Congratulations to Souradip Sinha, BS, MS, a doctoral student in Munir Tanas, MD’s research laboratory, who has been awarded the Ada Louise Ballard & Seashore Dissertation Fellowship by the Graduate College for the Spring 2027 semester. The fellowship is awarded to students during their final semester to provide protected and supported time to focus on completing their scholarly research activities and the writing of their dissertation.

Sarcomas are diverse cancers arising from mesenchymal tissues and have limited therapeutic options, yet the epigenetic mechanisms driving their growth remain poorly understood. Souradip’s dissertation investigates the ADA2A-containing (ATAC) histone acetyltransferase complex, which promotes gene expression through YEATS2/ZZZ3-mediated chromatin engagement and GCN5/PCAF-dependent H3K9 acetylation. Using in vitro and in vivo sarcoma models, the ATAC complex is identified as a critical epigenetic complex that promotes oncogenic growth and transcriptional programs across sarcomas and can be therapeutically targeted through inhibition of its catalytic HAT module.