Grelet awarded GENEWIZ Pioneer Grant

Simon Grelet, Ph.D.

Simon Grelet, Ph.D., a cancer researcher at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute and an assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Whiddon College of Medicine, has been named a recipient of the GENEWIZ Pioneer Grant.

GENEWIZ, an Azenta Life Sciences company, is a leading global provider of genomics services. Its Fall Fast Grants program offers rapid funding to academic researchers across the United States to support innovative scientific research and accelerate genomic discoveries.

Grelet will use the $5,000 award to advance the development of MitoTRACER animal genetic models. His research team employs advanced in vivo and in vitro models, along with the MitoTRACER genetic system they designed, to trace the fate of cancer cells that acquire neuronal mitochondria. Their findings indicate that these cells are more likely to successfully form distant metastases.

“I believe these models have strong potential to transform our understanding of human physiology and metabolic homeostasis,” Grelet said.

GENEWIZ supports researchers worldwide by providing high-quality data and constructs for next-generation sequencing, gene synthesis, and Sanger sequencing.