Luisa Escobar-Hoyos

Luisa Escobar-Hoyos is an Assistant Professor of Therapeutic Radiology at Yale School of Medicine, with secondary appointments in Medical Oncology and Hematology and Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. She serves as Director of Department Cores and Radiobiology Course Director in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology.

Dr. Escobar-Hoyos obtained her master's degree in Biomedical Sciences at the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia, followed by a Ph.D. in Cancer Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at Stony Brook University as a Fulbright Scholar. She completed her postdoctoral training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center under the mentorship of Drs. Steven Leach and Omar Abdel-Wahab.

Her research focuses on understanding and targeting somatic mutations and aberrant RNA processing in pancreatic and lung cancers to develop novel therapies. Dr. Escobar-Hoyos' lab investigates how activating mutations in KRAS and p53 cooperate to cause tumors, with a particular focus on how altered RNA splicing by mutant p53 activates and maintains oncogenic KRAS signaling. Her team has developed a novel therapy called Splicing-Hit Oligonucleotide Therapy (SHOT) that corrects RNA splicing errors to selectively kill pancreatic and lung cancer cells.

Dr. Escobar-Hoyos' work spans cancer biology, RNA splicing, tumor immunology, and genetically engineered mouse models. Her research has revealed that keratin 17 serves as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer, and modulates the immune topography of pancreatic tumors.

• Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award (2023) from Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
• Career Development Award to Further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (2022) from American Association for Cancer Research

Dr. Escobar-Hoyos leads a collaborative research team that includes postdoctoral associates, graduate students, and research scientists. Her laboratory collaborates with researchers at Yale University, Stony Brook University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center across disciplines including oncology, immunology, bioinformatics, drug delivery, and microbiology. She also directs the Escobar-Hoyos Lab, which focuses on developing innovative therapies for pancreatic and lung cancers.