Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern
North Texas's NCI comprehensive centre, where the HIF-2 inhibitor belzutifan, stereotactic body radiotherapy and the cGAS-STING pathway were born.
NCI-designated in 2010 and comprehensive since 2015, Simmons is the only NCI comprehensive centre in North Texas and is directed by breast oncologist Carlos Arteaga. James Brugarolas's kidney cancer programme and the UTSW spin-out Peloton Therapeutics produced the HIF-2 alpha inhibitor belzutifan, acquired by Merck in 2019 and approved for VHL disease and renal cell carcinoma. Robert Timmerman pioneered stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung and other tumours, and Zhijian 'James' Chen discovered the cGAS-STING innate immune sensing pathway that STING agonists exploit. Ralph DeBerardinis's cancer metabolism work at Children's Medical Center Research Institute adds a strong basic science programme.
- Kidney cancer and HIF-2
- Stereotactic body radiotherapy
- Innate immunity (cGAS-STING)
- Cancer metabolism