Frank Laboratory
Steven Frank, M.D.
Principal Investigator
- Departments, Labs and Institutes
- Labs
- Frank Laboratory
Areas of Research
- Radiation Oncology
- Head and Neck Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Radiation Therapy
- Proton Therapy
- Artificial Intelligence
- Precision Medicine
Welcome to the Frank Lab at MD Anderson! Our major research focuses are: (1) to investigate the differences in tumor and normal tissue response to different types of radiation therapy (helium, proton, photon, ultra-high dose), (2) to develop protective agents to mitigate radiation-related toxicities and (3) to develop and optimize new imaging markers to facilitate the use of precision MRI-assisted radiosurgery (MARS) for patients with prostate cancer. With a focus on head and neck and prostate cancers, our overall goal is to improve personalized precision radiation and optimized systemic therapy plans for patients.
Our Research Focus
Research in the Frank Lab includes five main categories:
- Basic science research on the biological responses to helium, proton and photon radiation
- Utilizing novel compound TP-508 to mitigate radiation-induced normal tissue damage
- Translational research to develop and optimize positive visualized multimodality markers and MARS in the treatment of prostate cancers
- Clinical research of helium versus proton versus photon radiation in patients with head and neck cancer or prostate cancer
- AI-assisted dose optimization for a next-generation treatment planning system for particle therapy
Contact Us
Principal Investigator
Steven J. Frank, M.D.
Professor, Radiation Oncology
Deputy Division Head of Strategic Programs
Executive Director, Particle Therapy Institute
SJFrank@MDAnderson.org
Office: 713-563-8489
Mailing Address
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department of Radiation Oncology
1515 Holcombe Blvd.
Unit 1150
Houston, TX 77030-4009