Q&A with Annalisa Ferrotta: Understanding the Glioblastoma Treatment Failures and Evaluating New Options
September 16, 2025PhD student Annalisa Ferrotta is conducting research at Weill Cornell Medicine to try to understand why treatments that have been effective for other cancers have not worked for glioblastoma.
PhD student Annalisa Ferrotta is all too familiar with the challenges that come with the pursuit of science. Often experiments fail and hypotheses are incorrect. “Science can be so humbling. It is one of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” she said.
What keeps her going in? When Ferrotta was younger, her aunt was diagnosed with cancer, and a clinical trial extended her aunt’s life far beyond what doctors expected. The idea that she could contribute to a discovery that gives families more time with sick loved ones motivates her in difficult times.
Ferrotta is conducting research on glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain tumor in adults, at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. She received a PhRMA Foundation 2025 Predoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine for her efforts to understand why treatments targeting a specific signaling pathway that have been effective for other cancers have not worked for glioblastoma.
Watch this video to learn more about Ferrotta and her research.
Learn more about the PhRMA Foundation’s fellowship and grant opportunities. Check out more researcher stories on our blog.
