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In 2021, Damon Runyon scientists Michael E. Pacold, MD, PhD, Robert S. Banh, PhD, and their colleagues at New York University Langone Health discovered how the enzyme CoQ10 is made, a synthesis pathway that scientists had been seeking for over two decades. CoQ10 is crucial for energy production in cells (which is why it is popular as a dietary supplement, though evidence of the health benefits is scant).
New research from Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Breakthrough Scientist Abigail E. Overacre-Delgoffe, PhD, and her lab at the University of Pittsburgh suggests that sucralose—the sugar substitute found in many “sugar-free” sodas, yogurts, and snack foods—may interfere with cancer immunotherapy. Their findings indicate that the widely used artificial sweetener changes the composition of the gut microbiome in ways that weaken patients’ immune systems and blunt the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors, a class of drugs that unleash T cells to attack tumors.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer globally, and treatment options for patients with advanced disease are limited.
In October, the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, PhD, Fred Ramsdell, PhD, and Shimon Sakaguchi, MD, PhD, for their groundbreaking discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance, which keeps the immune system from attacking the body’s own issues. Together, the laureates identified and defined the “security guards” of the immune system, known as regulatory T cells (Treg).
The Nobel Assembly highlighted how this landmark work stood upon decades of foundational discoveries—many made by Damon Runyon scientists.
The National Academy of Medicine provides independent, evidence-based scientific advice to address national and global health challenges. Membership is considered to be one of the highest honors in the medical field and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. This year, three Damon Runyon alumni were nominated for membership, bringing the total number of Damon Runyon scientists in the organization to 49.
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named the newest cohort of the Damon Runyon Scholars Program for Advancing Research and Knowledge (SPARK), a one-year cancer research internship for post-baccalaureate scholars. Launched in 2023, the program provides promising young talent with rigorous scientific training and a network of mentors and peers to support their next steps into graduate school and beyond.
Epithelial cells, which line the surfaces of the body, are fixed in place, while mesenchymal cells, which make up the body’s connective tissue, are loosely packed and can move around. During embryonic development and wound healing, cells can transform from epithelial cells into mesenchymal cells, a process known as mesenchymal transformation (MT). Unfortunately, MT is also a useful strategy for cancer cells, whose goal is to spread throughout the body.
Since the Food and Drug Administration approved the targeted therapy drug venetoclax in 2020, it has become a first-line treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a blood cancer. Unfortunately, some AMLs have proven resistant to venetoclax—including those caused by mutations in the RAS gene family, which account for 10-20% of all cases.
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