Q&A with Eleanor Agosta: Identifying a Novel Biomarker for Cervical Cancer Progression
July 30, 2025On her journey to becoming a physician scientist, PhRMA Foundation awardee Eleanor Agosta is researching cancer genomics at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
After a long day conducting experiments in the lab, Eleanor Agosta still looks forward to seeing patients in the clinic. That’s how she knows she made the right choice in pursuing a career as a physician scientist.
Agosta is an MD-PhD student at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, where she is studying cancer genomics. She received a PhRMA Foundation 2025 Predoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine for her research into a potential biomarker for cervical cancer progression.
Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are responsible for over 90% of cervical cancers. A key step in the development of some HPV-related cancers is when the virus DNA integrates into human DNA. Agosta is studying one of the five locations where this integration often occurs: the TP63 gene. She theorizes that changes in this gene’s expression aid in cancer progression. She will use precise imaging techniques to investigate changes at the TP63 gene as a potential biomarker for cervical cancer progression.
Watch this video to learn more about Agosta and her research.
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