Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center: Innovation and Research
Banner MD Anderson gives patients access to the same cutting-edge technology, multidisciplinary approach, and leading cancer care available at MD Anderson in Houston.
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Clinical Trials and Research Innovation
Clinical trials are the cornerstone of cancer care progress, giving patients access to cutting-edge treatments unavailable through standard care. At Banner MD Anderson, 5% of patients are enrolled in our 200 clinical trials across breast, hematology, lung, and head and neck cancers; we aim to increase the number of patients treated through cutting-edge trials to 15%. Low enrollment delays research advancement and deprives patients of potentially life-saving care. By expanding trial scope and enhancing administration across our eight Arizona and Colorado sites, we’re revolutionizing regional clinical trial access.
Dedicated to advancing cancer research and improving patient outcomes, our research center leverages exceptional physicians, health care experts, laboratory scientists, and bioinformaticians to develop impactful cancer prevention and treatment products. We envision these advances:
- Immune Cell Programming: One of the most important advances in recent years is the ability to reprogram a patient’s own immune cells to attack cancer. These killer “CAR-T” cells have revolutionized the treatment of many cancers including lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma, but they remain out of reach for many cancer patients due to cost and lack of efficacy against most solid tumors. We will build a cellular therapy laboratory that will both make CAR-T cells more affordable and broaden their use to other cancers and chronic diseases.
- AI-Driven Personalized Immunotherapy: Using Artificial Intelligence to predict tumor vulnerabilities and deliver personalized immunotherapy within two weeks of diagnosis (vs. current 100+ days).
- Targeted Local Therapy: Deploying innovative therapeutics directly into tumors via endoscopy, avoiding systemic side effects while destroying cancer at its source.
- Early Detection Testing: Developing simple tests using self-collected swabs for head and neck and cervical pre-cancers, plus sensitive blood tests detecting cancer years before it becomes invasive. Partnering with Banner-owned Sonora Quest Labs, we envision home-collected samples identifying cancer before it becomes deadly, enabling targeted prevention.
Oncology Innovation and Technology Fund
Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center advances cancer care through cutting-edge technology and innovative approaches. This initiative leverages health tech, artificial intelligence, and medical innovations to transform how we diagnose, treat, and support cancer patients.
Philanthropic investment enables rapid response to advances in health innovations, AI, and technology. This funds life-saving equipment, radiation and surgical oncology advancements, and physician-led research. These investments ensure the latest diagnostic and treatment technology is available while attracting top cancer physicians who seek advanced equipment and groundbreaking research opportunities.