By DoM Communications | Date published: November 17, 2025

Jessica Peura Studies Pancreatic Cancer in Pitarresi Lab While Honoring Mother Through Grant-Funded Research 

Jessica Peura, a PhD candidate studying in the lab of Jason Pitarresi, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, will have the opportunity to advance her research in pancreatic cancer after earning a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Cancer Institute. With this award, Jessica aims to study how cancer spreads and has developed a highly metastatic research model that replicates the phenotype seen in patients.  

“Because of my mom’s rare cancer, I got frustrated by the lack of knowledge and treatments available for many patients,” she said. “Biotech is focused on where the highest patient population is, but there are still patients with nothing. That experience drew me to the lab I’m in now, which focuses on overlooked effects of pancreatic cancer,” said Jessica.

Learn more about Jessica’s work by reading the full story in UMass Chan News.