News

October 2024

Sotigalimab may be a safe and feasible addition to the rectal cancer chemoradiotherapy paradigm

According to data from Dr. Aguilera's INNATE trial, sotigalimab addition to chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer is safe, feasible, and shows higher pathological complete response rates compared to chemoradiotherapy alone.

INNATE trial news release

August 2024

Basic Research: R01s – Drs. Todd Aguilera & You Zhang

Dr. Aguilera has received a five-year NIH R01 grant to develop advanced tools that integrate molecular, cellular, and spatial analysis to improve rectal cancer treatment by combining radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy while reducing the need for surgery.

UT Southwestern news release

August 2024

A Beacon of Hope in the Fight against Pancreatic Cancer

UT Southwestern’s Interdisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Program, supported by Canopy Cancer Collective, is transforming care through a whole-person, team-based approach that delivers personalized, expert-guided support to improve survival and quality of life for patients facing one of the toughest cancer diagnoses.

UT Southwestern news release

January 2024

Drs. Aguilera and Elghonaimy named part of TMCi's 2024 Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics cohort

Texas Medical Center Innovation (TMCi) has named Drs. Todd Aguilera and Eslam Elghonaimy as part of their 2024 Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics cohort, which recognizes health tech innovators working on promising cancer therapeutics.

TMCi news release

June 2024

Can SBRT become more effective?

Researchers like Dr. Aguilera are exploring a promising combination of SBRT and the drug avasopasem to enhance tumor response and reduce side effects in pancreatic cancer patients, with early trials showing improved survival, tumor shrinkage, and surgical eligibility.

Let's Win news release

January 2024

Dr. Aguilera: We must educate and rethink

Dr. Aguilera comments on the 18-year gap in FDA approval for a drug combination with radiotherapy (RT).

OnCoDaily news release

November 2023

UT Southwestern renewed as Amgen Scholar site with two-year grant

UT Southwestern will continue to offer undergraduate students exceptional hands-on research training opportunities, thanks to the recent extension of a grant from the Amgen Foundation.

UT Southwestern news release

August 2023

Dr. Aguilera received White House-sponsored Cancer Moonshot award

Dr. Aguilera has been named one of 11 inaugural Cancer Moonshot Scholars. The national program recognizes a cohort of early-career investigators from underrepresented groups who have been identified as emerging leaders in cancer research and innovation.

Newswire press release

September 2022

What to Know - Pancreatic Cancer: Changing the Outlook

Dr. Aguilera discusses how early detection of pancreatic cancer can prove challenging, but UT Southwestern researchers are spearheading a unique effort to improve outcomes for these patients.

UT Southwestern What to Know video

August 2020

As someone who survived cancer as a young adult, Dr. Aguilera understands his patients' struggles

Dr. Aguilera is a cancer survivor who has dedicated his career to treating difficult cancers.

The Dallas Morning News

June 2020

Dr. Aguilera received Damon Runyon Award to study emerging immunotherapy

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation named Dr. Aguilera as one of four new Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators. The three-year, $600,000 award supports outstanding early career physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented cancer research with the potential to impact cancer diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

Center Times

July 2021

Dr. Aguilera awarded SCCC Translational Pilot Award

Dr. Todd Aguilera, member of the Experimental Therapeutics Research Program, along with a multi-PI team, Andrew Jamieson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Bioinformatics; Ravikanth Maddipati, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, and Megan Wachsmann, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology, were awarded a SCCC Translational Pilot Award for “Interrogation of the Therapeutic Response in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma to Identify Opportunities to Target the Tumor Immune Microenvironment.”

August 2017

Dr. Aguilera received the "CPRIT Recruitment of First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty Member Award" for $2 million

Dr. Aguilera is working to develop new therapies that may work in conjunction with immune therapy to more effectively treat a significantly larger number of cancer patients.

CPRIT website