Jaidev Bapat, PhD

2026 Mentored Investigator Grant

University of California, San Francisco

Project Summary
Our work focuses on a cell type referred to as cancer-associated fibroblasts that are found in ovarian cancer tumors. Specifically, we will study how cancer-associated fibroblasts that carry the DDR2 protein can affect how ovarian cancer cells respond to anti-cancer drugs and immune cells. Our research will provide insight into countering drug resistance, and into identifying drugs that promote an anti-cancer immune response.

Bio
Dr. Jaidev Bapat has been studying ovarian cancer for over seven years. He earned his Ph.D. in Cancer Biology in Dr. Benjamin Bitler’s lab in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado Anschutz. His graduate research focused on studying mechanisms of dissemination and anoikis resistance in high grade serous cancer. He is currently a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Katherine Fuh’s lab in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. His research project involves investigating how DDR2-expressing cancer-associated fibroblasts can suppress anti-tumor immune responses in the the ovarian cancer microenvironment, specifically with regards to T cell activity.