Memorial Hospital Research Laboratories

The Andrew Kung Lab

Research

Andrew Kung, MD, PhD

Chair, Department of Pediatrics

The Kung Lab leverages patient-driven discovery to identify drivers and therapeutic vulnerabilities in pediatric and young adult cancers. The research infrastructure of the lab bridges the clinic, dry lab, and wet lab, with experimental data derived from model systems as well as in-human studies. We have developed a variety of experimental platforms to support the preclinical evaluation of promising agents including capabilities for in vitro drug screening, cell line development from patient tumor tissue, and in vivo testing in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. We have embraced computational biology approaches to predict genomically and non-genetically encoded tumor vulnerabilities, and utilize preclinical models to validate these therapeutic hypotheses.

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Featured News

MSK Kids 2023: Six Key Areas of Cancer Research and Clinical Advances

Physicians and researchers at MSK Kids, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s dedicated pediatric cancer program, completed several groundbreaking research studies in 2023. These studies, which focused on pediatric disease mechanisms, paved the way to promising new therapeutic approaches for improving patient outcomes.

Publications Highlights

Burke CM, Feinberg TY, Brosius S, Bhanot UK, Jain M, Linkov I, Siddiquee A, Guillan K, Ibanez G, Ndengu AA, Calder P, Rosales N, F Coutinho D, Long MM, Fishkin R, Thyparambil S, Glade Bender JL, Reed DR, You D, Ortiz MV, Slotkin EK, Kung AL, Dela Cruz FS. Anti-tumor activity of trastuzumab deruxtecan in pediatric solid tumors with variable HER2 expression. Mol Cancer Ther. 2025 Sep 5;. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-25-0437. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 40911899; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12490493.

Dela Cruz FS, Stewart EA, Surdez D, Daley JD, Soragni A, Tomazou EM, Alvarez-Perez J, Feinberg TY, Amatruda JF, Ganapathi SS, Ohm JE, Heske CM, Cohen-Gogo S, Pesic D, Nash JO, Shlien A, Roundhill EA, Burchill SA, Crompton BD, Lawlor ER, Loeb DM, Delattre O, Mora J, Scotlandi K, Reed DR, Grohar PJ, Grünewald TGP, Kovar H, Bailey KM. Advancing preclinical biology for Ewing Sarcoma: an international effort. Mol Cancer Ther. 2025 Sep 5;. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-25-0428. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 40911901.

Slotkin EK, Mauguen A, Dela Cruz FS, Ortiz MV, Avutu V, Meyers PA, Wexler LH, O’Donohue TJ, Kinnaman MD, Kelly CM, D’Angelo SP, Keohan ML, Gounder MM, Thornton K, Nacev BA, Chi P, Rosenbaum E, Dickson M, Pachhal S, Somwar R, Ladanyi M, Robb C, Pandit-Taskar N, Hwang S, Price A, Behr G, Reed DR, Kentsis A, Kung AL, Bender JG, Tap WD. ACR-368, a CHK1/2 Kinase Inhibitor, in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor: Phase I/II Trial Results. JCO Oncol Adv. 2025;2(1):e2400095. doi: 10.1200/OA-24-00095. eCollection 2025. PubMed PMID: 40330140; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12052087.

Tosh C, Tec M, White JB, Quinn JF, Ibanez Sanchez G, Calder P, Kung AL, Dela Cruz FS, Tansey W. A Bayesian active learning platform for scalable combination drug screens. Nat Commun. 2025 Jan 2;16(1):156. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55287-7. PubMed PMID: 39746987; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11696745.

Smith MA, Houghton PJ, Lock RB, Maris JM, Gorlick R, Kurmasheva RT, Li XN, Teicher BA, Chuang JH, Dela Cruz FS, Dyer MA, Kung AL, Lloyd MW, Mossé YP, Stearns TM, Stewart EA, Bult CJ, Erickson SW. Lessons learned from 20 years of preclinical testing in pediatric cancers. Pharmacol Ther. 2024 Dec;264:108742. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2024.108742. Epub 2024 Nov 5. Review. PubMed PMID: 39510293; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12085791.

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