Radiation Oncology Strategic Biomarker Initiative Laboratory

There is an unmet need to develop strategies to predict radiation response. The degree of radiation response in malignant tumors and normal tissue can be affected by a variety of factors including mutations, the tumor microenvironment, microbiome, and the immune system. These factors need to be studied from patient samples to develop models that will help predict radiation response.

Our goal is to enable clinicians and researchers of the Radiation Oncology division at MD Anderson to develop predictors of radiation response utilizing biomarkers that can be implemented in the clinical setting to improve patient outcomes and reduce treatment toxicities while merging clinical and technical innovations with advances in the biologic and mechanistic understanding of radiation.