#  Isabella Del Priore: Seeking Out Science Stories 

 



    ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum5431/files/styles/hwp_3_4__480x640/public/2026-01/Isabella_headshot_background.png?h=dcb3af37&itok=Wuu0DbAd) 

 

 

 

   

"My passions lie in finding the stories within science, not only in terms of what is happening in the cell, but also why we care and why it is important."

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 ##  

  expand\_more  

 
  

 

*Written by Isabella Del Priore*



 

My curiosity for understanding the biological mechanisms of cancer began during my AP Biology class in my junior year of high school. The class was presented with two options for the final project: dissect a cat (what most people chose) or pick any topic in biology to present and teach the class (what I chose, focusing on advances in T cell immunotherapies). In preparing to give my presentation, **I was captivated by the ways in which cancer circumvents the normal “rules” of biology.** It was frightening to see the body turn against itself, but inspiring to see how researchers were working together with clinicians to develop treatments that make significant differences in the lives of patients and their families. From this moment, and throughout my undergraduate studies in biology, I knew I wanted to contribute to the body of cancer research that could eventually impact patient outcomes.

After graduating from Bates College with a degree in biology, I followed my interest in cancer as a research technician in Sarat Chandarlapaty’s lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City, focusing on cell signaling in breast cancer to understand mechanisms of resistance to cell cycle inhibitors. While at MSKCC I also worked with a clinical research team, witnessing how the findings in the lab informed clinical trials that were making differences in patients’ lives. **Seeing this translation of research to the clinic happen in real-time inspired my pursuit of a PhD.** Now, as a G4 graduate student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences program in [Alex Toker’s lab](https://tokerlab.com/), I continue to focus on cancer cell signaling, in a slightly different context. Broadly, I am utilizing novel pharmacological strategies to target the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway to improve efficacy and reduce toxicity of targeted therapies and uncover new functions of AKT in regulating cellular metabolism.



 

    ![photo collage](/sites/g/files/omnuum5431/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2025-11/Isabella%20-%20BtB%20Collage.png?itok=-s8e54An) 

 



 

  

In addition to my choice not to dissect a cat igniting my interest in cancer research, this teaching experience in high school unknowingly sparked another passion. The process of reading, digesting, and explaining concepts to the class was the start of building my skillset in science communication. Beyond my interest in being a scientist myself, I hope to build a career in communicating and writing about science. A large component that drew me to research was the power of discovery to shape therapeutic advances that positively impact people. Patients with cancer and their families are often curious to learn about the disease and how treatments work. I hope to be able to make science more accessible to this population as well as the general public, breaking down the misconception that science is only understandable within the research community. **My passions lie in finding the stories within science, not only in terms of what is happening in the cell, but also why we care and why it is important.**

To this end, I have participated in several science communication opportunities while at Harvard. I am currently co-Editor-in-Chief of the graduate student-run blog [Science in the News (SITN)](https://sites.harvard.edu/sitn/), which seeks to make science interesting and accessible to the wider community. I also volunteered for the [Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI)](https://emerginginvestigators.org/) as a Reviewer and Editor, where I mentored and provided feedback to middle and high school students as they prepared their first manuscripts for publication. Further, I organized a science communication panel and workshop as part of the Landry Cancer Biology Consortium spring symposium. This event brought together students, principal investigators, and science writers across the Harvard community to engage in conversations about how to improve trainees’ own abilities in communicating their work as well as discuss the timely importance of communicating science to the public.

Now, through this blog, Beyond the Bench, **I hope to continue to write the stories of science and engage wider audiences, this time by sharing the journeys of principal investigators and students within the Harvard cancer research community beyond the research they do at the lab bench.**