UF postdoctoral associate Rachel Newsome, Ph.D., has been selected to give an oral presentation at Digestive Disease Week 2025 on her innovative cancer research that harnesses the gut microbiome to enhance the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy treatment.
Newsome received an award from the American Gastroenterological Association Research Foundation for the best abstract submitted by a postdoctoral fellow.
Digestive Disease Week, the most prestigious meeting in the world for GI professionals, is sponsored by the American Gastroenterological Association and will take place May 3-6 in San Diego. Newsome will give her presentation during the Microbiome & Microbial Therapy Section Distinguished Abstract Plenary.
Her abstract was in the top 10, so she was also invited to the Gail Hecht, M.D., and David Hecht, M.D., Distinguished Microbiome Lecture and Mentorship Session. The award will support her travel to the conference.
Newsome’s abstract describes the development of a microbial-derived small molecule to enhance the immune system response to immunotherapy treatment in lung cancer.
Newsome works in the lab of Christian Jobin, Ph.D., co-leader of the UF Health Cancer Center’s Immuno-Oncology and Microbiome research program. Newsome and Jobin are working to license the small-molecule technology as part of a startup they are co-founding called Bebi Therapeutics.
Earlier this spring, Newsome also received a 2025 Thomas H. Maren Research Excellence from the UF College of Medicine to support her research.
Congratulations, Rachel!
