MD Anderson Cancer Center researchers used both clinical samples and laboratory models to demonstrate that higher levels of a specific mucin-degrading bacteria are associated with a higher incidence of febrile neutropenia and that treatment with antibiotics helped restore those levels to normal.
Lauren Averett Byers, professor of thoracic/head & neck medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, received the 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Medicine from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology. The award recognizes her fundamental discoveries and contributions to identifying novel therapeutic strategies for small cell lung cancer, which have paved the way for personalized treatments, even in the most highly recalcitrant cancers.
