Two MD Anderson researchers earn medicine's highest honor. Albert Koong, a radiation oncology chief, and Katy Rezvani, a cell therapy pioneer, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Koong transformed radiation treatment for pancreatic and liver cancers, while Rezvani pioneered "off-the-shelf" NK cell immunotherapies that are already reaching patients who had exhausted other options.
Two trailblazing researchers from UT MD Anderson Cancer Center have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) — one of the highest honors in health and medicine — in recognition of discoveries that are actively reshaping cancer care.
Albert Koong, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer and professor of Radiation Oncology, led the first prospective clinical studies proving the safety and effectiveness of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for pancreatic cancer. His lab also uncovered the IRE1-XBP1 pathway as a key regulator of how tumors survive low-oxygen conditions, opening new doors for targeted therapies in gastrointestinal cancers.
Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D., head of MD Anderson's Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation, pioneered the use of engineered natural killer (NK) cells as scalable, "off-the-shelf" cancer immunotherapies — meaning treatment is ready when the patient needs it, not the other way around.
Quick Facts:
Why it matters: These elections highlight how foundational laboratory research — from tumor biology to cell manufacturing — can translate into real treatments for patients with some of the hardest-to-treat cancers.
