September 15, 2025
Tara Lin, MD, director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center’s adult leukemia program, has been awarded a five-year, nearly $680,000 Clinician Scientist R50 Award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The funded project addresses two main barriers that keep people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) from participating in clinical trials: limited access to rapid molecular testing and a lack of patient and provider awareness about clinical trials.
Despite recent advances in treatment, outcomes for AML remain poor. Only about 30% of people live five years after diagnosis. More than a dozen new drugs have been approved since 2017, but doctors still need evidence on how best to use them, whether in sequence, in combination or in specific patient groups.
“Clinical trials are the only way to answer these questions,” Dr. Lin said. “However, most AML patients are not enrolled in a clinical trial.”
Dr. Lin’s project will leverage the NCI MyeloMATCH program, which offers centralized testing and trial assignment, while also developing in-house rapid molecular testing so more patients can benefit. The award also supports efforts to expand education and outreach.
“Our goal is to make sure every patient can access the latest treatments available through clinical trials,” Dr. Lin said. “With this grant, our goal is to strengthen opportunities for patients across the region to take part in trials that could improve survival and quality of life.”
Written by Pauline Horton