What’s New in Cancer Research:
Q+A with HICCC Director Anil Rustgi, MD

Cancer research is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by a proliferation of data, powerful new tools, and a deeper understanding of the biology of cancer. At the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), researchers are pushing boundaries across disciplines—from artificial intelligence and genomics to immunotherapy and early detection. We sat down with Dr. Anil Rustgi, Director of HICCC, to talk about where the field is headed and the bold directions Columbia is pursuing in cancer research.

We’re in a moment of rapid transformation in cancer research. What are some of the most notable advances you’re seeing, both across the field and specifically here at Columbia?

We’re really at an exciting inflection point in cancer research. The pace at which our understanding of cancer and how to stop it is rapidly evolving. And this is all built on team science, bringing together multiple perspectives to solve one complex problem.

Historically, progress in cancer research was often siloed: molecular biologists worked on gene mutations, immunologists focused on immune cells, and data scientists were largely outside the biomedical space.

But now that’s changed. Today, the most important questions—how cancer begins, how it evolves, how we treat or prevent it—requires a team with expertise across disciplines.

At Columbia, we’re uniquely positioned to lead this charge because we have extraordinary depth and talent across many fields: computational biology, genomics, immunotherapy, microbiome science, population health, and more. We’re connecting these areas in new ways to uncover mechanisms of cancer, opening the door to breakthroughs in detection, prevention, and treatment.

Whether it’s developing AI to predict cancer risk, engineering bacteria to stimulate the immune system, or decoding how our microbiome interacts with cancer, we’re not just contributing to the field—we’re helping to redefine it.

Artificial intelligence is already a part of many people’s day-to-day lives. Is it also a game-changer for cancer research?

AI is already transforming how we understand and treat cancer. Cancer research and care generates massive amounts of complex data—from genomic sequences and pathology slides to imaging scans and clinical records. AI gives us the ability to find patterns across this information, and to use those patterns to make better predictions, design better treatments, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

You mentioned a new proliferation of data, including genomics. What are the latest advances you’re seeing from your faculty in this space?

Genomics today goes far beyond sequencing DNA—it encompasses “multi-omics” data that integrates information from across the genome, transcriptome, epigenome, proteome, and more to provide a holistic view of the underpinning biology of cancer. This layered understanding is transforming how we understand and target tumors.

At Columbia, Peter Sims is helping drive this transformation. His lab develops cutting-edge single-cell and multi-omics technologies that allow researchers to measure gene expression, chromatin accessibility, and protein levels simultaneously within individual cells. These tools make it possible to dissect the intricate biology of tumors cell by cell, revealing their internal diversity and how they interact with their surrounding environment—critical knowledge for designing targeted and durable therapies.

One major insight emerging from multi-omics research is the role of genome instability in cancer. This refers to a breakdown in a cell’s ability to maintain and repair its DNA, leading to mutations, chromosomal rearrangements, and uncontrolled growth. Genome instability is not only a defining feature of many cancers—it also opens up new therapeutic opportunities.

Chao Lu’s lab is exploring how changes in chromatin structure—how DNA is packaged and regulated in the nucleus—can lead to epigenetic alterations that drive cancer, especially in blood cancers. Alberto Ciccia studies the mechanisms that repair damaged DNA, identifying key vulnerabilities in tumors with defective repair systems—insights that are informing the development of treatments like PARP inhibitors.

And Benjamin Izar uses high-dimensional single-cell and spatial transcriptomic technologies to map the tumor microenvironment, especially the immune landscape. His work reveals how individual tumor and immune cells interact, evolve, and respond to therapies – and why some cancers don’t respond to therapies.

This is a particular challenge in immunotherapy and cell therapy, and Izar also uses novel base editing techniques to test and reprogram immune cells to overcome this treatment recalcitrance and resistance.

Advances in genomics are not just explaining cancer, but actively changing how we treat it.

That brings us to immunotherapy and cell-based treatments. What are some of the new directions we’re seeing in this space?

Immunotherapy has already transformed cancer care, but we're still just beginning to understand how to fully harness the immune system to fight cancer more effectively and more durably. Right now, not all cancers benefit from these advanced treatments, some patients relapse, and delivering these immune-based therapies can be challenging. At Columbia, we’re working to develop these ‘next-generation’ immunotherapies and cell therapies that have a broader benefit.

Much of the conversation around cancer research focuses on treatment—but there’s growing excitement around early detection and prevention.

What does “precision prevention” look like today, and how is Columbia helping to shape it?

We’ve already discussed how genomic and epigenomic data are reshaping our understanding of cancer biology.

But what if we could use that same information not just to guide or develop new treatments, but to stop cancer before it starts? That’s the promise of precision prevention and early detection, and we have a plethora of ongoing work at Columbia around this.

Zhiguo Zhang is exploring how patterns in the genome and epigenome—particularly chromatin architecture—might serve as early biomarkers for cancer. His lab studies how changes in DNA packaging and accessibility can reflect underlying risk or early-stage disease. The promise is a molecular window into cancer before it becomes visible through imaging or symptoms, allowing clinicians to intervene much earlier.

Chin Hur takes this idea a step further into clinical practice. Focusing on gastrointestinal cancers, his work combines molecular, demographic, and clinical data to develop precise screening models that predict who is most at risk. These tools are especially valuable in cancers like esophageal and gastric cancer, where early detection is rare but potentially life-saving. Hur’s models aim to bring more patients into screening earlier, with better risk stratification across diverse populations.

And while the genome holds many clues, it’s not the only source of insight. The microbiome—the trillions of microbes living in and on our bodies—plays a complex role in cancer development. Tal Korem and Julian Abrams are investigating how specific microbial compositions can signal cancer risk or even influence a patient’s response to therapy. By decoding the molecular interplay between host and microbe, their work opens the door to novel diagnostics and interventions that could one day help shift cancer risk through microbial modulation.

With the abundance of data we now have, we are working to make prevention as personalized as treatment. It’s amazing to think that we can imagine a future where cancer is not only more treatable, but also more avoidable – and maybe, preventable.

Collaboration seems to be a throughline across all of these efforts. How are you fostering that culture at Columbia?

Cancer is far too complex to be solved in just a few labs.

Collaboration isn’t just encouraged here—it’s built into the fabric of our center. We’ve created formal structures that bring together basic scientists, translational researchers, clinical investigators, engineers, data scientists, and more.

We’re pursuing large, multi-investigator grants and cross-campus initiatives with the many leading schools, centers, and institutes across Columbia.

And we’re building partnerships with community organizations to ensure that the science is grounded in the needs and experiences of patients. Collaboration is the engine of innovation—and Columbia is a place where that engine is running at full speed.

Finally, what excites you most as you look to the future of cancer research and care?

The depth and the breadth of research, care, and innovation that is going on at the HICCC is motivating. But more than any one new research advance, I’m inspired by our people—our scientists, our clinicians, our trainees, and our patients. The work we do is only meaningful if it makes a difference in people’s lives. That’s our compass. That’s what drives us forward.