UI Health Care researchers and physicians contributed to three new cancer therapies for pancreatic cancer and melanoma

UI Health Care is leading a clinical trial that is demonstrating a completely new way of harnessing the immune system to fight cancer.

Holden members Ronald J. Weigel, MD, PhD, MBA, Professor and Chair Emeritus of the Department of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery, and Songhai Chen, MD, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience and Pharmacology have been awarded a prestigious National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health T32 training grant to establish the University of Iowa Surgical Oncology Research Training Program.

UI Health Care receives Specialized Program of Research Excellence funding for neuroendocrine tumors.

Using zebrafish, UI professor Colin Kenny studies uveal melanoma to better understand how it forms and spreads — and how it can be treated. His dedication to research comes from what he calls the “sheer thrill of discovery.”

James Byrne named a finalist for the 2026 BioInnovation Institute & Science Prize for Innovation

Colin Kenny, PhD, has been recognized with multiple awards, but he’s quick to shift the focus to his students. At a recent conference, members of his lab presented research examining how melanoma develops and spreads — work that not only advances the field but also earned awards for each presenter.

Lead study author Ksenia Krupina will join UI Health Care in 2026 to continue her research.