Cancerwise Blog

How digital twins are making cancer surgery safer

March 13, 2026

Surgical procedures are a common part of cancer diagnosis and treatment, from a biopsy to determine the stage and type of cancer to the removal of a cancerous tumor from the body. Surgery continues to evolve as new advances and even small improvements make procedures easier for both surgeons and patients.

Jeff Siewerdsen, Ph.D., and his team are using data science and virtual models, like digital twin technology, to create these...

Siewerdsen in the lab with a model of the spine

Microscopic view (enlarged at left) of metastatic bone tumor (bone metastasis) from a breast cancer patient showing strong immunohistochemical staining of the ACBP protein (brown). Image courtesy of Li Ma, Ph.D.

New advances in our understanding of cancer metabolism

BY Eyal Gottlieb, Ph.D.,

January 26, 2026

Metabolism is the process by which the cells in your body use nutrients from the food you eat to get the energy you need.

When...

‘Drug hunter’ deploys AI to accelerate path to new therapies

BY Jay Martinez

January 21, 2026

When Tim Heffernan, Ph.D., arrived at UT MD Anderson in 2011, he saw an opportunity to fundamentally change how cancer drugs are developed...

Leveraging lessons from cancer immunotherapy to develop better treatments for autoimmunity

BY Kellie Bramlet Blackburn

January 15, 2026

Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, helping countless patients live longer, healthier lives. But researchers are continuing to work to develop a deeper understanding of this game-changing treatment.

In some cancer patients, immunotherapy can unleash the brakes on a harmful response from the immune system, causing what’s called immune-related adverse events, or irAEs for short. In other words, side effects. With more...