By DoM Communications | Date published: November 17, 2025

Postdoctoral Fellow in the Lab of Jason Pitarresi Honored by the National Pancreas Foundation 

Nikita Bhalerao, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow studying in the lab of Jason Pitarresi, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, has received the 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. This prestigious award recognizes an individual who has shown exceptional promise, innovation, and compassion in advancing the understanding and management of pancreatic diseases. With the PCA postdoctoral fellowship funding, Dr. Bhalerao aims 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.  

“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.”  

Read the full story in UMass Chan News.