UTSW's siRNA Breakthrough: Targeting Tumor Drivers in Kidney Cancer

James Brugarolas, MD, PhD

In a groundbreaking phase one clinical trial led by UT Southwestern Medical Center, a team of researchers, including Dr. James Brugarolas, Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology and founding Director of the Kidney Cancer Program at the Simmons Cancer Center, demonstrated the efficacy of a short interfering RNA (siRNA) drug, ARO-HIF2, designed to specifically target HIF2α mRNA, thereby inhibiting the production of the HIF2α protein, which plays a pivotal role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), a prevalent form of kidney cancer in adults.