Mays Cancer Center Awards Multi-Program Grant to Study Mitophagy in Cancer-Associated Cachexia

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The Mays Cancer Center has awarded a Multi‑Program grant to Gang Huang, PhD (MCC and UT Health San Antonio) and Maria Gonzalez Porras, PhD (MCC and University of Texas at San Antonio) for a collaborative project titled "Mitophagy's Role in Adipose Tissue Depletion During Cancer‑Associated Cachexia."

Cancer‑associated cachexia is a metabolic syndrome marked by involuntary weight loss and functional decline. The project will define how defective or excessive mitophagy contributes to adipose tissue wasting, and whether restoring balanced mitochondrial quality control can preserve fat mass and improve systemic metabolism. The team will combine mechanistic models, tissue‑level imaging, and metabolic flux analyses, with an eye toward translational targets.

"This award accelerates our effort to connect mitochondrial quality control with whole‑body wasting," said Dr. Huang. "We aim to identify actionable nodes that can be tested preclinically."

The Multi‑Program mechanism supports cross‑institutional, cross‑disciplinary projects that unite basic discovery with translational potential. Findings from this work are expected to inform future therapeutic studies for cachexia across tumor types.

About the Huang Lab

The Huang Lab at UT Health San Antonio is a basic and translational cancer research group within the MD Anderson Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio. Our team integrates hematology and solid tumor biology with immunology and metabolism to uncover mechanisms and design interventions. We advance cell and biologic therapies, including CAR T‑cell approaches for solid tumors. We also conduct research in trauma and military health. We move discoveries toward clinical impact through product development and collaborations with clinicians and industry. Education and mentorship are core to our mission. We train students, postdoctoral fellows, and early‑career scientists in rigorous, multidisciplinary research. Together, we aim to deliver therapies and technologies that improve patient outcomes.