UTMThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center · Biomedical Engineering
Alpha Particle and Immunotherapy Lab
Gabriel Oliveira Sawakuchi · Houston, Texas
Research Focus
Dr. Gabriel Oliveira Sawakuchi's lab focuses on combining innovative radiation therapy techniques with pharmacologic strategies to enhance the immune response against cancer. The lab investigates how high-energy alpha particles and inhibitors of DNA repair can work together to activate the immune system, particularly in difficult-to-treat solid tumors. This research seeks to improve cancer treatment outcomes and develop new therapeutic approaches for patients with advanced cancers.
alpha particlesimmune responseradiation therapyDNA repairimmunotherapysolid tumorshigh-LET radiationATR inhibitorscGAS-STING pathwayantitumor immunity
Research Aims
3AIM 01Elucidate how cGAS binds to dsDNA in cells treated with alpha particles and ATR inhibitors.
AIM 02Investigate the mechanisms by which alpha particles and ATR inhibitors induce immune signaling.
AIM 03Evaluate the effects of alpha particles combined with ATR inhibitors on antitumor immunity in animal models.
Skills the Lab Values
in vivo experimentsradiation therapy techniquesDNA damage assessmentimmune cell profilingtumor biologypharmacologic inhibitionmicroscopyflow cytometrytumor implantation modelscell culture
Output against the department
Publications148bottom 32% of dept.403rd of 595
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations3.4kbottom 26% of dept.442nd of 595
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.