Faculty member and researcher Antonina Mitrofanova was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers—the U.S. government’s highest recognition for exceptional emerging scientists and engineers.
“This award is a tremendous honor,” said Mitrofanova, an associate professor and associate dean for research at Rutgers School of Health Professions who also serves as a research member at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
“I immigrated from Ukraine to the U.S. at 21 and decided to change my career from medicine to computer science. This award represents my ‘American Dream’ and is living proof that in the U.S., you can dream big and achieve it if you put your heart into it.”
Mitrofanova was one of 400 researchers who received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award in January 2025 from President Joe Biden.
The awardees were employed or funded by 14 governmental agencies. Mitrofanova’s recognition comes from the National Institutes of Health for her development of mathematical and computational algorithms that address biologically and clinically significant problems.
“This award is a testament to the incredible supportive environment that the School of Health Professions, Rutgers Health, and Rutgers created for scientists like me,” Mitrofanova said.
A pioneer in biomedical informatics, Mitrofanova specializes in identifying molecular biomarkers to predict treatment responses in cancer patients. Her work not only identifies patients at risk of developing resistance to treatments but uncovers new therapeutic targets for those who fail traditional therapies.
Her lab uses advanced mathematical models to analyze complex molecular interactions rather than relying on single-gene markers.
“This approach provides deeper insights into disease progression and uncovers alternative treatment strategies for patients at risk of treatment failure,” Mitrofanova said.
A study by Mitrofanova published last year in Nature Communications introduced computational methods to predict which patients would benefit from a widely used prostate cancer drug. The study also proposed a strategy to extend the drug’s effectiveness.
Using sophisticated algorithms, Mitrofanova and her team identified why the prostate cancer drug enzalutamide (sold under the brand name Xtandi) fails for some patients and eventually stops working in others. By analyzing advanced prostate cancer patient data, they mapped interactions among molecular pathways and their upstream transcription factors – proteins that regulate multiple genes.
Mitrofanova’s lab is now expanding its research to address significant gaps in cancer biology, exploring the role of the non-coding genome in treatment response. If successful, said Mitrofanova, these approaches will help more patients receive the treatment they need and create pathways for developing non-traditional cancer therapies.
“We hope our work will guide the best therapeutic course for patients before they begin treatment, improving cancer management, outcomes and quality of life,” she said.
