iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

As 2025 comes to a close, I'm reflecting on the outstanding people and teams I've been lucky to work with at Dana-Farber to advance lung cancer care in the clinic and in research Look forward to a bright 2026! @danafarber.bsky.social @danafarbernews.bsky.social #lcsm

050

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Great to share lung cancer research updates with colleagues and friends at the 2025 IASLC NACLC meeting Thank you to chairs Drs. Bestvina, Marrone, Rengan and Gillaspie for organizing an energizing and fun conference @iaslc.bsky.social @danafarber.bsky.social #NACLC25

182

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

1/ In JCO: PO, we describe the presentation of NUT carcinoma- it almost always presents as a poorly differentiated/ squamous lung, head and neck cancer, with a mean biopsy to diagnosis interval of 7 weeks (!) 🫁 🗣️ doi.org/10.1200/PO-2... #medsky #oncsky #lungcancer @ascocancer.bsky.social 🧵A thread:

Abstract
Purpose Diagnostic delays are common for patients with NUT carcinoma (NC), a cancer driven by NUT fusion oncoprotein. Rapid diagnosis is crucial for the best outcomes. We investigated NC's presenting features and associations with diagnostic delays.
Methods We manually reviewed medical records from US participants in the NC Registry (2007-2024). Baseline features were analyzed descriptively, and multivariable logistic regression was used to examine odds ratios for delays.
Results We analyzed 132 patients (median age 37 years). At presentation, 55% had metastatic disease and 64% had a thoracic primary. The median interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was 10 weeks (range, 1-165 weeks). The initial histopathologic diagnosis was poorly differentiated/squamous cell cancer in 52%, insufficient malignant cells in 14%, carcinoma in 12%, and NC in 22%. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing revealed NUT in 100%; 93% were keratin+, 88% p63+, 89% p40+, and 72% had Ki-67 ≥50%. IHC was used to diagnose NC in 79%. Nonthoracic primaries were associated with a longer time between symptom onset and NC diagnosis (odds ratio, 3.25). Of 32 patients who started treatment before diagnosis, 78% were on agents appropriate for NC. After a diagnosis of NC, 33% participated in clinical trials.
Conclusion NC almost always presents as squamous/poorly differentiated non–small cell lung or head and neck cancer. Overall, 78% of patients were initially diagnosed as non-NC. Efforts to raise awareness, recognition, and rapid diagnosis of NC by both oncologists and pathologists are critical if we are to improve outcomes.

1105

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Krutika Kuppalli, MD FIDSA @krutikakuppalli.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

🚨 >50% of ID fellowships went unfilled—just as the need is surging. Currently on ID consults and seeing unprecedented volumes and an increasingly immunocompromised population at risk for life-threatening infections. I’m worried we’re heading toward fewer specialists when we need them most.

13313

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) @theaacr.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Alexander Drilon, Jolanta Grembecka, Jessica Jiyeong Lin, and Jia Luo will discuss "Translating Discoveries Toward New Therapies" in a plenary session at the AACR Conference on Fusion-Positive Cancers (January 13-15, 2026; Philadelphia). Learn more: buff.ly/3jO4l4j #AACRfusion26 @jia-luo.bsky.social

012

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute @danafarber.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

@stolaney1.bsky.social addresses a full house during the #ESMO25 presidential discussion on Reshaping Density – Transforming Outcomes in High-Risk HER2+ Breast Cancer.

171

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Dana-Farber News @danafarbernews.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Lung cancer research at #ESMO25: Chemotherapy combo boosts overall survival in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. @danafarber.bsky.social's Dr. Pasi Jänne presents the complete data from phase 3 FLAURA2 study. Press release ➡️bit.ly/47oV0hd

Dr. Pasi Jänne of Dana-Farber Cancer Institutes presents at #ESMO25.

072

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

What a great throwback! Brings me back to middle school computer lab when - as the cool kids - we were using this little known search called "google" on our bright boxy blue iMacs when the standard at the time was Ask Jeeves

010

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 14/09/2025

A deep dive into the destruction of US cancer research by @jonathanmahler.bsky.social “It’s an absolutely unmitigated disaster,” a former top official at NIH told him. “It will take decades to recover from this, if we ever do.” Gift link: nyti.ms/48iH3Cr

nyti.ms

12392219

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

What a fantastic IASLC WCLC25! Congrats to star resident (onc-to-be!) Dr Huang & We had a superb global multi-D discussion on ground glass/semisolid lung nodules - packed room in our last session of the day! TY chairs Drs Naidoo Opitz Malapelle & Noemi - feeling inspired 🙏 @iaslc.bsky.social

040

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Paul Sax @paulsaxmd.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

For us ID doctors, the CDC has been a rock. Data, guidelines, surveillance, travel advice -- all there, vetted by experts, referenced, reliable. Perfect? No. But watching its dismantling now breaks my heart. Some thoughts: blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-obser...

blogs.jwatch.org

Watching the Chaos at the CDC -- with Sadness and Alarm

Throughout my career as an infectious diseases doctor, the CDC has been a rock-solid source. Need reliable data on an outbreak? The CDC. Need thoughtful, evidence-based guidelines? The CDC. Need an au...

67828

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

🩻 Look forward to our interactive multidisciplinary lung nodules session @ IASLC WCLC 2025 meeting next week, September 6-9 in Barcelona It's been fantastic to plan our program with this group of experts spanning the 🗺️, meeting 6am (PT) - 11pm (AEST)! wclc.iaslc.org #lcsm @iaslc.bsky.social #WCLC25

020

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Fantastic to interview Dr. William Pao about his book "Breakthrough" with Dr. Jänne So inspiring for us to hear stories about resiliency and learning from failure in research to develop transformational medicines Special thanks to Sitara & the Chen-Huang Center #lcsm @danafarber.bsky.social

Photos of the Endowed Lecture interview with Dr Wiliam Pao, including Drs Luo, Jänne, Rotow, Barbie, Sitara and the in person crowd

040

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Excited to host drug developer extraordinaire Dr. William Pao at Dana-Farber Dr. Jänne and I will interview Dr. Pao tomorrow (Tuesday, August 12) about his book, Breakthrough, "a triumphant read about overcoming disease" www.simonandschuster.com/books/Breakt... @danafarbernews.bsky.social

021

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

🩺 In NEJM, our interactive case on a common CC - evaluation of a patient with new pulmonary symptoms www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.... Congrats to star fellow Dr Joanne I. Hsu for leading & wonderful to learn from expert multi-D colleagues @anandvaidya17.bsky.social @harvardmed.bsky.social @nejm.org

021

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Celebrating endings and new beginnings - it has been fantastic to have Dr Paoloni on our research team during his awarded American-Italian Cancer Foundation Research Fellowship grant! @danafarber.bsky.social @danafarbernews.bsky.social #lcsm

Research group dinner. From left to right: Dr Paoloni, Huang, Sara Walton, Justin Kim, Dr Luo, and Dr Pecci

Dr Paoloni (center) with Drs French and Luo

140

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

1/ In Clinical Cancer Research, we examined underdiagnosis of NUT carcinoma, an aggressive squamous lung, head and neck cancer, and found >75% are missed on standard of care testing (DNA panel NGS) 🫁 🗣️ doi.org/10.1158/1078... #medsky #oncsky #meded #lcsm #lungcancer @theaacr.bsky.social 🧵A thread:

Molecular characterization of NUT carcinoma: a report from the NUT carcinoma registry
Abstract
Purpose: NUT carcinoma (NC) is an underdiagnosed, poorly differentiated squamous cell cancer with a median survival of 6.7 months. Defined by NUTM1 fusions, NC enhances oncogene transcription, including MYC. We investigated the ability of standard next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify NUTM1 fusions and describe additional molecular features of NC. Experimental Design: This study included 116 NC patients whose tumors underwent broad-panel NGS (>80 genes) of DNA, ctDNA, and/or RNA fusion sequencing between 2013-2024. NGS reports and medical records were manually reviewed. Results: Of 116 patients (median age 38, 40.5% female), 84.5% had DNA, 12.1% had ctDNA, and 51.7% had RNA fusion testing. In a subset of 100 patients with DNA/ctDNA testing, 92.9% (n=79/85) had <10 pack-years/never-smoking history, and 58.8% (n=47/80) had a BRD4::NUTM1 fusion. Median TMB was 1.0 mut/Mb (range 0.0-16.0; n=71 known), and 19.7% (n=13/66) had PD-L1 expression ≥1%. DNA, ctDNA, RNA fusion, NUT IHC, and NUTM1 FISH detected NC fusions in 21.6%, 21.4%, 83.9%, 100.0%, and 91.9% of tests, respectively. Co-occurring pathogenic mutations included oncogenes PIK3CA, RET, FGFR3, and tumor suppressors ATM and BRCA1 (n=1 each). Secondary genes altered in >5% of NCs included LRP1B (10.4%), MLL2/KMT2D (8.0%), and FAT1 (5.5%); common pathways with mutated genes were epigenetic (57.0%), cell cycle (26.0%), and DNA repair (24.0%). Conclusions: Standard DNA NGS detects less than a quarter of NUT carcinomas; RNA-based fusion testing, or NUT IHC/NUTM1 FISH, should be routine for suspected NC. NCs are enriched in co-occurring epigenetic, cell cycle, and DNA repair alterations, warranting further evaluation.

121

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

🌟 Some great colleagues, including Dr Julia Rotow, and I will be discussing the latest practice changing data in oncology @ Best of ASCO Boston July 26-27! Program and registration horizoncme.com/best-of-asco... #oncsky @ascocancer.bsky.social @danafarbernews.bsky.social @danafarber.bsky.social

This two-day conference is an Official Annual Meeting Review of ASCO25, featuring expert faculty who will review findings, discuss potential impacts on the current standard of care, and apply the results within the clinical context of a patient case.

031

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Encouraging news from the US FDA - a fast track designation - for our patients with NUT carcinoma! It's been incredible team science from the preclinical, to the iterative FIH translation, to our ongoing NIH-funded NCI CTEP/ETCTN clinical trial #oncsky #lcsm

020

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Nandita Garud @nanditagarud.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

I am seeking a postdoc for my group at UCLA. We work at the intersection of population genetics x microbiome (garud.eeb.ucla.edu). If interested, please message me!

garud.eeb.ucla.edu

Garud Lab

18598

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Nature @nature.com · 23/07/2025

These members of the NIH Council of Councils are voicing serious concerns about NIH grant terminations, restructure, and budget cuts go.nature.com/46Vr8t2

go.nature.com

Protect the integrity of the US National Institutes of Health

Letter to the Editor

16736

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Outstanding commencement speech by Sandra Oh fit for these times on living with discomfort. Well worth the watch. youtu.be/P7TYeFy0JtA?...

youtu.be

2025 Commencement Address by Sandra Oh

YouTube video by Dartmouth

000

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

🗺️ 🫁 Thrilled to work with and learn from this multi-D international panel of lung cancer experts We’ve got a fantastic interactive discussion on pulmonary nodules planned - Tues Sept 9 @ IASLC #WCLC25 in Barcelona Join us! / Register: wclc.iaslc.org @iaslc.bsky.social #lcsm #medsky

Zoom picture of multidisciplinary panel of experts on lung cancers

010

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Celebrating a win - when a fantastic CRC in your group achieves their dream of going to medical school!

010

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Republicans are poised to pass the biggest cuts in health coverage ever. @nytopinion.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | We’ve Never Seen Health Care Cuts This Big

15339

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

On Juneteenth, we celebrate freedom and recommit ourselves to the work that remains undone. We remember that even in the darkest hours, there is cause to hope for tomorrow’s light.

626379147394

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

David J. Skorton @davidjskorton.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

I’ve been in academic medicine for 45 years. This is the first time I’m seeing a perfect storm, as proposed federal funding cuts threaten our ability to provide patient care, train the next generation of doctors, and conduct life-saving research. More from my conversation with @cnn.com last week.

762358869

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Neil deGrasse Tyson @neildegrassetyson.com · 17/06/2025

Every machine in a Hospital that diagnoses your body without cutting you open is based on a principle of Physics, discovered by a Physicist who had no interest in Medicine. If you think the world doesn’t need Basic Science, or that somehow Science has failed you, think again.

22297842745

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Nidhi Subbaraman @nidhisubs.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

“The university is totally keeping us on life support,” said Dr. Daniela Matei, a Northwestern oncologist. “The big question is for how long they can do this.” www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

wsj.com

How Trump Blew Up Northwestern’s Business Model

The federal government froze the university’s research funding. It hasn’t offered the school a way to get it back.

03515

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 15/06/2025

Grateful to have grown up with family, teachers, and (girl)friends who encouraged and celebrated math literacy Tangentially, it's crazy how it's acceptable to say "I'm bad at math" but not "I'm bad at writing" www.nature.com/articles/d41...

000

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Anna C. Fagre @annafagre.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

This NYT visualization shows just a fraction of the growing instability in NIH funding. For the most current—and self-reported—data, bookmark grant-watch.us 👀 (Oh, and they’ve been tracking NSF grants too🙏)

grant-watch.us

Grant Watch

03016

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Gregory Riely @rielymd.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Congratulations to my colleague Mark Kris on his Giant of Cancer Care award from @onclive.bsky.social at #ASCO25 @mskdeptofmed.bsky.social

071

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Great to meet friends and collaborators at #ASCO25 Look forward to discussing some of these practice changing results in treating lung cancers!

000

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute @danafarber.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

@stolaney1.bsky.social ‬, MD, MPH, unveils primary results from the phase 3 ASCENT-04/KEYNOTE-D19 study, comparing sacituzumab govitecan + pembrolizumab to chemo + pembrolizumab in untreated PD-L1 positive advanced TNBC. #ASCO25

031

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute @danafarber.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

David Barbie, MD, presents insights from the phase 3 ADRIATIC trial, examining clinical and molecular traits of early progressors and long-term survivors using durvalumab vs placebo after chemoradiotherapy in limited-stage small-cell lung cancer. #ASCO25

042

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute @danafarber.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Kartik Sehgal, MD, presents initial findings from a phase 1 study on the combination of sigvotatug vedotin, an investigational IB6-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, with pembrolizumab. #ASCO25

021

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Carolyn Bertozzi @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social · 24/05/2025

David Liu @harvard.edu beautifully articulates the criticality of basic science funding for developing revolutionary therapeutics like life-saving base editors 👏 youtu.be/8YhJM6zxYDw?...

youtu.be

Breakthrough Prize-Winning Biochemist on the Deadly Cost of Funding Cuts | Amanpour and Company

YouTube video by Amanpour and Company

1240102

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

Wonderful story about a great addition to the McCormick Conference Center where our annual @ascocancer.bsky.social American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting takes place. 🦅 Look forward to checking this out next week at ASCO 2025! www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/c... #oncsky

nytimes.com

An Illinois Building Was a Bird Killer. A Simple Change Made a World of Difference.

042

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

031

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Prasad Jallepalli, MD, PhD @prasad.bsky.social · 17/05/2025

wow — in all of this, it still surprises me how rarely biomedical research is explicitly and dramatically linked to why we do it despite being incredibly hard because people’s lives are at stake everyone’s life is at stake

02515

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Dana-Farber News @danafarbernews.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Congrats to @danafarber.bsky.social’s Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, a 2025 Giants of Cancer Care by @onclive.bsky.social. Dr. Wolpin is recognized for his remarkable achievements in #gastrointestinal and #pancreatic cancer research and clinical practice. ➡️ bit.ly/3RTq7ZS

Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

023

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Priscilla Merriam, MD @priscillamerriammd.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Thanks AACR for bringing together people around the world dedicated to fighting cancer. #aacr25

021

Reposted by Jia Luo, MD

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

What can you do? Make noise. The ask is “Leave NIH funding at last year’s (FY24) level. No DOGE cuts. No recission to codify cuts. Hands off NIH.” If they are going to vote to cut cancer research, lets make that clear. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nih-bu...

Public outreach: Get word to the public about how Musk and Trump are blocking NIH from funding important cures for disease. Tell the public what Republicans are planning. Talk about how rescission or reconciliation can write into law the cuts that Musk and Trump have created using underhanded and illegal means. Consider recording a short video for social media. Some groups can help you do this, groups like Science Homecoming, and InvestNScience.

Congressional outreach: Yes, even if you have only Democratic Congressional representation it is still important to reach out to them.

Call, visit, and pressure your Democratic Senators to use their procedural tools, like objecting to unanimous consent, to stop Senate business until the NIH interference — the cancer cure interference — is stopped. Democrats can and should do far more. Sen. Cory Booker’s one-day speech drove attention; Sen. Chris van Hollen’s trip to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia did too. More Senate Democrats should be doing things that are not business as usual. The same holds true for House Democrats: they can be doing more and you can read this playbook to them.

Pressure your Republican Senators and Representatives. Probably the best way to create pressure is to go to the media: go to a townhall and ask a question that gets out to TikTok or YouTube. Or write to your local paper. Visit them and their staffers too, and push them to act.

216665

Jia Luo, MD @jia-luo.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

🌟 Outstanding AACR Scientific Achievement Award lecture by Dr Alice Shaw on decades of research led by her and many others on developing effective targeted medicines for lung cancers #AACR25 @theaacr.bsky.social @danafarber.bsky.social #lcsm

062