Baylor Researchers Crack Code on 5 Aggressive Cancers

Eighteen million Americans are living with, through, and beyond cancer today, and researchers at Baylor University are working to make that number even higher with groundbreaking discoveries targeting the most aggressive forms of the disease.

This May, during National Cancer Research Month, Baylor scientists are pushing boundaries with approaches that sound almost futuristic. They're starving tumors, harnessing ocean sponge compounds, and even turning food poisoning bacteria into cancer fighters.

Professor Kevin Pinney is tackling renal cell carcinoma, the most common adult kidney cancer, with a $750,000 grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. His team developed specialized molecules that deliver therapeutic agents directly to blood vessels feeding kidney tumors, essentially cutting off their food supply and causing tumor death.

Daniel Romo is taking on pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest diagnoses a patient can receive. He's working with a simplified version of pateamine A, a compound originally found in marine sponges, to create new therapies for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Cancer researcher Joseph Taube published several studies this year exploring Ophiobolin A, a natural product showing promise against triple-negative breast cancer. His work focuses on triggering different cell death pathways that could work alongside immunotherapy, especially for cancers that have become resistant to standard treatments.

Leigh Greathouse, a cancer biologist, registered dietitian, and cancer survivor, is using artificial intelligence to personalize nutrition for cancer prevention and treatment. Working with post-doctoral fellow Anakan Choudhury, she's exploring how diet and gut bacteria influence how patients respond to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Perhaps the most unexpected breakthrough comes from Michael VanNieuwenhze's lab, where researchers modified Listeria monocytogenes, commonly known as a food poisoning bacteria, to deliver cancer-killing proteins directly into colorectal tumor cells. Colorectal cancer caused the second-most cancer deaths in 2025, making this work particularly urgent.

The Ripple Effect

These five research projects share a common thread: they're not just tweaking existing treatments but fundamentally reimagining how we fight cancer. From ocean compounds to gut bacteria, from AI nutrition to tumor starvation, Baylor scientists are proving that the next generation of cancer therapies may come from the most unexpected places.

Their work addresses cancers that have historically been difficult to treat, offering hope to patients who may have exhausted conventional options.

The most powerful part? These aren't theoretical possibilities decades away; these are active studies moving toward clinical applications, bringing real hope to real patients facing diagnoses that once felt like dead ends.