UCLA Senior Amadu Tadesse Earns Fulbright to Build Ethiopia's First National Pediatric Cancer Registry
Key Insights
Amadu Tadesse, a UCLA double-major graduating this June, will spend a Fulbright year in Ethiopia establishing the country's first national pediatric cancer (search) registry using a WHO platform.
Childhood cancer survival rates in developed nations hover around 80%, while in Ethiopia and sub-Saharan Africa they fall below 20%, driven by lack of specialists, delayed diagnoses, and absence of comprehensive data.
Tadesse has advanced a CRISPR-based gene-editing platform for cystic fibrosis (search) and is developing CRISPR-loaded nanoparticles targeting fusion genes in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (search) and mutated oncogenes in prostate cancer (search).
A UCLA senior who arrived on campus never having held a pipette is now advancing multiple CRISPR-based cancer projects and preparing to launch Ethiopia's first national pediatric cancer (search) registry through a prestigious Fulbright fellowship.
Amadu Tadesse, who graduates this June with a double major in microbiology, immunology & molecular genetics and African American Studies, has spent the past three years in the lab of physician-scientist Dr. Steven Jonas at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. His trajectory — from learning basic lab techniques to driving independent cancer research — reflects what Jonas describes as a precocious mastery of the "language of science."
"Amadu has this intrinsic curiosity that really stood out from the first day," said Jonas, an assistant professor of pediatrics and member of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center. "He asked probing questions, brought new ideas to our meetings and proved that he was dedicated to the work."
CRISPR-driven cancer research with a patient-inspired origin
Tadesse's cancer research carries a deeply personal origin story. One project was inspired by a teenage girl with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (search), a rare soft tissue cancer, who — after learning about CRISPR in school — asked her doctors whether the gene-editing technology could transform her aggressive cancer into a more treatable form. The patient, shared with UCLA's Director of the Pediatric Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Program Dr. Noah Federman, has since passed away, but the work she set in motion continues.
Tadesse has been developing CRISPR-loaded nanoparticles designed to knock out the fusion gene driving alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (search). In a separate project, he is applying the same gene-editing technology to disrupt a mutated oncogene implicated in a deadly form of prostate cancer (search). Earlier in his lab tenure, he also contributed to advancing a gene-editing platform aimed at correcting the root cause of cystic fibrosis (search) through an inhalable mist.
His time shadowing Jonas on the pediatric oncology ward at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital — where young patients affectionately call him "broccoli hair" for his abundant curls — cemented his commitment to becoming a physician-scientist.
"The treatments we have right now just aren't good enough, and science is one of the only ways to change that," Tadesse said. "I want to be in a position where I can see that gap up close and work to close it in the lab."
Confronting global disparities in pediatric cancer (search)
Tadesse's Fulbright-supported project addresses a stark global health disparity. Survival rates for childhood cancers in developed nations hover around 80%. In Ethiopia and across sub-Saharan Africa, they fall below 20%. Contributing factors include a lack of specialized pediatric oncologists, delayed diagnoses, prohibitive treatment costs, and systemic shortages of safe, effective medicines. Critically, Ethiopia lacks a comprehensive national database to track patient outcomes and guide care.
Piloting the effort at two of Addis Ababa's leading hospitals — St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College and Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital — Tadesse will build Ethiopia's first national pediatric cancer (search) registry using a World Health Organization platform. The registry will track patient age, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome in one centralized system for the first time.
"We can't address disparities until we understand how we got here," Tadesse said. "The registry won't close the gap by itself. But it'll show us exactly where we're falling short."
To prepare, he has been studying Amharic, Ethiopia's most widely spoken language, to better communicate with hospital staff, patients, and his own family — his father is Ethiopian, and most of his family still lives there.
Science meets equity: the question of access
Through his African American Studies major and involvement with Melanin & Medicine, a student organization supporting Black students pursuing healthcare careers, Tadesse has developed a framework that extends beyond the laboratory bench.
"Gene therapies might not seem related to racial health disparities — until you learn that a single therapy can cost $3 million," Tadesse said. "That context will shape everything I do: the science I choose, how I mentor people and how I bring therapies to the clinic."
Following his Fulbright year, Tadesse plans to enter an M.D.-Ph.D. program, continuing on the physician-scientist path modeled by his mentor.
"He really exemplifies the best of what this university has to offer — someone who has harnessed the diversity of this campus, both in its people and its academic breadth, to forge his own path," Jonas said. "His story isn't finished yet, but the teaser trailer looks amazing."