Research Matters
Cures don’t happen overnight.
Through this “Research Matters” series, a selection of KCA-funded researchers share the work they have done, the impact it’s made on their patients, and the exciting new ways we can continue advancing our understanding of kidney cancer.
There’s a lot more to discover! Find articles and videos about all KCA Research Award recipients at our Awards center.
Research Matters by the Numbers
Updates and Impact: Researchers in Their Own Words
Dr. Brian Shuch received a KCA Advanced Discovery Award in 2020. Along with his fellow researcher and co-recipient, Dr. Heather Christofk, they investigated “Intracellular asparagine regulates mTORC1 activity and cancer cell proliferation”, which took a closer look at how the amino acid asparagine might be important in kidney cancer growth.
Read a Q & A with Dr. Brian Shuch and Dr. Heather Christofk.
In addition to the progress of his own work, Dr. Shuch discussed promising new research that people with kidney cancer can look forward to.
Dr. Shuch is currently a member of the KCA’s Board of Directors.
Dr. Ritesh Kotecha is a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He received a 2020 Young Investigator Award for his project “HLA Evolutionary Diversity – A Population Specific Biomarker for Kidney Cancer Immunotherapy”, which examined inherited cell membrane proteins as potential biomarkers for personalized kidney cancer immunotherapy.
Read a Q & A with Dr. Ritesh Kotecha.
Dr. Pavlos Msaouel, a medical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, has received multiple KCA grants and his research has propelled discovery in rare kidney cancer types such as renal medullary carcinoma (RMC). His work led to the first clinical trial in RMC and the discovery of a link between high-intensity exercise, sickle cell trait, and renal medullary carcinoma in young black men. Read more about that link: “Exercise and Sickle Cell Trait: New research unveils the connection”
Most recently, Dr. Msaouel received a 2021 Advanced Discovery Award along with his colleague Dr. Jianjun Gao, for their project “Identification of tumor frameshift neoantigens to accurately predict response to immune checkpoint therapy in renal cell carcinoma.”
Read a Q & A with Dr. Msaouel and Dr. Gao.
Read a Q & A with Dr. Msaouel.
Dr. Tian Zhang is a medical oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She received a 2019 Young Investigator Award for research that could help doctors and patients make better decisions when selecting first-line therapies for metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).
In her project, “Immune correlates of immunotherapy responses in renal cell carcinoma,” Dr. Zhang analyzed how the tumor microenvironment (TME) responds to immunotherapy and investigate a panel of five genes and its association with resistance to ipilimumab/nivolumab combination therapy.
Read a Q&A with Dr. Zhang.
Dr. Elshad Hasanov, a medical oncologist at The Ohio State University, received a 2021 Young Investigator Award for his project “Investigating genomic drivers of immune checkpoint inhibitors resistance in RCC brain metastasis: implications for immunotherapy.”
Read a Q&A with Dr. Hasanov.
Dr. David Braun, a medical oncologist at the Yale School of Medicine, received a 2022 KCA Trailblazer Award for his research on “Dissecting the immunobiology of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma using single-cell transcriptomics.”
Read a Q&A with Dr. Braun.
Dr. Maria Carlo, a genitourinary oncologist and clinical geneticist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, received a 2023 KCA Trailblazer Award for research on the “Role of germline and somatic variants in NRF2 pathway genes in renal cell carcinoma.”
Read a Q&A with Dr. Carlo.
Fuel the Next Breakthrough!
Patients and families like you have always been at the forefront of medical progress. Your involvement in clinical trials drives our understanding of kidney cancer and how best to treat it, you help raise awareness by sharing your experiences, and your advocacy shows our representatives why continued research funding is critical. So, let’s keep the momentum going!
Rally your community and support kidney cancer research – we can help you!
Get involved in research.
Be part of the KCA’s grant review committee and help steward important research dollars. Contact grants@kidneycancer.org for more information.
Give and help fuel the next breakthrough.
More Resources
One-on-One Support from KCA’s Patient Liaison – The first step in personalized support for anyone with questions about kidney cancer, including how to participate in clinical trials and research.
Clinical Trial Finder – Search a database of clinical trials that are currently accepting patients.
Research Updates – Follow the KCA blog for kidney cancer research news and updates.