UAB chemistry Ph.D. candidate Piyasuda Pukkanasut, M.S., and research fellow Zhixing Song, M.D., each received an Outstanding Trainee Poster Award at the American Thyroid Association (ATA) Annual Meeting.

Piyasuda Pukkanasut, M.S., received the Outstanding Trainee Poster Award after presenting research on a small molecule designed and synthesized in the Chemistry laboratory, which was then tested in the Neuroendocrine Cancer Research Laboratory. This compound has shown promise in preventing metastasis formation in a medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) mouse model. Her poster presentation drew attention to its potential implications in cancer therapeutics.

Pukkanasut completed her Master of Science in Biotechnology at UAB in 2018. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in medicinal chemistry at UAB. She conducts her research under the guidance of Sadanandan Velu, Ph.D., from the Department of Chemistry and Renata Jaskula-Sztul, Ph.D., from the Department of Surgery. Her primary research focuses on targeting voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) for treating MTC. This is a promising area in drug discovery.

Zhixing Song, M.D., received the Outstanding Trainee Poster Award for his abstract, “Diagnostic Value of Molecular Testing for Evaluating Thyroid Nodules Greater Than 4 Centimeters.” In his study, Song analyzed patient data from UAB, revealing that while molecular testing is frequently employed to diminish unnecessary thyroid surgeries, a negative result might not definitively exclude malignancy in larger nodules. His research underscores physicians' need to exercise caution when interpreting molecular test results for these cases.

Song completed his medical degree at the Tsinghua School of Medicine in Beijing, China, in 2023 and began his role as a research fellow at UAB, under the mentorship of UAB Department of Surgery Chair Herbert Chen, M.D.