BalkoResearchLab

We are the Balko Research Lab at VUMC, a translational cancer research lab at the interface of tumor biology and immunotherapy. Opinions RR own.

[BalkoResearchLab @BalkoLab]

@DelgiornoKathy @ScienceTM Thanks! It went through many, many rounds of reviews 😂

[BalkoResearchLab @BalkoLab]

New from our lab in @ScienceTM: Peripheral blood transcriptional profiling predicts breast cancer tumor subtype and response to neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy.

[BalkoResearchLab @BalkoLab]

This blood-based RNA sig achieves strong predictive performance, offering a non-invasive way to stratify patients, optimize therapy selection, and avoid unnecessary toxicity. https://t.co/T4hdKLsNLU
Huge congrats to the team!
#BreastCancer #Immunotherapy #PrecisionMedicine

[Amir Munir @AmirZMunir]

This was a collaborative effort across multiple institutions! A huge shout out to my twitterless co-first author Alan Gutierrez and my PI @CardioOncology, along with all co-authors and funding sources. @Pan_Ma_ @ScientistBaylis @LavineLab @BalkoLab @SarnoffCardio @czbiohub

[Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer @jitcancer]

New #JITC article: Monitoring systemic immune responses to checkpoint inhibition in breast cancer reveals host responses and mechanisms of resistance https://t.co/e1XifxNFTW
@BCT255 @BalkoLab

[Dana-Farber’s Breast Oncology Center @DFCI_BreastOnc]

New study 👉Dynamic single-cell systemic immune responses in immunotherapy-treated early-stage HR+ #BreastCancer patients.
🔓 https://t.co/Pit4ueTo05
@MargaretAxelrod @stolaney1 @EMittendorfMD @BalkoLab

[BalkoResearchLab @BalkoLab]

@Cancer_Cell Nice work!
However this paper seems to avoid any mention of the wealth of information across tumor types demonstrating MHCII as a predictive biomarker for ICI therapy (10 years old in initial reporting). CD74 is essentially coregulated by CIITA so...??

[BalkoResearchLab @BalkoLab]

Looks amazing! Great work @ECBrunner!

[Cancer Research Communications @CRC_AACR]

Check out this article that made the 2025 cover of Cancer Research Communications:

Epithelial Expressed B7-H4 Drives Differential Immunotherapy Response in Murine and Human Breast Cancer https://t.co/VzGvi91AOz @BalkoLab

[BalkoResearchLab @BalkoLab]

@Nole2death @apolo_andrea Cars were invented in the 1880s and remain today the most frequent use of transportation. There have been no advances in transportation in the last 150 years.

Chemotherapy is a broad term for literally 100s of drugs, most discovered in the last 40. It's cool, good work. 👍🏼

[SABCS @SABCSSanAntonio]

State of the Art: The Winding Road of Immune Biomarkers in Early Breast Cancer—Roberto Salgado, Justin Balko, and Priyanka Sharma will address this topic in this special session at #SABCS24 (December 10-13). Learn more:
https://t.co/in7mZTSOHs
@BalkoLab @psharmalab

[SABCS @SABCSSanAntonio]

State of the Art: The Winding Road of Immune Biomarkers in Early Breast Cancer—
Roberto Salgado, Justin Balko, and Priyanka Sharma will address this topic in this special session at #SABCS24 (December 10-13). Learn more:
https://t.co/UUzCz68ehg
@BalkoLab @psharmalab

[Han Zhu @HanZhuMD]

Next, @MargaretAxelrod talks about patient and tumor specific biomarkers in ici myocarditis👌 #gcos #gcos24 @ICOSociety @BalkoLab @CardioOncology

[Amir Munir @AmirZMunir]

As we better understand mechanisms that may drive ICI-myocarditis, we can think of more targeted therapies! Work by many individuals including @DrJESalem @JimAllisonPhD @CardioOncology @BalkoLab have led to ideas of targeting CD80/86, JAK-STAT signaling pathways, and T-cells!
6/

[Cancer Research Communications @CRC_AACR]

Meet Immuno-oncology Senior Editor Justin M. Balko, PharmD, PhD. The @BalkoLab is focused on improving treatment outcomes in BC & other solid tumors, as well as the intersection between immunotherapy and tumor biology. Read the latest articles:
https://t.co/CjaJfOru8J

[BalkoResearchLab @BalkoLab]

@StoverLab I just email the SRO right away and ask them how I did

[Dana-Farber’s Breast Oncology Center @DFCI_BreastOnc]

#ASCO24 Poster Session | Analysis of the sensitivity to endocrine therapy assay in the PALLAS adjuvant trial of palbociclib in HR+/HER2- #breastcancer (ABCSG-42/AFT-05/BIG-14-13).
@Otto_DFCI @elmayermd @MichaelGnant @AngieDemichele @ChristinaCurtis @cncurtis @BalkoLab

[BalkoResearchLab @BalkoLab]

@StoverLab @ASCO @OSUCCC_James @FilipaLynce @DFCI_BreastOnc @AngieDemichele @PennCancer @DrSGraff @BrownUCancer Congrats Dan!!!

[Susan G. Komen @SusanGKomen]

Komen grantee @BalkoLab presents his work on understanding and improving #breastcancer response to immunotherapy @ #AACR24. To learn more, check out the MBC Impact Series where he discussed his work: https://t.co/GrDksXqNu6

[BalkoResearchLab @BalkoLab]

So proud of this outstanding scientist and person @BCT255 defending her thesis today. A @SusanGKomen ASPIRE scholar, @CD_AACR @jitcancer published author and all around superstar. Can't wait to see what the future holds!! @VUMCResearch @VUBasicSciences

[Jennifer Guerriero, PhD @JennGuerriero]

This line up!!! Phenomenal. @sitcancer Spring Scientific. Happening NOW!