Pioneering cancer studies, focusing on individual cells

Sunny Hunt, a double major in biochemistry and sociology at Oberlin College, is making waves in the medical research community. This summer, Sunny has been working in Dr. Justin Lathia's translational cancer stem cell research lab at the Cleveland Clinic, examining glioblastoma.

Sunny's research focuses on understanding the role of sex differences in the behaviour of glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer. Their work has uncovered that estrogen plays a significant part in hypercoagulability, a condition often associated with glioblastoma.

In addition, Sunny is investigating how microglia, the brain's immune cells, interact differently with glioblastoma in individuals assigned male at birth compared to those assigned female at birth. Microglia activation is a crucial aspect of the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment, and the cancer often manipulates the immune system to create an immunosuppressive environment.

Sunny's research is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Justin Lathia, the principal investigator and vice chair, as well as an associate professor in the department of cardiovascular and metabolic sciences.

Prior to this, Sunny worked under postdoctoral fellow Dr. Anthony Sloan in the lab, where they designed a series of experiments to explore how key parts of the inflammatory response are altered by estrogen and androgens.

Sunny's passion for research was sparked during their undergraduate years, and they plan to pursue an MD-PhD in the future. Their drive to learn more about the intersection of sociology and science stems from a desire to better understand the impact of societal factors on health outcomes.

On a personal note, Sunny's father, who battled cancer, is proud of their work and success in college. He often shares his health and fitness achievements with them, serving as a constant source of inspiration. Sunny is happy to report that their father is now in good health after his cancer battle.

Recently, Sunny published a journal article titled "Bigotry and Misinformation" in the 2025 issue of Waves. The article discusses the impact of prejudice and misinformation on scientific research and public health.

As Sunny begins their third year at Oberlin College this fall, they continue to delve deeper into the world of brain cancer research, constantly coming up with new angles to explore due to numerous 'what-ifs' that arise during research.

Unfortunately, the article does not provide a specific Winter Term page for readers to learn about projects available to Oberlin students. However, for those interested in learning more about Sunny's research, they can reach out to Dr. Justin Lathia at the Cleveland Clinic.