This fall, the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center’s Office of Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) piloted its first trainee exchange with the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. This program gave graduate researchers a platform to present their work, connect with leaders in their field, and explore postdoctoral opportunities, while building collaboration between our centers.

During this exchange, one of our Cancer Center’s Trainee Associate Membership (TAM) Program members, Levi Fox, visited UW Carbone, and two of their trainees, Kasey Mitchell and Fei Sun, came to UC for a two-day experience at each location. All trainees met with faculty mentors and shared their ongoing research projects.

Learn more about each trainee and their research below.

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Trainee

Levi H. Fox PhD Candidate, Cell & Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Mentor: Susan Waltz, PhD

Talk: The RON receptor tyrosine kinase drives aggressive mammary tumorigenesis through TREX1-mediated IFN-I suppression

Levi is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Cancer and Cell Biology program at the University of Cincinnati. His research in Dr. Susan Waltz’s laboratory focuses on the RON receptor tyrosine kinase, a key driver of breast cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. Specifically, Levi is investigating how RON signaling rewires tumor–immune interactions and metabolic pathways, including mechanisms through which TREX1-mediated suppression of type I interferon (IFN-I) supports tumorigenesis.

His recent findings reveal that RON-dependent TREX1 activity limits cytosolic nucleotide sensing, thereby dampening IFN-I production and promoting an immune-evasive tumor microenvironment. This work highlights therapeutic vulnerabilities that could be targeted to improve outcomes for patients with aggressive breast cancers. Levi has received multiple research awards, including the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Trainee Associate Member Pilot Award and recognition at the UC Cancer Metastasis Research Symposium.

Through the trainee exchange, Levi spent two days at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, meeting with faculty mentors to discuss translational applications of his work and potential postdoctoral research directions that bridge immunology and cancer metabolism.

University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center Trainees

Kasey Mitchell PhD Candidate, Endocrinology & Reproductive Physiology, University of Wisconsin–Madison Carbone Cancer Center Mentor: Wei Xu, PhD

Talk: Creating New Models for Male Breast Cancer: Hormone-Dependent Tumorigenesis using the ACI rat

Kasey is a third-year PhD student in the Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research in Dr. Wei Xu’s lab aims to fill a critical gap in male breast cancer (MBC) research by developing and characterizing novel in vivo and in vitro models for this rare and understudied disease.

Using both wild-type and genetically engineered August Copenhagen Irish (ACI) rat strains, Kasey has demonstrated that male mammary tumors develop only when exposed to combined estrogen and progesterone treatment—implicating progesterone signaling in male tumorigenesis. From these models, she has derived the first organoids and cell lines for MBC, providing a powerful new platform for mechanistic and therapeutic studies.

Kasey’s broader interests include translational technologies, antibody screening, and drug-delivery innovation. She is also pursuing a certificate in Strategic Innovation and active in WiSolve, a graduate consulting organization that connects scientific research with biotechnology entrepreneurship. Her exchange visit to UC allowed her to engage with breast cancer investigators and discuss the translational potential of her emerging models. 

Fei Sun PhD Candidate, Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison Mentor: Ting Fu, PhD

Talk: The Microbial Bile Acid Metabolite 3-oxo-LCA Inhibits Colorectal Cancer Progression

Fei’s research integrates microbiology, cancer biology, and metabolism to understand how microbial bile acid metabolites influence colorectal cancer (CRC) development. Under the mentorship of Dr. Ting Fu, she investigates the role of 3-oxo-lithocholic acid (3-oxo-LCA)—a microbial bile acid derivative with emerging roles in immune modulation and longevity—in suppressing CRC progression.

Her work employs a comprehensive toolkit of in vitro (murine and human CRC cell lines, intestinal and patient-derived organoids) and in vivo models (APC^Min/+^ mice, syngeneic allografts, and patient-derived xenografts). Through these systems, Fei aims to delineate how bile acid–driven signaling shapes intestinal epithelial and immune function, with the long-term goal of identifying therapeutic metabolites that can modulate cancer progression.

Fei’s scientific journey spans veterinary sciences, reproductive biology, and cancer pharmacology—earning multiple publications, including a forthcoming first-author paper in Cancer Research (2025) on 3-oxo-LCA’s anticancer effects. Her visit to our Cancer Center centered on exploring GI oncology collaborations and translational strategies to bridge microbial metabolism with clinical innovation.

Trainee exchange students pose with University of Cincinnati Cancer Center faculty and staff.

From left to right: Zoe Wagner (CRTEC Coordinator), Kasey Mitchell (PhD Candidate, UW Carbone), Katie Fulton (Program Director, CRTEC), Fei Sun (PhD Candidate, UW Carbone), Ken Greis, PhD (AD, Shared Resources), Susan Waltz, PhD (AD, CRTEC), Melinda Butsch Kovacic (AD, COE).