Kyle McCreary '25 Shines Bright as Honoree of the Sharon Gall Lecher Memorial Research Award

Congratulations to Biology and Spanish double major Kyle McCreary ’25 on receiving the 2023 Sharon Gall Lecher Memorial Research Award. The award is annually awarded to a Marian University student pursuing cancer research, cancer medicine, or cancer rehabilitation and honors the memory of Sharon Gall Lecher ’96. Lecher was a Marian University alumna and a long-time supporter of the Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences. Her 8-year breast cancer battle inspired many and is a testament to McCreary’s continued research.

“Receiving this award was truly an honor, but was also personal for me as it was in remembrance of Dr. Lecher’s late wife, Sharon," said McCreary. "Dr. Lecher has been one of the most influential professors I have had the privilege to work with at Marian, and I truly look to him not only as a mentor but as a role model.”

McCreary’s proposal of “Investigating WNT Signaling in Breast Cancer Chemoresistance” was selected for the $2,000 research award, allowing the opportunity for resources to dive deeper into his research on the WNT Signaling Pathways.
McCreary and his team discovered the pathways hold a vital role in the growth and proliferation of the breast cancer cells. Through his discoveries and continued research with Dr. Catherine E. Steding, assistant professor of Biochemistry in the College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-COM), and other MU-COM colleagues, this breast cancer student researcher said, “we hope to provide concrete data that can help further the cancer research effort.” 

Research fund donations should be sent to Marian University here. Please note the Sharon Gall Lecher Memorial Research Award in the subject line.