(Press-News.org) TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology) has announced Maralice Conacci-Sorrell, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, as the recipient of the 2026 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship in cancer research. She was chosen for her pioneering research revealing how cancer cells harness nutrients to drive their growth and for creating targeted strategies to suppress otherwise untreatable cancers.
The Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship recognizes women scientists in Texas bringing new ideas and innovations to the fight against cancer. It was established in 2022 in honor of Mary Beth Maddox, former Executive Director of TAMEST, who passed away after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Conacci-Sorrell’s research uncovers how changes in cellular metabolism support uncontrolled growth in cancer and how these vulnerabilities can be targeted. Her work focuses on two fundamental processes: nutrient utilization and protein synthesis. By studying how cancer‑driving genes alter these pathways, she aims to identify strategies that disrupt tumor growth without harming normal tissues.
Certain cancers depend heavily on nutrients such as tryptophan to fuel their growth. In liver tumors, these nutrients can be used to produce a metabolite that acts as a growth signal driving the cancer cells to multiply. Removing this nutrient from the diet can halt tumor growth and adding the metabolite restored it—revealing a potential therapeutic target. In parallel, her studies on brain tumors revealed that blocking pyrimidine synthesis—the process cells use to make DNA and RNA building blocks—slows tumor growth even in drug-resistant forms of brain cancer.
“Dr. Conacci-Sorrell’s research has been pivotal in advancing our understanding of how cellular processes drive disease and uncovering strategies to address them,” said Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship Committee Chair Helen Heslop, M.D., D.Sc. (Hon) (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine. “Equally notable is her steadfast leadership and dedication to mentorship, cultivating pathways that open doors for the next generation of scientists.”
Dr. Conacci-Sorrell's research has changed scientists’ understanding of how metabolic interventions can complement traditional cancer therapies. Her lab is working to develop new strategies to disrupt the processes of nutrient uptake and metabolic utilization in cancer cells, applying targeted interventions designed to impair their growth and survival.
Dr. Conacci-Sorrell is an Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She has received numerous honors, including the John P. Perkins Distinguished Professorship in Biomedical Science, the Southwestern Academy of Teachers Outstanding Educator Award (2023), and the Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award (2024).
In addition, Dr. Conacci-Sorrell has trained more than 17 graduate and postdoctoral fellows, chaired the UT Southwestern Graduate School Admissions Committee, and led initiatives to promote equity and inclusion.
“Maralice is an outstanding cancer researcher and an exemplary, passionate educator and mentor. Her significant accomplishments and contributions to science, make her richly deserving of the 2026 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship,” said Nominator and TAMEST Member Steven Kliewer, Ph.D. (NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Her profound commitment to education and her dedication to promoting inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) continue to inspire and elevate the scientific community.”
Dr. Conacci-Sorrell will be honored at the TAMEST 2026 Annual Conference: Pioneering Climate Innovations where she will present her research to attendees and receive a $5,000 honorarium and award. The conference takes place Feb. 2-4, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas.
In addition to being honored at the TAMEST Annual Conference, Dr. Conacci-Sorrell will promote her work and discoveries across the state during established lectures and seminars at TAMEST member institutions with National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers:
Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine
John H. Blaffer Lecture Series, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Mays Cancer Center Grand Rounds, UT Health San Antonio
Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center
The award covers the recipient’s travel and lodging for lectures and includes organized visits and networking at the Cancer Centers.
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About TAMEST:
TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology) was co-founded in 2004 by the Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison and Nobel Laureates Michael S. Brown, M.D., and Richard E. Smalley, Ph.D. With more than 355 members, eight Nobel Laureates and 23 member institutions, TAMEST is composed of Texas-based members of the three National Academies (National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences) and other honorific organizations. We bring together the state’s brightest minds in medicine, engineering, science and technology to foster collaboration, and to advance research, innovation and business in Texas.
TAMEST’s unique interdisciplinary model has become an effective recruitment tool for top research and development centers across Texas. Since our founding, more than 325 TAMEST members have been inducted into the National Academies or recruited to Texas.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 23 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,200 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 140,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5.1 million outpatient visits a year.
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