A study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center demonstrates that a loss of metabolic fitness in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cells is a critical mechanism of resistance, with infused cells gradually losing the ability to compete with tumor cells for nutrients, leading to tumor relapse.
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.
