Research Programs
Disease-based Programs
Kidney Cancer
Collaborative Interactions
Collaborative Interactions
Within DF/HCC, the Kidney Cancer Program has engaged in a wide range of collaborations across disciplines and institutions. Collaborative interactions within the Kidney Cancer Program include:
- Investigating cytokine biology and anticancer effects
- Conducting clinical investigations with IL-12, IL-18, and mechanisms or tumor resistance to immunotherapy
- Investigating the role of and mechanisms underlying the clinical benefit of debulking nephrectomy in patients presenting with Stage IV disease
- Investigating the mechanisms underlying tumor-induced immune suppression
- Establishing the renal cancer database and tissue bank
- Establishing a non-myeloablative allogenic transplant program for patients with RCC
- Identifying predictors of responsiveness to IL-2 and other therapies
- Developing dendritic cell autologous tumor fusion vaccine strategies for patients with renal cancer
- Researching VHL molecular biology and protein function
- Identifying potential urine and serum biomarkers of renal cancer
- Bringing VEGF inhibitors into clinical investigation, collaborating closely with DF/HCC investigators to analyze effects of anti-angiogenic agents in animal models and in clinical trials
- Developing more sophisticated angiogenesis imaging approaches for animal models and clinical trials
- Providing radiofrequency ablation to patients with small renal cancers who were not considered good candidates for nephrectomy
- Evaluating the effects of neoadjuvant anti-angiogenic therapy
- Evaluating the effects of concomitant anti-angiogenic/antivascular therapy on radiofrequency ablation effectiveness
- Researching the molecular biology of tuberous sclerosis and the angiomyolipomas that frequently complicate this disease
- Identifying the link between TSC2 mutations seen in this disease and the mTOR and HIF pathways
