May is National Cancer Research Month, a time to recognize the critical role research plays in advancing cancer prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship. Led by the American Association for Cancer Research, the initiative raises awareness of the lifesaving impact of scientific discovery for the millions of people worldwide affected by cancer.

Thanks to decades of research progress, approximately 18.6 million people in the United States—and millions more around the world—are living with, through and beyond cancer. Continued innovation in research is helping drive new therapies, earlier detection methods and improved outcomes for patients and families.

Cancer affects people of every age, background and community, making continued progress against the disease a shared national and global priority. While significant advances in prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship have improved outcomes for millions of patients, there is still more work to be done to better understand cancer and develop more effective, personalized therapies. This year’s National Cancer Research Month theme, “United by Cancer Research,” recognizes the collective effort required to drive that progress forward. Researchers, physicians, cancer centers, patients, survivors, advocates and supporters all play an important role in advancing discoveries that improve and save lives.

Collaboration across scientific disciplines and institutions continues to fuel innovation in cancer care. From laboratory research and translational studies to clinical trials and community outreach efforts, progress depends on strong partnerships and sustained support for the research enterprise. These collaborative efforts not only help accelerate scientific breakthroughs but also ensure discoveries can be translated into meaningful improvements in patient care and outcomes.

At the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center, researchers are helping drive those advancements through innovative studies focused on some of cancer’s most complex challenges, including treatment resistance, precision medicine and disease relapse. Among those leading these efforts are Cancer Center Research Program Leaders Senu Apewokin, MD; Maria F. Czyzyk-Krzeska, MD, PhD; Courtney L. Jones, PhD and Andrew M. Waters, PhD, whose work is helping shape the future of cancer prevention, treatment and research.

Senu Apewokin, MD Program Lead, Population Science & Cancer Control Research Program University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Maria F. Czyzyk-Krzeska, MD, PhD Program Lead, Signaling Networks & Metabolic Pathways Research Program University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Professor, Department of Cancer Biology University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Courtney L. Jones, PhD Program Lead, Pediatric Oncology Research Program University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Faculty Member, Division of Hematology and Cancer Biology Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Andrew M. Waters, PhD Program Lead, Experimental Therapeutics Research Program University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Andrew M. Waters, PhD, Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, serves as the Program Lead for the Experimental Therapeutics Research Program, which seeks to provide new and better ways to detect, diagnose, treat and prevent disease. More specifically, his laboratory focuses on understanding resistance to RAS inhibitors in pancreatic cancer, an area that has rapidly emerged as one of the most promising developments in cancer therapeutics.

“For over 40 years, we have known that RAS genes were heavily mutated in human cancer,” Waters shared. “RAS mutations were thought to be undruggable, but this year the paradigm has shifted—the undruggable has been drugged—and this will eventually result in practice-changing advancements for the most notorious oncogene in human cancer.”

RAS mutations are among the most common cancer-driving genetic alterations and are frequently found in lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancers. According to Waters, the development of RAS inhibitors could significantly improve survival outcomes in the coming years, particularly for pancreatic cancer patients who historically have had limited treatment options.

“In the next five years, survival rates will increase in all three cancer types, starting with pancreatic cancer, due to these advancements,” he said.

Waters’ research has contributed to the development of preclinical RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibitors that later evolved into clinical compounds now showing encouraging results in patients. One therapy, daraxonrasib, has demonstrated unprecedented survival benefits in pancreatic cancer clinical trials.

“These are the class of drugs that are shifting the clinical paradigm,” Waters explained. “In pancreatic cancer, Phase III clinical trial data shows unprecedented survival benefit, doubling overall survival for pancreatic cancer in a second-line setting.”

While these therapies represent a major breakthrough, Waters and his team are also studying why cancers eventually become resistant to treatment. His laboratory integrates organoid models, patient-derived tissue samples and human clinical data to better understand how resistant cancer cells evolve and survive.

“The field is beginning to appreciate that in many cancers, the cancer cells hijack the surrounding healthy cells to drive a more aggressive tumor phenotype,” he said.

His work also reflects the growing shift toward precision medicine, where therapies are increasingly tailored to the unique biology of each patient’s tumor. Waters and collaborators recently identified a specific mutation, KRAS Q61H, associated with poorer responses to both chemotherapy and certain RAS inhibitor therapies—findings that may help guide future personalized treatment combinations.

“In short, it might be that each person’s tumor is as unique as their fingerprint,” Waters said. “Understanding the nuances of their particular tumor will ultimately open up tailored treatment approaches.”

Alongside advances in solid tumor research, Courtney L. Jones, PhD, Faculty Member at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, is leading efforts to better understand the biology of blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Jones serves as the Program Lead for the Pediatric Oncology Research Program, which seeks to unite researchers to focus specifically on the biological, clinical, and translational aspects of pediatric cancers, fostering innovative discoveries and enhancing outcomes for our youngest patients. More specifically, her laboratory focuses on identifying and developing new therapeutic strategies to target leukemia cells with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for patients with AML.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains a particularly challenging disease because many patients initially respond to treatment but later experience relapse. According to Jones, a small population of treatment-resistant leukemia stem cells, known as LSCs, can survive therapy and drive the disease’s return. Her laboratory is working to better understand these cells and identify vulnerabilities that can be targeted with new therapies.

“Not all cells within AML are created equally,” Jones explained. “A subset of leukemic cells called LSCs persist through treatment, resulting in disease relapse. Therefore, developing new approaches to better target LSCs to improve patient outcomes is essential.”

Jones and her collaborators have discovered that leukemia stem cells (LSCs) possess unique metabolic properties that distinguish them from healthy blood-forming stem cells and more mature leukemia cells. These findings have opened the door to new therapeutic approaches aimed at disrupting how leukemia cells generate and use energy.

“For example, we found that LSCs, unlike more mature AML cells or normal hematopoietic stem cells, utilize amino acid catabolism for energy production,” Jones said. “When amino acids are limited, normal cells upregulate compensatory pathways to produce energy. LSCs do not have this ability, resulting in cellular energy loss and cell death.”

Her laboratory has also demonstrated that these metabolic vulnerabilities can evolve throughout disease progression, meaning therapies targeting leukemia metabolism may have different effects depending on the stage of the disease. In addition, her team has explored how metabolites influence leukemia biology beyond energy production, including their role in regulating protein function within leukemia stem cells.

“These fundamental discoveries have led to the initiation of several clinical trials, which we hope will improve the lives of patients with AML,” Jones said.

Jones also took a moment to highlight groundbreaking work from the laboratory of fellow Cancer Center researcher Linde A. Miles, PhD, which used advanced single-cell technologies to better understand how acute myeloid leukemia (AML) evolves during treatment and relapse. Rather than analyzing many leukemia cells as one large group, the research examined a large number of cancer cells individually, revealing important differences between leukemia cell populations.

“By using single-cell technology, researchers showed how different leukemia ‘clones’ change and grow during treatment and relapse,” Jones explained. “Miles and her team found that certain mutations make the disease more complex and are linked to worse survival, while specific mutations also shape how leukemia cells behave and appear.”

Linde A. Miles, PhD Member, Signaling Networks & Metabolic Pathways Research Program University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Faculty Member, Division of Hematology and Cancer Biology Cincinnati Children's Hospital

These findings could help physicians more accurately identify which patients are at the greatest risk for relapse and guide the development of more personalized therapies designed to target the most aggressive leukemia cell populations before the disease returns.

“This could improve patient care by helping doctors better predict which patients are at highest risk of relapse, track treatment response more precisely and design more personalized therapies,” Jones said.

The study reflects the growing impact of precision medicine in cancer research, where treatments are increasingly tailored to the unique genetic and molecular characteristics of a patient’s disease. According to Jones, researchers now understand that certain genetic mutations can directly influence how cancers respond to treatment, opening the door for therapies specifically designed to target those abnormalities.

“For some mutations we have targeted therapies—therapies that are designed to kill cancer cells that are caused by a specific mutation,” she explained. “When successful, these therapies can better kill the cancer cells with less damage to normal tissue because normal tissue does not have the mutation.”

While precision medicine continues to reshape cancer treatment, one of the greatest challenges researchers face is understanding why some cancers eventually become resistant to therapy. Jones noted that cancer is constantly evolving, making it difficult to predict how tumors will adapt over time.

“Cancer is not just one disease or even one type of cell—it is constantly evolving,” she said. “As cancer spreads, small groups of cells break away, adapt to new environments and often become more resistant to treatment.”

To better understand those changes, researchers across the Cancer Center are studying the many biological factors that contribute to treatment resistance, including alterations in mutations, gene expression, metabolism and cell state. These efforts aim to uncover vulnerabilities that could lead to more durable and effective therapies for patients.

Jones’ own laboratory is contributing to that work through studies focused on identifying new therapeutic targets in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In a recent publication, her team investigated a protein called glutaredoxin 2 and its role in leukemia cell survival. The research demonstrated that inhibiting glutaredoxin 2 disrupts mitochondrial function—the process responsible for generating energy within cells—ultimately leading to leukemia cell death.

“Overall, this study highlights a new potential therapeutic target for leukemia,” Jones said.

In addition to advancing treatment strategies, Jones emphasized the importance of research aimed at detecting cancer earlier, when it may be more responsive to treatment.

“The ability to remove or effectively treat cancer at an early stage, when it is less complex, could lead to better outcomes for patients,” she explained.

Her work also highlights the importance of collaboration and shared scientific resources in accelerating discoveries. Jones said her membership within the Cancer Center has helped support her research through collaborative partnerships, pilot funding opportunities and access to advanced shared facilities and training resources for students and trainees.

In the Community

A critical part of advancing cancer research extends beyond the laboratory and clinic into the communities researchers and healthcare teams serve every day. At the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center, the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) helps bridge the gap between scientific discovery and patient access by connecting community members with education, screenings, prevention initiatives and clinical resources. These partnerships play an essential role in ensuring research discoveries translate into meaningful improvements in cancer prevention, early detection and treatment outcomes.

As part of National Cancer Research Month, the Cancer Center is highlighting several collaborative community-based research and screening initiatives focused on increasing access to care and reducing cancer disparities across the region.

In lung cancer research and prevention, Robert M. Van Haren, MD, MSPH is leading research focused on improving adherence to lung cancer screening recommendations. The initiative involves collaboration with lung cancer screening programs across regional hospital systems as well as the Cancer Center’s Community Advisory Board. 

Robert M. Van Haren, MD, MSPH Member, Experimental Therapeutics Research Program University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Associate Professor, Department of Surgery University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

In partnership with the UC American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative (ALCSI), the Office of Community Outreach & Engagement (COE) is also helping expand access to lung cancer pre-screenings in the community. Since the beginning of the year, ALCSI has administered 29 lung cancer pre-screenings, resulting in 25 referrals to the Lung Cancer Screening Program at UC Health. These efforts help identify individuals who may benefit from earlier detection and follow-up care, which can significantly improve outcomes for lung cancer patients.

Community partnerships are also helping expand access to cervical cancer prevention and screening services. A new HPV self-swab cervical cancer screening initiative led by Leeya F. Pinder, MD, MPH will launch on the AmeriHealth Caritas mobile health bus on Saturday, May 30^th, with additional outreach planned through collaboration with the 513Relief Bus throughout the year. The initiative incorporates educational storyboards developed through the WE4H “Crush Cervical Cancer” program to help community members better understand the importance of screening before participating. The COE team is partnering closely on the educational and outreach components to support community engagement and awareness.

Leeya F. Pinder, MD, MPH Interim Associate Director, Population Science & Cancer Control Research University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Director, Center for Global Cancer Control University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

The Cancer Center is also continuing efforts to expand access to prostate cancer screenings through community-based events and partnerships. Taylor L. MacDonald, DO, received grant funding to support prostate cancer screening initiatives in the community, with leadership of the program transitioning to Sarah Feldkamp, MD, following MacDonald’s graduation in June 2026. Since May 2026, the team has participated in three community events and provided 27 prostate cancer screenings to community members. Additional outreach events are planned throughout the summer in partnership with COE, including the West End Health Fair, Black Men’s Wellness Day and the Black Family Reunion, with more events expected as community requests continue to grow.

Taylor L. MacDonald, DO Trainee Associate Member University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Medical Resident/Fellow, Department of Radiation Oncology University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Sarah Feldkamp, MD Trainee Associate Member University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Medical Resident/Fellow, Department of Radiation Oncology University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

In addition to community screening and prevention efforts, the Cancer Center is also investing in the next generation of cancer researchers through education and mentorship opportunities. This summer, 23 undergraduate students will begin research training at the Cancer Center as part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. Under the mentorship of Cancer Center researchers and clinicians, students will gain hands-on experience in cancer research, helping foster future scientific leaders dedicated to advancing cancer discovery and patient care.

These initiatives reflect the broader mission of Community Outreach and Engagement—ensuring that cancer research is not confined to the laboratory but actively reaches and benefits the communities it is intended to serve. Through partnerships, education, screenings and community-based research efforts, the Cancer Center continues working to improve access, reduce disparities and advance more equitable cancer outcomes for all.