Brandon Lieng (supplied image)
Brandon Lieng recognized with Jennifer Comyn Graduate Award for Cancer Research
Published: July 23, 2025
Brandon Lieng, a PhD student in the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, has earned the 2025 Jennifer Comyn Graduate Award for Cancer Research.
The award is granted by the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research to an outstanding graduate student conducting cancer research in its labs. It was established by the Angers family as a tribute to the late Jennifer Comyn, an advocate for cancer research.
Early in his PhD, Lieng developed a computational method to improve high-resolution multi-stage mass spectrometry databases. In his third year, he pivoted to wet-lab research, and is now looking at metabolic differences in breast cancer cells.
“Instead of resting on his laurels or continuing solely in his computational domain, Brandon sought to tackle a project with broader societal impact,” said Rafael Montenegro Burke, an assistant professor of molecular genetics and Lieng's PhD supervisor. “His curiosity and ambition led him to shift focus toward metabolic heterogeneity in cancer subclonal populations, an area that has not been explored metabolically but holds significant potential for advancing cancer treatment.”
