Hamon Center News

News releases featuring faculty from the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Center For Therapeutic Oncology Research

• 2020-2023

  News Releases 2020-2023

  AI accurately predicts cancer outcomes from tissue samples
  (December 11, 2023)
  Artificial intelligence model built by UT Southwestern researchers analyzes cell spatial organization to make patient diagnoses and prognoses.

  UTSW researcher receives NIH Director's New Innovator Award
  (October 3, 2023)
  Funding will spur gastroenterologist's investigation into how tumor location affects outcomes in cancer cases.

  Using artificial intelligence to personalize lung cancer treatment (January 17, 2023)
  Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) along with traditional pathology offers promise for swiftly developing treatment plans for patients with non-small cell lung cancers, a team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers discovered.

  Breaking the shield that protects pancreatic cancer from immunotherapy (May 5, 2022)
  Scar-like cells that make up a sizable portion of malignant pancreatic tumors and shield these cancers from immune attack are derived from mesothelial cells that line tissues and organs, a new study led by UT Southwestern researchers suggests.

  Experimental drug could spur immunotherapy response in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (March 21, 2022)
  Research led by UT Southwestern scientists suggests that an investigational drug could restore the ability of some non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) to respond to an immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), a therapy that harnesses the immune system to fight malignant tumors.

  Hope for patients with a rare bone-destroying condition (October 7, 2021)
  Research uncovers one cause of, and potential treatment for, Gorham-Stout disease.

  Hunting down the mutations that cause cancer drug resistance (August 10, 2021)
  Using a virus to purposely mutate genes that produce cancer-driving proteins could shed light on the resistance that inevitably develops to cancer drugs that target them, a new study led by UT Southwestern scientists suggests.

  Why the dose matters: Study shows that levels of drug in body correlate to ability to shrink tumors (September 17, 2020)
  Researchers find a sixfold variation in the levels of itraconazole in the blood and tumors of patients - even at the same dosage

  Human tumor cell lines developed by UTSW faculty team continue to impact cancer research worldwide (June 2, 2020)
  Research begun by two UT Southwestern faculty members earlier in their careers continues to have an enormous ripple effect, positively impacting cancer studies worldwide.

  DOCS Program Scholar focuses on finding better treatments for a tough cancer (January 27, 2020)
  Dr. Ravikanth Maddipati's dedication to advancing patient care led to his recent selection as a 2019 UT Southwestern Disease-Oriented Clinical Scholar (DOCS).

• 2010-2019

  News Releases 2010-2019

  In memoriam: Dr. Adi Gazdar: World-renowned UTSW lung cancer pathologist (January 9, 2019)
  Dr. Adi Gazdar, a pre-eminent pathologist and noted oncology researcher at UT Southwestern who shared valuable insights and discoveries of human cancers with the world, died in late December. He was 81.

  Scientists identify 170 potential lung cancer drug targets using unique cellular library (April 19, 2018)
  After testing more than 200,000 chemical compounds, UT Southwestern's Simmons Cancer Center researchers have identified 170 chemicals that are potential candidates for development into drug therapies for lung cancer.

  Using a genetic signature to overcome chemotherapy-resistant lung cancer (May 23, 2017)
  Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) often respond to standard chemotherapy, only to develop drug resistance later, and with fatal consequences. But what if doctors could identify those at greatest risk of relapse and provide a therapy to overcome or avoid it?

  Researchers find new biomarker for brain cancer prognosis (December 6, 2016)
  Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found a new biomarker for glioma, a common type of brain cancer, that can help doctors determine how aggressive a cancer is and that could eventually help determine the best course of treatment.

  New therapeutic targets for small cell lung cancer identified (July 21, 2016)
  New therapeutic targets for small cell lung cancer identified.

  Game-changing findings elevate UTSW's reputation in cancer research (April 1, 2016)
  These decades-long efforts underscore the importance of the Simmons Cancer Center's "matrix" approach, which fosters routine interaction across scientific disciplines.

  Lung cancer researcher named Giant of Cancer Care (October 7, 2015)
  Cancer biologist Dr. John Minna, with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern, has been named a "Giant of Cancer Care."

  Inherited Mutated Gene Raises Lung Cancer Risk for Women and Those Who Never Smoked (March 21, 2014)
  People who have an inherited mutation of a certain gene have a high chance of getting lung cancer — higher, even, than heavy smokers with or without the inherited mutation, according to new findings by cancer researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

  Researchers Find Genetic Changes in Majority of Advanced Lung Cancers (June 15, 2011)
  Some lung-cancer patients at UT Southwestern Medical Center are responding well to potential new drug therapies targeting genetic mutations. Their participation in a national study is helping to forge new avenues to attack the disease.

  Gene information predicts survival time, possible new treatment options for lung-cancer patients (December 13, 2010)
  Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered sets of genes active in cancer cells and normal tissue that predict survival time and potential new treatments for patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

  Chemotherapy Plus Synthetic Compound Provides Potent Anti-Tumor Effect in Pancreatic Cancers (March 22, 2010)
  Human pancreatic cancer cells dramatically regress when treated with chemotherapy in combination with a synthetic compound that mimics the action of a naturally occurring "death-promoting" protein found in cells, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

• 2000-2009

  News Releases 2000-2009

  Scientists Use DNA Sequencing to Attack Lung Cancer (December 16, 2009)
  Aided by next-generation DNA sequencing technology, an international team of researchers has gained insights into how more than 60 carcinogens associated with cigarette smoke bind to and chemically modify human DNA, ultimately leading to cancer-causing genetic mutations.

  $2 Million Grant Aids Study of Lung Cancer in People Who Never Smoked (July 21, 2009)
  Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center are among an elite group of cancer scientists to share a $2 million grant to find biomarkers for lung cancer that develops in people who have never smoked.

  Radiation and Drug Combo Helps Boost Efficacy of Lung-cancer Treatment (August 30, 2007)
  Combining radiation therapy with a drug that helps destroy blood vessels nourishing malignant tumors has been shown in mice to be significantly more effective in treating lung cancer than either approach alone, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

  Gene Analysis Might Explain Ethnic Differences in Sensitivity to Chemotherapy in Lung Cancer (April 20, 2007)
  Analysis of three genetic mechanisms that cause non-small cell lung cancer might explain why East Asians respond better than other ethnic groups to a certain type of chemotherapy, a team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has found.

  Massive Gene Screening Points Way to More Effective Chemotherapy (April 6, 2007)
  Using a technology that can quickly screen all 20,000-plus human genes for biological activity, scientists have isolated 87 genes that seem to affect how sensitive human cancer cells are to certain chemotherapy drugs.

  Profiling of Cancer Genes May Lead to Better and Earlier Detection of Solid Human Cancers (December 22, 2006)
  A research team at UT Southwestern Medical Center has for the first time identified several genes whose expression is lost in four of the most common solid human cancers - lung, breast, prostate and colon cancer.

  Mutated Genes Involved in Lung Cancer; One Affects Nonsmokers (February 25, 2005)
  Lung cancer patients who have never smoked are more likely than smokers to harbor one of two genetic mutations that researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have now linked to the disease.

  NASA Awards $9.8 Million NSCOR Grant to UT Southwestern (February 24, 2005)
  UT Southwestern Medical Center has won a highly competitive, $9.8 million NASA Specialized Center of Research grant that will allow researchers to study the effects of radiation on astronauts and minimize possible health risks caused by future space travel.

  Genetic Testing, Computer Risk-Assessment Software Effective in Predicting Breast Cancer (June 5, 2002)
  Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have shown that examining breast cells' molecular makeup can provide a better way to predict breast-cancer risk and that computer-based risk-assessment tools can help identify women who would benefit from genetic testing.

  Lung-Cancer Tumor Suppressor Genes Identified (May 1, 2002)
  Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have identified three lung-cancer tumor suppressor genes on chromosome 3 that dramatically reduced human lung cancer growth in mice and for which gene therapy trials with humans will begin within a year.

  Gynecological Cancer Specialists Treat Patients Through New Hereditary Cancer Clinic (October 18, 2001)
  The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas has developed a gynecological cancer genetics clinic in conjunction with the medical center's Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. Recently, it had also begun to serve community patients at Parkland.

  Markers for Risk of Cervical Cancers (October 7, 2000)
  A UT Southwestern Medical Center study proves that a recently developed fluid-based Pap test offers a relatively simple way for molecular changes in cell samples to be analyzed. This process could lead to the development of biomarkers identifying women at risk for cervical cancer.

• 1990-1999

  News Releases 1990-1999

  Cancer-Risk Analysis Program Goes Public (April 27, 1999)
  A UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas physician-scientist is offering his interactive, comprehensive computer program for breast-cancer risk assessment at no charge to health professionals providing breast care.

  Gender Affects Lung-Cancer Development (April 21, 1999)
  Once again researchers have discovered that men and women may not in fact be equal - at least with respect to the pattern of precancerous lesions in the lungs of current and former smokers.

  New cell isolation method will aid in studying tumor development (March 30, 1999)
  Investigators at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have developed a new way to isolate purified cancer cells - an important advance that will help unravel the mysteries of tumor biology and cancer development.

  Cold Virus with P53 Gene Testes to Combat Ovarian Cancer (October 28, 1998)
  Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas are using the p53 gene, inserted into an inactive common-cold virus, as a novel way to attack ovarian cancer in a patient.

  UT Southwestern Center for Breast Care Offers New Risk Assessment Program (November 22, 1997)
  Two means of assessing a woman's risk of developing breast cancer - one for the general population and one for women with a family history of the disease - are being offered through a new program in the UT Southwestern Center for Breast Care.