Dasgupta receives 2024 Mayer Mitchell Award for Excellence in Cancer Research

Santanu Dasgupta, Ph.D., has been named the recipient of the 2024 Mayer Mitchell Award for Excellence in Cancer Research. 

Dasgupta joined the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute and the University of South Alabama Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine in 2020. He is head of the Mitochondrial Research Laboratory and a member of the Cancer Biology Program at the Mitchell Cancer Institute, and an assistant professor of pathology and director of research in pathology at the Whiddon College of Medicine.

The $10,000 award is presented annually to a promising scientist at the Mitchell Cancer Institute upon the recommendation of a faculty committee. The award was established in 2009 by University of South Alabama Trustee Arlene Mitchell in memory of her late husband, Mayer Mitchell, a Mobile businessman, longtime USA trustee and formative figure in the establishment of the MCI. 

“Dr. Dasgupta’s pioneering work on early detection and treatment of aggressive cancers not only advances our scientific understanding of these diseases but also brings us closer to more effective, lifesaving therapies,” said John V. Marymont, M.D., MBA, dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs. “This award is well-earned recognition of his exceptional contributions to cancer research.”

Dasgupta is principal investigator on multiple projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama. The aim of his research is to develop biomarker tools for early cancer detection, monitoring, risk assessment and therapeutic guidance – ultimately improving the overall survival of cancer patients.

As a result of his research, the University of South Alabama submitted a patent application to support the development of a mitochondrial DNA-based blood test kit – the first of its kind – for early detection and monitoring of triple-negative breast cancer.

Additionally, his lab’s recent discovery of TOMM22 protein as a potential biomarker and novel therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer has received national recognition. It is the first study to demonstrate the role of the mitochondrial protein import system in promoting pancreatic cancer.

Dasgupta also has particular interest in understanding the factors that contribute to racial health disparities in cervical, ovarian, head and neck, pancreatic, breast and prostate cancer.

“Dr. Dasgupta’s groundbreaking research is paving the way for a brighter, healthier future for countless lives,” said Owen Bailey, MSHA, FACHE, USA Health chief executive officer and senior associate vice president for medical affairs. “I congratulate Dr. Dasgupta on this outstanding achievement. We are so grateful to have him at USA Health and on the MCI team.”

Dasgupta earned a doctorate in cancer biology from the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in West Bengal, India. He went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

A prolific author, he has published 86 scientific articles – 18 of which have been published since joining the MCI in 2020.