Furman student researchers win big at national protein science meeting

Furman University master’s student Ryan Galloway M ’25 and undergraduate Lana Geiger ’26 won awards for outstanding poster presentations at The Protein Society 39th Annual Symposium in San Francisco recently. They presented their research on Candida glabrata, a type of yeast resistant to antifungal treatment. Known for its shape-shifting virulence, the pathogen can be deadly in elderly patients and people with autoimmune conditions.

Galloway, of Mesa, Arizona, was one of 25 winners of the graduate poster awards amid competition from doctoral and master’s candidates in the United States and abroad. Geiger was one of only five students to receive a poster award in the undergraduate division. Both conduct research in the lab of Meghan Breen, assistant professor of chemistry.

From left: Meghan Breen, Lana Geiger and Ryan Galloway stand at a poster at The Protein Society Symposium. Some text is intentionally blurred.

“Dr. Breen has created an environment that empowers me to grow as a scientist,” said Galloway, who came to Furman with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. “I have the freedom to think independently in the lab. I’ve developed skills like experimental design and the ability to analyze and communicate results.” He also extended shoutouts to undergraduates Alexandria Walgren ’28 and Yusra Naeem ’27 for their roles in the project.

Galloway investigates how specific molecular triggers regulate alternative carbon metabolism, or the plan B food supply for C. glabrata under stress. It’s a process important for understanding the harmful yeast’s ninja-like ability to dodge immune response.

Geiger works with Breen, Galloway and other researchers to develop a genetic code expansion system to study how the proteins work in C. glabrata and how it’s able to shield itself against antifungal drugs.

Galloway’s and Geiger’s projects were supported by SC INBRE, an initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health to boost biomedical research capacity in South Carolina. Both researchers intend to pursue doctorates and count Breen’s mentorship as integral to their plans.

“Dr. Breen is a great mentor,” Geiger said. “She’s approachable, supportive and cares about all of us. She prioritizes learning through our lab work – it’s so much more than just cranking out data.”

Ahead of the awards ceremony, Geiger, who’s from Lancaster, South Carolina, joked with Galloway about making it to the session so they could collect their awards. “But then we actually got awards,” she said. “That was awesome.”