Discovery Innovations Summer 2026
Jul 28, 2026
First Three Patients Treated with Novel Theranostics Drug in First-in-Human Clinical Trial
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) has treated the first three patients in the world in a first-in-human clinical trial of RYZ401, a next-generation targeted therapy for neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and other solid tumors in the cutting-edge field of radiopharmaceuticals. These radioactive drugs help doctors both locate tumors and deliver a targeted radiation dose directly to cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. The Phase 1 clinical trial, sponsored by RazyeBio, Inc., a Bristol Myers Squibb Company, is led by Heloisa Soares, MD, PhD, medical director of the Clinical Trials Office and Center for Quantitative Imaging and Theranostics at Huntsman Cancer Institute, and associate professor of internal medicine at the U.
“This study represents an important step toward developing the next generation of targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies,” says Soares. “We are proud that Huntsman Cancer Institute was able to treat the first patients in this international trial and help advance new treatment options for people living with NETs and other cancers.”
Novel Prostate Cancer Treatment Can Reduce Risk of Disease Progression by Half
A Phase 3 clinical trial led by Neeraj Agarwal, MD, FASCO, senior director of clinical research at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor of internal medicine at the U, has found that a novel combination prostate cancer treatment could prevent the disease from progressing into a harder-to-treat form of cancer. The study, TALAPRO-3 (NCT04821622), evaluated a combination of two drugs—talazoparib and enzalutamide—in patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer.
The patients involved also had prostate cancer affected by gene mutations, the most well-known being BRCA1 and BRCA2, that often signal more aggressive disease. Agarwal and his team assessed enzalutamide in combination with talazoparib in comparison to enzalutamide alone, which is the standard of care. Using the two drugs together led to a 52% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death.
The results of the trial have been published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. Agarwal also presented these findings as a late-breaking abstract at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. This trial was sponsored by Pfizer.
“These findings underscore the importance of genetic testing as part of routine care and highlight the potential for talazoparib plus enzalutamide to meaningfully improve the outcomes of patients at this particular point of diagnosis,” says Agarwal. “Once tested, patients with these mutations can start this combination therapy earlier and slow the progression of the disease. This is a pivotal step in personalizing care for prostate cancer patients.”
Hidden Cell “Message Route” Could Shift Cancer Research
A team at Huntsman Cancer Institute has uncovered a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism by which cells send signals to one another—insight that could help researchers better understand how cancers form and, over time, inform new treatment strategies. In the study, published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, the researchers focus on the Hedgehog signaling pathway, an essential communication system in human development that is frequently disrupted in cancer. For years, scientists thought Hedgehog relied on a single, well-mapped signaling script.
Benjamin Myers, PhD, investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute, associate professor of oncological sciences at the U, and senior author of the study, showed that signal transmission involves a distinct molecular mechanism in which key pathway components interact in a way that differs from traditional textbook models. Building on decades of federally and donor-funded research, understanding cancer-related signaling at a fundamental level is a key step toward better treatments. Drugs that target the Hedgehog pathway already exist, but resistance and side effects can limit how well they work.
“This kind of structural insight helps us understand not just that signaling occurs, but how it works,” says Myers. “That’s essential for designing smarter, more precise therapies in the future.”
Researchers Find Potential Way to Slow Tumors by Cutting Off Their Lifeline
A research team led by Taslim Al-Hilal, PhD, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and associate professor of molecular pharmaceutics at the U, has identified a protein that could be a druggable target to slow tumor growth by cutting off its oxygen and blood supply. Tumor growth is facilitated by a process called angiogenesis, in which new blood vessels are formed from pre-existing ones. Tip endothelial cells are specialized cells at the forefront of emerging, or sprouting, blood vessels. Al-Hilal genetically nullified Doppel, a protein that’s a key part of this process in tip endothelial cells, and found the lack of Doppel robustly decreased the growth of tumors.
“Our findings suggest we may be able to selectively cut off the blood vessels that feed tumors with greater precision without disrupting normal vessels,” says Al-Hilal. “While more research is needed, this approach has the potential to lead to safer, more effective treatments that could benefit patients with many types of cancer.” These findings were funded by multiple National Institutes of Health grants and published in Advanced Science.
Older Adults Face Greater Risk of Exposure to Low-Credibility Health Information Online
Left to right: Benjamin Lyons, PhD, Kimberly Kaphingst, ScD, Andy King, PhD
According to a study published in Nature Aging, exposure to low-credibility health information online increases with age, even though such content represents only a small share of overall health-related browsing. These findings from Huntsman Cancer Institute researchers illuminate how online communication environments may shape public health. Benjamin Lyons, PhD, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and associate professor of communication at the U, Andy King, PhD, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and professor of communication at the U, and Kimberly Kaphingst, ScD, co-leader of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program, scientific advisor for the Inherited Cancer Research Shared Resource, and director of cancer communication research at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor of communication at the U, analyzed survey and digital trace data from over 1,000 participants, including 9 million website visits and 470,000 views of YouTube videos, over a 4-week period.
“People are getting more information online, including older people with higher health burdens like cancer,” says Lyons. “Our research suggests that older adults have more difficulty distinguishing between accurate and inaccurate cancer information in surveys and are more likely than younger adults to visit low-credibility health websites. Understanding these browsing patterns is an important first step toward helping people find more trustworthy health information online.”
In Other News
Echo Warner, PhD, MPH, Received Grant to Prevent Second Cancers through HPV Vaccination
Echo Warner, PhD, MPH
Investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the U
Echo Warner, PhD, MPH, investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute and assistant professor of pediatrics at the U, received funding from The Prevent Cancer Foundation through fundraising efforts by Awesome Games Done Quick for a project focused on improving HPV vaccination among childhood cancer survivors. Her team develops short, engaging videos to support vaccine education among young adult cancer survivors. They will also evaluate whether this approach increases vaccine uptake with the potential for targeted application to survivors living in rural areas, where HPV vaccination is persistently low and HPV-related cancer deaths are high. This project will contribute to Huntsman Cancer Institute’s efforts to expand cancer prevention throughout the Mountain West.
Susana Lozano Esparza, MD, PhD, Received Prevent Cancer Foundation Fellowship
Susana Lozano Esparza, MD, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Huntsman Cancer Institute
Susana Lozano Esparza, MD, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in cancer epidemiology and reproductive health at Huntsman Cancer Institute, received a Prevent Cancer Foundation research fellowship, supported by the Gary Lytle Memorial Fund, to support a study examining whether commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering and bone-strengthening medications are associated with reduced ovarian cancer risk. Using real-world data from the Utah Population Database, the project applies advanced analytical methods to generate timely evidence that could help inform future cancer prevention strategies.
Brandon Murphy, PhD, Earned American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship
Brandon Murphy, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Huntsman Cancer Institute
Brandon Murphy, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Martin McMahon lab at Huntsman Cancer Institute, earned an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellowship to study why certain lung cancer cells persist after targeted treatment. The fellowship provides dedicated research support as he investigates therapeutic vulnerabilities in residual tumor cell populations while advancing toward an independent research career.
Three Trainees Selected for Susan Cooper Jones Endowed Fellowship
Left to right: Patricia Erickson, MPH, PhD, Alessandra Riggio, PhD, and Thankhoe Rants’o, PhD
Patricia Erickson, PhD, MPH, Alessandra Riggio, PhD, and Thankhoe Rants’o, PhD, have been selected as the 2026 recipients of the Huntsman Cancer Institute Susan Cooper Jones Endowed Fellowship in Cancer Research. The fellowship is given to talented post-doctoral or medical fellows who have done exceptional cancer-focused research in their training.
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