News & Accolades
Jiwang Lee, college student, examines data in the KeyHunt Lab at UT MD Anderson.
2026 News & Media
January 2026
Study reveals synergistic effect of CDK2 and CDK4/6 combination therapy
Khandan Keyomarsi, Ph.D., and colleagues identified a synergistic effect of CDK2 and CDK4/6 inhibition, highlighting a promising strategy to overcome treatment resistance in breast cancer. The study demonstrated that combining a selective CDK2 inhibitor with CDK4/6 inhibitors produced durable anti-tumor effects across multiple preclinical models, including resistant and triple-negative breast cancers.
Learn more: UT MD Anderson Research Newsroom
Learn more: Nature Communications
2025 News & Media
December 2025
Researchers identify Rb1 as a predictive biomarker for a new therapeutic strategy in some breast cancers
A team led by Khandan Keyomarsi, Ph.D., identified RB1 deficiency as a predictive biomarker and therapeutic vulnerability in breast cancer. The study showed that RB1‑deficient tumors rely on ATR and PKMYT1 pathways for survival, revealing a targeted combination strategy that may improve treatment outcomes. This work highlights a precision‑medicine approach for patients with RB1‑altered tumors.
Learn more: UT MD Anderson Research Newsroom
Learn more: Science
July 2025
New biomarker and strategy identify and overcome resistance in HR+/HER2- breast cancer
In a study led by Khandan Keyomarsi, Ph.D., researchers discovered that the inflammatory cytokine IL‑6 becomes elevated in patients who develop resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors. IL‑6 activates STAT3, which promotes tumor progression. Because IL‑6 can be measured through a simple blood test, it may serve as an early biomarker of resistance. Blocking the IL‑6/STAT3 pathway with a STAT3 inhibitor slowed or halted tumor growth in preclinical models, offering a promising strategy to overcome resistance
Learn more: UT MD Anderson Research Newsroom
Learn more: NPJ Precision Oncology
February 2025
Study identifies biomarkers predicting treatment response in metastatic breast cancer
Researchers led by Linjie Luo, M.D., Ph.D., and Khandan Keyomarsi, Ph.D., used single‑cell RNA sequencing to identify a predictive biomarker panel for response to CDK4/6 inhibitors in HR+/HER2‑ metastatic breast cancer. Patients with higher CD8+ T‑cell and natural killer (NK) cell infiltration at baseline experienced longer progression‑free survival. Patients with late progression showed increased immune suppression, suggesting that immune evasion contributes to resistance. These findings challenge traditional views of CDK4/6 inhibitor resistance and support combining CDK4/6 inhibitors with immune checkpoint therapies.
Learn more: UT MD Anderson Research Newsroom
Learn more: Molecular Cancer
January 2025
Blocking autophagy could enhance efficacy of CDK inhibitors in metastatic breast cancer
In a Phase I trial, Khandan Keyomarsi, Ph.D., Debasish Tripathy, M.D., and colleagues evaluated whether adding hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) — an autophagy inhibitor — could improve outcomes for patients receiving standard CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy. Among 14 patients with ER+/HER2‑ metastatic breast cancer, two achieved partial responses with significant tumor shrinkage, and eleven experienced stable disease. Biomarker analyses confirmed autophagy inhibition in responders, supporting the therapeutic rationale. A Phase II trial is planned to further evaluate this strategy.
Learn more: UT MD Anderson Research Newsroom
Learn more: NPJ Breast Cancer
2024 News & Media
June 2024
Kelly K. Hunt, M.D., contributed to a Health Central article titled, "What Is a Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy?"
May 2024
Kelly K. Hunt, M.D., contributed to Health Central for three articles titled, "What Is a Modified Radical Mastectomy?", "Double (Bilateral) Mastectomy: Surgery Details, Recovery, and More" and "Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy: Which to Choose?"
March 2024
Kelly K. Hunt, M.D., is featured in Cancerwise in an article titled, "Atypical ductal hyperplasia: What it is and how it's treated"
February 2024
Kelly K. Hunt, M.D., and Khandan Keyomarsi, Ph.D., were awarded a $5.99 million grant from the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program for their project: “Advancing our Understanding of Metastatic Breast Cancer Through Development of a Comprehensive Research Platform.”
2023 News & Media
December 2023
Kelly K. Hunt, M.D., was featured in an OncLive article titled, "Revisit the Top 5 OncLive On Air Episodes of 2023."
March 2023
The Keyomarsi-Hunt lab has published an article titled, "Sequential Targeting of Retinoblastoma and DNA Synthesis Pathways Is a Therapeutic Strategy for Sarcomas That Can be Monitored in Real Time," in Cancer Research.
March 2023
Kelly K. Hunt, M.D., has been named President of the Society of Surgical Oncology.
2021 News & Media
April 2021
Kelly Hunt, M.D., and the Keyomarsi/Hunt laboratory received Adverse Event Bridge Funding to complete vital breast cancer research interrupted by COVID-19.
2020 News & Media
July 2020
The American College of Surgeons launched the Cancer Surgery Standards Program to standardize specific techniques for cancer surgery and bring uniformity to the way professionals document and communicate operative data. Vice Chair Kelly Hunt, M.D., is leading this initiative with Matthew Katz, M.D., from Surgical Oncology to improve the quality of surgical care for all cancer patients.
May 2020
Congrats to Sofia Mastoraki, TRIUMPH postdoctoral fellow in KeyHunt Lab, for receiving the Ben F. Love Fellowship in Innovative Cancer Therapies Recognition of Research Excellence Award for contributions to cancer research and education.
May 2020
Congrats to Tuyen Duong Thanh Nguyen, postdoctoral fellow in KeyHunt Lab, for receiving the Daniel Benedict Gazan Fellowship in Sarcoma Research Award in Recognition of Research Excellence.
2019 News & Media
September 2019
Kelly Hunt, M.D., contributed to U.S. News & World Report for a story titled "A Patient's Guide to Surgery."
May 2019
Congrats to Nicole M. Kettner, Ph.D., TRIUMPH Postdoctoral Fellow in the KeyHunt Laboratory, for winning the 2019 Ben F. Love Fellowship in Innovative Cancer Therapies at the MD Anderson Trainee Research Day.
Nicole is pictured with other awardees and Dr. Diane Bodurka, Vice President for Education at MD Anderson.
May 2019
Congrats to Amriti Lulla, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the KeyHunt Laboratory for receiving a 2019 Sheskey Family Fellowship in Breast Cancer Research at the MD Anderson Trainee Research Day.
Amriti is pictured with Dr. Diane Bodurka, Vice President for Education at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
May 2019
Congrats to Kari Brewer Savannah, Ph.D., Program Manager of the CPRIT Research Training Program, for her 2019 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology Employee Performance Award.
May 2019
Congrats to Tuyen Bui, Research Investigator in the KeyHunt Lab, for his 2019 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology Employee Performance Award.
May 2019
Dr. Hunt is featured in Cancerwise: HER2-positive breast cancer survivor: I believe in MD Anderson.
April 2019
Dr. Hunt is featured in Cancerwise: 5 things newly diagnosed breast cancer patients should know
2018 News & Media
August 2018
Dr. Hunt is featured in Cancerwise: Inflammatory breast cancer survivor: Why I give back to MD Anderson
2017 News & Media
December 2017
Dr. Hunt was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of her contributions to basic, translational and clinical research.
Dr. Hunt was honored for "practice-changing breast cancer research involving sentinel lymph node biopsy, breast conservation, novel surgical staging systems, contralateral mastectomy, skin-sparing mastectomy and quality outcome measures."
September 2017
Dr. Hunt is featured in Cancerwise: Two-time breast cancer survivor is grateful for treatment innovations
July 2017
Dr. Keyomarsi was recognized for her research to identify biomarkers to predict response to breast cancer treatment.
April 2017
Dr. Hunt is featured in Cancerwise: Using my voice during breast cancer treatment
March 2017
Dr. Keyomarsi was recognized for her research on the use of cyclin E staining for detecting breast cancer survival. The article appeared in the 2017 March edition of Cancer Frontline.