation and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance (PCA) for her research on pancreatic cancer in the lab of Jason Pitarresi, PhD, assistant professor of medicine.
The Rising Star Award recognizes an individual who has shown exceptional promise, innovation and compassion in advancing the understanding and management of pancreatic diseases. The PCA postdoctoral fellowship is funding Dr. Bhalerao’s work to understand the underlying mechanisms that drive cancer cachexia, a cancer-associated syndrome characterized by uncontrollable weight loss that occurs in up to 80 percent of pancreatic cancer patients. 
“Pancreatic cancer is one of the most notorious cancers because patients experience significant weight loss as the disease progresses and the cancer isn’t detected until a very late stage, leading to poor survival rates in these patients,” said Bhalerao. “I’m working on understanding the mechanisms of how cachexia ensues and ways to target and block this weight loss.”
“Nikita is an exceptionally hardworking, dedicated and creative scientist,” Dr. Pitarresi said. “The cause of cachexia remains poorly characterized, and Nikita took on a bold and risky project by setting out to determine new molecular mediators that drive cachectic wasting. Her work revealed a new tumor-derived factor that mediates adipose tissue wasting, pushing the boundaries and opening the door to potential breakthroughs in a disease that urgently needs them.”
Bhalerao, who is from Mumbai, India, majored in biotechnology as an undergraduate at the University of Mumbai and earned her master’s degree in biotechnology from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in Gujarat. She moved to the U.S. to pursue a PhD in cancer biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she studied tumor glycobiology in the context of pancreatic cancer initiation.
Bhalerao hopes to someday run her own lab and concentrate on tumor immunology and molecular biology for pancreatic cancer, with a goal of creating better survival outcomes for cancer patients. Outside of the lab, she loves to paint, read books and catch up with friends and family.
“Everyone is super collaborative and brainstorms ideas, which speaks volumes to Jason’s mentorship because his entire lab made my experience at UMass Chan so pleasant,” said Bhalerao.
Bhalerao will accept the Rising Star Award at the National Pancreas Foundation’s Courage for a Cure Awards Celebration.
