Jun Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.

Jun Zhang, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist, principal investigator, and board-certified internist and medical oncologist. Dr. Zhang earned his medical degree from Xiang-Ya School of Medicine, Central South University in China, a PhD in Cancer Biology from LSU, completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Harvard Medical School and UCSF, and a Hematology/Oncology fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine. Passionate about frontier scientific discoveries, Dr. Zhang possesses extensive expertise in bench-to-bedside translation and the development of investigator-initiated clinical trials. He has authored over 100 publications, including articles in high-impact journals such as Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, Nature Communications, Journal of Thoracic Oncology, Molecular Cancer, Annals of Oncology, JAMA Oncology, Cancer Cell, and New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Zhang is a member of prestigious organizations, including AACR, ASCO, ESMO, IASLC, RSM, and Sigma Xi.

His research interests encompass the following broad areas:
1) The role of microbiota in the oncogenesis, immune modulation, and immunotherapy of lung cancer.
2) Resistant mechanisms in targeted therapies for non-small cell lung cancer harboring driver mutations.
3) Development of innovative interventional and translational trials for various thoracic malignancies.

Currently, he serves as the co-Director of the Lung Cancer Program and Associate Director of the Early Phase Program at the University of Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Center (KUCC). Dr. Zhang plays a vital role in leading a multidisciplinary team in both research and patient care for Thoracic Oncology at KUCC.

Adagrasib in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Harboring a KRAS^G12C Mutation

Adagrasib in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Harboring a KRAS(G12C) Mutation.

Berzosertib Plus Topotecan vs Topotecan Alone in Patients With Relapsed Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Bugs in the system: bringing the human microbiome to bear in cancer immunotherapy

Bugs in the system: bringing the human microbiome to bear in cancer immunotherapy.

Cystatin M: a novel candidate tumor suppressor gene for breast cancer

Evaluation of the Durability of the Immune Humoral Response to COVID-19 Vaccines in Patients With Cancer Undergoing Treatment or Who Received a Stem Cell Transplant.

Exploring Gut Microbiome in Predicting the Efficacy of Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Exploring the Evolving Scope of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy in NSCLC

Gut commensal Bifidobacterium-derived extracellular vesicles modulate the therapeutic effects of anti-PD-1 in lung cancer

Metadherin enhances vulnerability of cancer cells to ferroptosis

Metadherin enhances vulnerability of cancer cells to ferroptosis.

Modulation of Bax and mTOR for Cancer Therapeutics

Mutational Landscape and Evolutionary Pattern of Liver and Brain Metastasis in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

O(2)(⋅-) and H(2)O(2)-Mediated Disruption of Fe Metabolism Causes the Differential Susceptibility of NSCLC and GBM Cancer Cells to Pharmacological Ascorbate.

O₂^⋅- and H₂O₂-Mediated Disruption of Fe Metabolism Causes the Differential Susceptibility of NSCLC and GBM Cancer Cells to Pharmacological Ascorbate

Practical Guidance for the Management of Adverse Events in Patients with KRASG12C-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Receiving Adagrasib.

Prospective correlation between the patient microbiome with response to and development of immune-mediated adverse effects to immuotherapy in lung cancer

Relating Gut Microbiome and Its Modulating Factors to Immunotherapy in Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review

Small Molecule KRAS Agonist for Mutant KRAS Cancer Therapy

Small Molecule KRAS Agonist for Mutant KRAS Cancer Therapy.

Targeting interleukin-1β and inflammation in lung cancer.

A multicenter, open-label phase I clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of ICP-723 in patients with advanced solid tumors

A multi-center phase II study of combining cabozantinib and atezolizumab as the 1st line therapy for PD-L1 negative advanced/metastatic NSCLC (Cabatezo-1)

A multi-center phase II study of ipatasertib in combination with docetaxel in metastatic/advanced NSCLC patients who have failed or are intolerant to 1st line immunotherapy (Ipat-Lung)

A New Mouse Model of PI3’-Kinase Induced Breast Cancer. The goal is to 1) generate genetically engineered mice containing conditionally activatable PIK3CA mutation (H1047R) to test its role in breast carcinogenesis; (2) investigate the effect of loss of tumor suppressors such as TP53 in the context of an activating PIK3CA mutation; and (3) test the therapeutic effects of PI3’-kinase inhibitors and compare them with conventional chemotherapy

A Phase 1/2 Multiple Expansion Cohort Trial of MRTX849 in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors with KRAS G12C Mutation (KRYSTAL-1) ClinicalTrials.gov NCT 04832854

A Phase 2, Open-Label Safety and Efficacy Study of Telisotuzumab Vedotin (ABBV-399) in Subjects with Previously Treated c-Met+ Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (M14-239 Luminosity; NCT03539536)

A Phase 2 Randomized Open-Label Study of Patritumab Deruxtecan (U3-1402) in Subjects with Previously Treated Metastatic or Locally Advanced EGFR-mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) (HERTHENA-Lung01: NCT04619004)

A phase 2 study of VLS-101 in patients with solid tumors

A phase 2 trial of combination therapies with adagrasib in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer with KRAS G12C mutation (KRYSTAL-17)

A phase 3, randomized, open-label study of the efficacy and safety of pyrotinib versus docetaxel in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring a HER2 exon 20 mutation who progressed on or after treated with platinum-based chemotherapy with/without immune checkpoint inhibitors (PYRAMID-1)

A Phase I Study of combining selinexor and abemaciclib in non-G12C KRAS mutant metastatic/advanced NSCLC patients who have failed 1st line standard of care

A Phase II Study of using niraparib followed by osimertinib re-challenge for EGFR mutant metastatic/advanced NSCLC patients who have failed osimertinib

A randomized, open-label, phase II study of canakinumab or pembrolizumab as monotherapy or in combination as neoadjuvant therapy in subjects with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (CANOPY-N)

A Window-of-opportunity study of pre-operative pembrolizumab plus olaparib in stage 1 NSCLC (pembrola-1)

Development of ex vivo models for lung cancer

Using microbiome to predict durvalumab toxicity in post-CCRT NSCLC patients (Microdurva)

Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of ICP-723 in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors (NCT05537987)

Genentech IIT: A multi-center phase II study of ipatasertib in combination with docetaxel in metastatic/advanced NSCLC patients who have failed or are intolerant to 1st line immunotherapy

Microbiome in immunotherapy naïve NSCLC patients receiving PD-1/L1 blockade (MIP_NSCLC)

Part 2 (NSCLC). A study of DSP107 alone and in combination with atezolizumab for patients with advanced solid tumors. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05537987

Phase 1/1b study investigating safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and preliminary antitumor activity of anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody BGB-A1217 in combination with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody tislelizumab (BGB-A317) in patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors

Uncoupling Efficacy and irAEs in Lung Cancer Immunotherapy Through Modulation of Micrombiome

Using Ex Vivo Model to Investigate the Resistant Mechanism to MRTX849, with the Focus on CAFs

Using ex vivo tumoroids to predict immunotherapy response in NSCLC (TUMORIN)