John Minna, M.D.

Dr. Minna is Director of the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research and Professor of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He holds the Max L. Thomas Distinguished Chair in Molecular Pulmonary Oncology and the Sarah M. and Charles E. Seay Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research (1991-present). He graduated from Stanford Medical School where he conducted research with Dr. Leonard Herzenberg, completed residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, and served as a Research Associate at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute under Dr. Marshall Nirenberg. At the National Cancer Institute (1975-1991), he progressed through major leadership roles including Chief of the Section of Somatic Cell Genetics, Chief of the NCI-VA and NCI-Navy Medical Oncology Branches.

Scientific Contributions and Research Leadership

Dr. Minna's pioneering work has fundamentally transformed lung cancer research through five major scientific contributions. First, he established over 300 clinically and molecularly annotated patient-derived lung cancer cell lines and xenografts that opened up global lung cancer translational research, generating over 1.2 million citations and supporting 14,000 grants, 33,000 publications, 70 clinical guidelines, and 422 clinical trials. Second, his group discovered critical lung cancer tumor suppressor genes (TP53, RB, 3p21.3 region) and oncogenes including L-myc, representing some of the first molecular abnormalities described for solid tumors. Third, he identified important cellular biology characteristics including autocrine growth factors, metabolic vulnerabilities such as glucose metabolism in aggressive lung cancer metastasis, and glucocorticoid receptor-mediated responses in LKB1 mutant cancers. Fourth, his work characterized lung cancer stem cells, including ALDH(+) subpopulations and tumor microenvironment interactions, leading to novel immune targets such as MICA/B antibodies and mechanisms of immune evasion. Fifth, he has systematically identified lung cancer "acquired vulnerabilities" through genome-wide functional screening, discovering new therapeutic targets for immune regulation, DNA damage repair, and metabolic dependencies with associated molecular biomarkers for personalized treatment.

Dr. Minna has been the founding Principal Investigator of the University of Texas NCI SPORE in Lung Cancer (P50 CA070907) for over 25 years, a joint effort with MD Anderson Cancer Center that has generated nearly 800 peer-reviewed publications. He also co-leads the U24 Small Cell Lung Cancer Consortium (U24 CA213274), participated in the U54 PDX Consortium (CA224065), and contributed to the NCI U54 SeroNet COVID-19 studies (U54 CA260560). He contributes to multiple current grants including an R01 with Dr. O'Donnell on the role of translation initiation factor eIF5B in lung cancer pathogenesis (R01CA273585) and the Cancer Center Support Grant (P30 CA142543) where he serves as Co-Leader of the Experimental Therapeutics Program. His translational research approach systematically identifies molecular and cellular abnormalities in clinically annotated human tumors and preclinical models to develop new methods for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer.

Mentorship, Training, and Patient Advocacy Leadership

Throughout his 40-year career, Dr. Minna has helped train and mentor many investigators who went on to become leaders in the field of lung cancer translational research in the USA and other countries. He contributes to multiple T32 training awards including Translational Cancer Biology, Imaging, and Pulmonary Medicine, and participates in the UTSW Cancer Biology PhD program. As an ET Program Co-Leader, he works closely with Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) to incorporate training, mentorship, and career development into program activities, including formal didactics and using investigator-initiated trials as training platforms for early-career faculty.

Dr. Minna has worked to help establish the role of patient advocates in the science of lung cancer translational research through his efforts throughout all lung cancer SPORE programs in the USA. His leadership has facilitated important interactions between patient advocates, researchers, and the broader lung cancer community, ensuring that patient perspectives are integral to translational research efforts.

Academic Honors and Recognition

Dr. Minna has received numerous prestigious awards including the Rosenthal Prize for Cancer Research (1984), Milken Foundation Award for Scientific Excellence in Clinical Research (1989), Bristol Myers Squibb Award for Lung Cancer Research (1997), ASCO Scientific Achievement Award (2005), ASCO Statesman Award (2007), Helis Foundation Award for Lifetime Achievement in Lung Cancer Research (2010), Addario Lung Cancer Foundation Asclepios Award (2012), United Against Lung Cancer Caine Halter Hope Now Award (2013), Giants of Cancer Care (2015), and Abbott ISOBM Award (2016). He has an H-Index of 193 (136,238 citations), D-Index of 179, World medicine ranking of 130, and National USA ranking of 90.

He has served on the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute (1996-2004), Scientific Advisory Boards for multiple Cancer Centers including UCLA (2018-present), UCSD (2012-2020), Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (2002-2016), University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center (1998-2005), the V-Foundation (2010-present), Forbeck Foundation (1999-2017), and the Board of Directors for both the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR, 1992-1995) and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO, 1995-1998).

Experimental Therapeutics Program Leadership

As Co-Leader of the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center Experimental Therapeutics Program since 2011, Dr. Minna works collaboratively with Co-Leader Hans Hammers, M.D., Ph.D. to advance cancer therapeutics from laboratory discovery to clinical implementation. Their complementary expertise creates a powerful synergy: Dr. Hammers brings clinical trial design, biomarker development, and immunotherapy expertise with emphasis on genitourinary cancers and early-phase clinical trials, while Dr. Minna provides deep translational research experience, preclinical model development, and mechanisms for moving basic science discoveries toward clinical application.

Dr. Minna's leadership focuses on helping basic science investigators develop roadmaps to translate findings to the clinic, facilitating inter-programmatic translational interactions across SCCC programs, and directing the weekly Hamon Center/ET Program seminar series—the main forum for bidirectional laboratory-clinic collaboration attended by all SCCC Research Programs. Together, the ET Co-Leaders oversee faculty recruitment and mentorship, organize scientific retreats, award pilot funding, promote external partnerships with industry, and coordinate with SCCC leadership to ensure optimal clinical translation of discoveries.

The Experimental Therapeutics Program encompasses three strategic aims: exploiting cancer cell-autonomous vulnerabilities, targeting the tumor microenvironment to enhance anti-tumor immunity, and developing imaging and drug delivery for cancer therapy. Dr. Minna's extensive experience with lung cancer preclinical models, acquired vulnerability identification, and clinical translation directly supports these aims while contributing to SCCC's mission to reduce cancer burden through exceptional science and patient-centered care. His role complements the overall SCCC strategic plan by facilitating the translation of discoveries from basic research programs into therapeutic benefits for patients in the Dallas-Fort Worth catchment area and beyond.