Our research in Science Spotlight and Media
May 1, 2025
Rare cancer researchers find promising target in rare liver cancer.
A recent study from the Gujral Lab identified PLK1 kinase as a promising therapeutic kinase target in fibrolamellar carcinoma, a rare and treatment-resistant liver cancer that typically affects adolescents and young adults.
Sept 30, 2024
The Gujral Lab Awarded a DoD Grant to Develop Resources for Rare Liver Cancer Research
The Gujral Lab received a grant to develop resources for studying rare liver cancers, including biospecimens, molecular data, and preclinical models to support new treatments.
March 20, 2024
Charting new territory in detangling cytokine secretion mechanisms
A recent eLife article from the Gujral lab introduces KinCytE, a platform for mapping kinase-cytokine networks to identify therapeutic targets.
Feb 9, 2024
Fred Hutch launches rare cancer research effort
Dr. Taran Gujral launched TRACER with a FDA grant to advance rare cancer treatments using AI-driven drug repurposing.
Nov 1, 2023
BBI Grant Leads to NIH Funding Enabling Dr. Taran Gujral to Study Rare Cancers
The Gujral lab has received new funding from the NIH to identify and validate the role of the protein kinase signaling pathway in fibrolamellar cancer.
Apr 14, 2023
Team at Fred Hutch awarded 2-year grant
The Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation has granted Dr. Taran Gujral a two-year award to develop and characterize new preclinical models for a rare form of liver cancer known as fibrolamellar cancer.
Mar 20, 2023
Switching from KSHV latency to lytic replication
New research from the Geballe and Gujral labs has highlighted the significance of signaling pathways mediated by the HER/ERBB family of kinases in the regulation of the Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) life cycle.
Dec 21, 2022
Washington Research Foundation Awards Additional $1M to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Supporting Innovative Technology Commercialization Research in Life Sciences
The Gujral lab received a $250,000 award from the WRF to accelerate the development of drugs for cancer and inflammatory diseases.
September 19, 2022
Machine learning identifies biomarkers that predict a patient’s response to immunotherapy
A recent study published in iScience from the Gujral Lab developed an approach to accurately identify patients who will benefit from immunotherapy.
May 18, 2022
Preclinical Data Demonstrating Olverembatinib's Therapeutic Potential in Treating COVID-19 Published in EMBO Molecular Medicine
A recent study published in EMBO Mol Med from the Gujral Lab showed N-terminus domain (NTD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spike protien strongly induces multiple inflammatory molecules in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, unaffected by the mutations observed in the NTD. Olverembatinib, a clinical-stage multi-kinase inhibitor, potently inhibits Omicron NTD-mediated cytokine release.
APRIL 20, 2022
Development of an in vitro model system to study tricky-to-target tumor microenvironment cells
A recent study published in Cancer Research from the Gujral Lab aimed to develop a physiologically relevant system to study tumor associated macrophages in breast cancer
DECEMBER 20, 2021
Computational predictions reveal an unexpected synergy for prostate cancer therapy
A recent study published in PNAS from the Gujral Lab applied machine learning-based functional screening to identify kinase inhibitors that may be effective for CRPC treatment.
OCTOBER 18, 2021
New strategy to weather the (cytokine) storm
A recent publication from the laboratory of Dr. Taran Gujral in the Human Biology Division in collaboration with the labs of M. Juliana McElrath (Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division) and Eric Holland (Human Biology) described the identification of a small molecule therapeutic previously approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia as a potential inhibitor of the tissue damaging cytokine storm. Their report was published in Molecular Systems Biology.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
Using AI to identify potential COVID-19, cancer therapies
Dr. Taran Gujral and teammates demonstrated how machine learning, deep neural networks and other artificial intelligence tools can screen, identify and validate compounds, including some approved drugs, that could provide benefit to patients with advanced prostate cancer and other serious conditions.
MARCH 04, 2021
Outlining the molecular networks that alter cell function and behavior
Dr. Taran Gujral has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to study the molecular networks that govern cells’ ability to make these transitions, with an eye toward designing new ways to intervene in the future.
FEBRUARY 01, 2021
New awards to spur innovation, commercialization in life sciences research
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Washington Research Foundation, or WRF, have announced a new collaborative funding program designed to spur innovative life science and technology research at the Hutch and speed the process of commercialization toward patient impact.
DECEMBER 21, 2020
New “cuboids” and microfluidics technology allows for drug testing in intact tissues
In collaboration with the Gujral lab in the Human Biology Division, the Folch lab at the UW Bioengineering Department has developed a microfluidics platform that delivers minuscule amounts of drugs to small tissue biopsies, called “cuboids.” In the microfluidic device, the cuboids flow through microchannels containing dispersed wells that trap the cuboids for culture and multi-drug exposures.
AUGUST 17, 2020
Activation of developmental pathways correlates with poor clinical outcomes across cancer types
During embryogenesis, multiple developmental signaling pathways control the biological processes that form and shape cells, tissues, and organs. In a recently published study, researchers in the Gujral Lab (Human Biology Division) provides an in-depth analysis of how components of developmental signaling pathways correlate with clinical outcomes across major cancer types.
AUGUST 04, 2020
Shifting liver cancer cells away from migratory state could reduce their drug resistance
Whether a liver cancer cell is primed to grow or move affects its ability to resist cancer drugs, according to new work from scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington. The team identified key molecules that orchestrate these different cell states in hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC. In lab dishes, experimental compounds that target these molecules can shift drug-resistant HCC cells toward drug sensitivity.
JANUARY 20, 2020
Tumor slices as a robust pre-clinical platform
The Gujral lab in the Human Biology Division has established a screening platform using organotypic tumor slice culture
In the media: "Researchers Use Tumor Slices to Understand Microenvironment." AJMC, 2019.
Also: "Exploring Pre-clinical Cancer Models." News-Medical, 2021.