Members of the Kratz Lab recently attended the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2025, held at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, IL. The conference brought together tens of thousands of cancer researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and patient advocates worldwide to share groundbreaking advances in cancer biology, diagnostics, and therapy.
Five members of the Kratz Lab presented posters highlighting their translational research in pancreatic and liver cancer, leveraging patient-derived organoid models and novel targeted therapeutics:
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Md Shahadat Hossan, Ph.D., presented his work on optimizing CRISPR-Cas9 pooled screening in pancreatic cancer organoids to identify resistance mechanisms to KRASG12D inhibition. His study established a scalable screening pipeline validated by ddPCR-based guide quantification, paving the way for rational combination therapy strategies.
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Austin Stram shared preclinical data on dual CDK7 and CDK9 inhibition in fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC). The findings revealed strong selectivity of FLC organoids to SY5609 and VIP152, pointing to a promising therapeutic approach for this rare liver cancer with no current systemic treatments.
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Lauryn Flannagan presented a study demonstrating that physiologic levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF) enhance the sensitivity of pancreatic organoids to KRASG12D inhibitor MRTX1133. The work underscores the importance of modeling tumor microenvironments accurately when evaluating drug efficacy and resistance.
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Luke Koeppel highlighted the impact of dual BRD4 and CDK9 inhibition on global transcriptional and epigenetic regulation in PDAC organoids. The combination therapy significantly disrupted RNA polymerase II activity and chromatin accessibility, supporting its potential as an epigenetic precision therapy.
The Kratz Lab remains at the forefront of organoid-based cancer research, developing functional models to dissect tumor heterogeneity, uncover resistance pathways, and accelerate therapeutic development. We are proud of our team’s strong presence and scientific contributions at AACR 2025.
Stay tuned for more updates and check out a few moments from the conference below!
Photos from the AACR 2025 Annual Meeting:
