Suzann Duan, PhD
UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

BTSI

The North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) congratulates Suzann Duan, PhD from the University of California, Irvine as the 2025 recipient of NANETS’ Basic/Translational Science Investigator Award (BTSI). Dr. Duan was awarded this scholarship for her proposal: Targeting the Epigenetic Landscape of GEP-NETs through Menin-MLL Inhibition. The award will be recognized at the NANETS Multidisciplinary NET Medical Symposium at the JW Marriott in Austin, TX during October 23-25, 2025 by the NANETS’ Scientific Review and Research Committee.

Earlier this year, Dr. Duan joined the faculty at the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she studied the cells-of-origin for neuroendocrine tumors in the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas (GEP-NETs) and worked to identify novel signaling pathways that contribute to the pathogenesis of these tumors. Last year, Dr. Duan received the 2024 NANETS Rising Star award at the 2024 NANETS Multidisciplinary NET Medical Symposium in Chicago, IL.

Dr. Duan will be mentored by Dr. Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD, who is the Associate Director of Basic Sciences at the UA Cancer Center and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the UA College of Medicine. “Throughout her transition to independence, Suzann has been able to take certain resources and materials from my lab that she will continue to use for her BTSI proposal,” said Dr. Merchant. “I fully support Suzann as she carries these projects forward at UCI.”

This project will test the application of a new class of cancer drugs known as menin-MLL inhibitors in preclinical GEP-NET models. The goal of this project is to define how menin-MLL inhibition impacts the epigenetic landscape of these tumors by modulating the levels of the tumor suppressor protein menin. This work addresses a major gap in our understanding and is both innovative and impactful as it carries the potential to inform the delivery of menin-MLL inhibitors in the adjuvant setting.

The BTSI award is a two-year, $100,000 grant made possible through generous support from the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF). The purpose of the BTSI Award is to encourage early career scientists in fellowship or new faculty appointments to pursue research focused on neuroendocrine cancer. NETRF has funded the BTSI since 2016.

“NETRF is proud to collaborate with NANETS to support Dr. Duan’s research,” said Elyse Gellerman, CEO of NETRF. “Funding basic and translational science is critical for the development of new treatments, which patients urgently need.”

NANETS is grateful to NETRF, whose tremendous investment in this annual research grant has made a difference in the NET medical community and the patients we serve. The NANETS Scientific Review & Research Committee establishes the award criteria, reviews process, and independently selects the recipient.