Danh Truong
Department of Sarcoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine
About Danh Truong
I study bone and soft tissue sarcoma at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Given over 100 different sarcoma subtypes, my range of scope is narrowed to desmoplastic small round cell tumors, Ewing sarcoma, and liposarcoma. To that end, my approach has been to comprehensively characterize these disease entities through a multi-modal omics approach using single-cell/nucleus RNA- and/or ATAC-sequencing, spatial transcriptomics/proteomics. Second, we aim to dissect biology and tumor microenvironment and determine signatures or drivers of tumorigenesis that could enable therapeutic targeted therapies. Third, instead of systemic cytotoxic therapies, we aim to propose methods to repair cancer cells. I am developing a mesenchymal stem cell differentiation model to determine the regulators that promote differentiation toward osteoblasts, myoblasts, and adipocytes. My hypothesis is that studying the regulators of differentiation can help us infer and target the error in differentiation amongst different sarcomas with possible mesenchymal origins.
My long-term career goal is to be a leader and principal investigator in sarcoma research with an independent research program at an academic medical center. Given the rarity of sarcomas, there is a need for more scientists to study and collaborate to translate basic science into therapies. My expertise is in bioengineering of platforms or tools and cancer biology. The marriage between these two areas of expertise puts me uniquely positioned to develop innovative tumor models to validate and generate new biological insights.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Instructor, Department of Sarcoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2018 | Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA, PHD, Biomedical Engineering |
| 2014 | University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA, MS, Biomedical Engineering |
| 2014 | University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA, BS, Biology |
Postgraduate Training
| 2019-2023 | Research Fellowship, Sarcoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
Honors & Awards
| 2023 | Young Investigator Travel Award, Strategic Advances in Sarcoma Science |
| 2023 | Daniel Benedict Gazan Fellowship in Sarcoma Research Award, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2023 | SARC Career Development Award, Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration |
| 2023 | Scholar-in-Training Award, American Association for Cancer Research |
| 2023 | Trainee Grant Incentive Prize, University of Texas at MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2021 | Daniel Benedict Gazan Fellowship in Sarcoma Research Award, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2018 | Burton Scholar, Phoenix Chapter of Achievement Rewards for College Scientists |
| 2017 | International Foundation for Ethical Research Fellowship, International Foundation for Ethical Research |
| 2017 | Burton Scholar, Phoenix Chapter of Achievement Rewards for College Scientists |
| 2016 | International Foundation for Ethical Research Fellowship, International Foundation for Ethical Research |
| 2014 | Dean's Fellowship, Arizona State University |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Truong DD, Weistuch C, Murgas KA, Admane P, King BL, Chauviere Lee J, Lamhamedi-Cherradi SE, Swaminathan J, Daw NC, Gordon N, Gopalakrishnan V, Gorlick RG, Somaiah N, Deasy JO, Mikos AG, Tannenbaum A, Ludwig J. Mapping the Single-cell Differentiation Landscape of Osteosarcoma. Clin Cancer Res. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38775859.
- Magrath JW, Goldberg IN, Truong DD, Hartono AB, Sampath SS, Jackson CE, Ghosh A, Cardin DL, Zhang H, Ludwig JA, Lee SB. Enzalutamide induces cytotoxicity in desmoplastic small round cell tumor independent of the androgen receptor. Commun Biol 7(1):411, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38575753.
- Truong DD, Lamhamedi-Cherradi SE, Porter RW, Krishnan S, Swaminathan J, Gibson A, Lazar AJ, Livingston JA, Gopalakrishnan V, Gordon N, Daw NC, Navin NE, Gorlick R, Ludwig JA. Dissociation protocols used for sarcoma tissues bias the transcriptome observed in single-cell and single-nucleus RNA sequencing. BMC Cancer 23(1):488, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37254069.
- Lamhamedi-Cherradi SE, Maitituoheti M, Menegaz BA, Krishnan S, Vetter AM, Camacho P, Wu CC, Beird HC, Porter RW, Ingram DR, Ramamoorthy V, Mohiuddin S, McCall D, Truong DD, Cuglievan B, Futreal PA, Velasco AR, Anvar NE, Utama B, Titus M, Lazar AJ, Wang WL, Rodriguez-Aguayo C, Ratan R, Livingston JA, Rai K, MacLeod AR, Daw NC, Hayes-Jordan A, Ludwig JA. The androgen receptor is a therapeutic target in desmoplastic small round cell sarcoma. Nat Commun 13(1):3057, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35650195.
- Wu CC, Beird HC, Lamhamedi-Cherradi SE, Soeung M, Ingram D, Truong DD, Porter RW, Krishnan S, Little L, Gumbs C, Zhang J, Titus M, Genovese G, Ludwig JA, Lazar AJ, Hayes-Jordan A, Futreal PA. Multi-site desmoplastic small round cell tumors are genetically related and immune-cold. NPJ Precis Oncol 6(1):21, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35379887.
- Molina ER, Chim LK, Lamhamedi-Cherradi SE, Mohiuddin S, McCall D, Cuglievan B, Krishnan S, Porter RW, Ingram DR, Wang WL, Lazar AJ, Scott DW, Truong DD, Daw NC, Ludwig JA, Mikos AG. Correlation of nuclear pIGF-1R/IGF-1R and YAP/TAZ in a tissue microarray with outcomes in osteosarcoma patients. Oncotarget 13:521-533, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35284040.
- Lamhamedi-Cherradi SE, Mohiuddin S, Mishra DK, Krishnan S, Velasco AR, Vetter AM, Pence K, McCall D, Truong DD, Cuglievan B, Menegaz BA, Utama B, Daw NC, Molina ER, Zielinski RJ, Livingston JA, Gorlick R, Mikos AG, Kim MP, Ludwig JA. Transcriptional activators YAP/TAZ and AXL orchestrate dedifferentiation, cell fate, and metastasis in human osteosarcoma. Cancer Gene Ther 28(12):1325-1338, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33408328.
- Saini H, Rahmani Eliato K, Veldhuizen J, Zare A, Allam M, Silva C, Kratz A, Truong D, Mouneimne G, LaBaer J, Ros R, Nikkhah M. The role of tumor-stroma interactions on desmoplasia and tumorigenicity within a microengineered 3D platform. Biomaterials 247:119975, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32278213.
- Truong DD, Kratz A, Park JG, Barrientos ES, Saini H, Nguyen T, Pockaj B, Mouneimne G, LaBaer J, Nikkhah M. A Human Organotypic Microfluidic Tumor Model Permits Investigation of the Interplay between Patient-Derived Fibroblasts and Breast Cancer Cells. Cancer Res 79(12):3139-3151, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30992322.
- Truong D, Fiorelli R, Barrientos ES, Melendez EL, Sanai N, Mehta S, Nikkhah M. A three-dimensional (3D) organotypic microfluidic model for glioma stem cells - Vascular interactions. Biomaterials 198:63-77, 2019. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30098794.
- Nagaraju S, Truong D, Mouneimne G, Nikkhah M. Microfluidic Tumor-Vascular Model to Study Breast Cancer Cell Invasion and Intravasation. Adv Healthc Mater 7(9):e1701257, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29334196.
Invited Articles
- Cherradi-Lamhamedi SE, Truong D, Ludwig JA. Understanding sarcoma drug resistance one cell at a time. Cancer Drug Resist 5(1):90-92, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35582528.
Editorials
- Truong DD, Lamhamedi-Cherradi SE, Ludwig JA. Targeting the IGF/PI3K/mTOR pathway and AXL/YAP1/TAZ pathways in primary bone cancer. J Bone Oncol 33:100419, 2022. PMID: 35251924.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2024 - 2025 |
| Title: | Investigating the Spatial Heterogeneity and Cellular Taxonomy of DSRCTs |
| Funding Source: | Rally Foundation |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Date: | 2024 - 2025 |
| Title: | Identifying EWS::WT1 Control and The Utility of Neogenes in Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumors |
| Funding Source: | Sarcoma Foundation of America |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Date: | 2024 - 2028 |
| Title: | The epigenetic impact and therapeutic opportunity of AR directed therapy for DSRCT |
| Funding Source: | Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Date: | 2023 - 2024 |
| Title: | Determining the therapeutic efficacy of targeting the Androgen Receptor in Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumors |
| Funding Source: | Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Date: | 2023 - 2024 |
| Title: | Omic characterization of DSRCT and establishing the role of fibroblasts |
| Funding Source: | Sarcoma Foundation of America |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Date: | 2022 - 2023 |
| Title: | Ewing sarcoma gene dependencies that regulate cell fate / differentiation |
| Funding Source: | St. Baldrick's Foundation |
| Role: | Postdoctoral Fellow |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified July 03, 2024