James Brugarolas

James Brugarolas, M.D., Ph.D., is a tenured Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) and directs the Kidney Cancer Program (KCP) within the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. His roles include physician-scientist specializing in renal malignancies, founding director of the KCP, and leader in translational research bridging gene discovery to clinical therapies. He holds the Sherry Wigley Crow Cancer Research Endowed Chair.

• Education: MD from Universidad de Navarra (Spain), PhD in Biology from MIT (with Tyler Jacks), residency at Duke, and oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Hospital (with William Kaelin).
• Research: Focuses on molecular genetics of kidney cancer, HIF2 signaling, tumor microenvironment, and drug development. Key discoveries include BAP1 and PBRM1 mutations in ccRCC, HIF2 dependency, and FDA-approved HIF2 inhibitors.
• Awards: KCP recognized with NCI SPORE Award, Clinical Excellence, and Innovation accolades.
• Labs/Teams: Brugarolas Lab, Kidney Cancer Program, tumorgraft platform development, and leadership in clinical trials (e.g., PT2385, SAbR).
• Grants/Affiliations: NCI Renal Cancer Task Force chair, American Society of Clinical Oncology member, and Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators advisory board.

Research interests span molecular classification of RCC subtypes, biomarker development, and personalized therapies. His work integrates tumor modeling, immunotherapy, and radiology innovations (e.g., PD-L1 PET imaging).