University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center · Biomedical EngineeringAguilera Lab
Todd A Aguilera · Dallas, Texas
Research Focus
Todd A. Aguilera's lab at UT Southwestern Medical Center focuses on improving treatment outcomes for rectal cancer through innovative approaches combining radiation therapy and immunotherapy. By analyzing patient biopsy tissues before and after treatment, the lab aims to understand the cellular and molecular responses to therapy, which can lead to personalized treatment strategies. The lab is involved in clinical trials exploring new therapies that could potentially allow patients to avoid surgery while effectively managing their cancer.
rectal cancerradiotherapyimmunotherapysingle cell RNA sequencingbiopsy analysis
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the molecular and cellular responses to short course radiation therapy in rectal cancer.
AIM 02Analyze pre- and post-treatment biopsy tissues to identify therapeutic opportunities.
AIM 03Explore the effects of CD40 agonist immunotherapy in combination with radiation on tumor dynamics.
AIM 04Develop integrated assessments of tumor microenvironments to inform treatment strategies.
AIM 05Aim to improve patient outcomes and reduce the need for invasive surgeries through innovative therapy combinations.
Skills the Lab Values
PCRcell culturemultiplex immunofluorescenceRNA sequencingdeep learninghistopathology
Output against the department
Publications192bottom 45% of dept.329th of 595
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations4.4kbottom 34% of dept.393rd of 595
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.