Chemistry senior accepted into St. Jude Research Program

February 2020 | LSU Chemistry

Salim Lutfallah

Salim Lutfallah, Chemistry Senior

Baton Rouge, LA- Salim Lutfallah has described himself as a science-oriented person his entire life. His fondest memory of science during his childhood was when he competed at the international science fair I-SWEEEP and won honorable mention with his 8th-grade project titled, “The Power of Poop.”

Upon starting at LSU, Salim became interested in the study and application of chemistry. During his freshman year, Salim started working as an undergraduate researcher in the Elgrishi Research Group. He is now working on his honors thesis project that uses molecular nanocages to encapsulate anti-cancer drugs to increase their bioavailability.

This summer, Salim will be participating in the extremely competitive Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, one of the premier hospitals in the country treating children with cancer. The POE program, funded by the National Institute of Health and National Cancer Institute, is an 11 week program for students preparing for careers in the biomedical sciences to gain biomedical and oncology research experience.

Salim will be working on the pharmacogenomics of anti-leukemia drugs in the laboratory of Dr. Jun Yang. Salim shared, “I’m excited to be granted the opportunity to build a stronger understanding of anti-cancer research and pharmacogenomics at St. Jude. I hold cancer research close to my heart because I lost my father to cancer less than a year ago.”

Salim, a senior chemistry major from Alexandria, LA., plans to graduate in December 2020. After graduation, he hopes to attend medical school starting in Fall 2021.