Faculty Research

The Department of Radiation Medicine is engaged in a wide range of medical research studies. Faculty investigators in this department take full advantage of the IU School of Medicine–Indianapolis campus and clinical facilities while leveraging the large biomedical industry in Indiana and collaborative partnerships across traditional academic boundaries. The state’s strong ventures in advanced technology further encourage the establishment of interdisciplinary links.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Within IU School of Medicine, ongoing research studies link the Department of Radiation Medicine with faculty investigators in the areas of hematology-oncology, gynecology oncology, pulmonary medicine, pediatrics, neurology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology and neurosurgery. Qualified patients have opportunity to participate in numerous areas of clinical research, including active clinical studies in breast, gastrointestinal, lung, genitourinary (prostate, bladder, kidney and testicles) and liver cancers as well as cancer metastases.

Explore clinical studies

Additionally, radiation medicine faculty collaborate with many of the school’s basic science groups, working in laboratories that are well-equipped for state of the art investigations at the cellular and molecular level — both “in vitro” and “in vivo.”

National Recognition and Support

Projects within the department are funded by national institutions, including the United States Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Clarian Values Fund and the Indiana Lions Cancer Control Fund, Inc. as well as industrial collaborations and internal resources. The department also participates in several cooperative research groups.

Research News

Stay up-to-date on the medical research work at IU School of Medicine.

Radiation Medicine Faculty Labs

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Lautenschlaeger Lab

The Lautenschlaeger Lab is focused on measuring and predicting response to radiation therapy in solid tumors with the goal to develop biomarker-guided personalized radiation prescriptions and follow-up care.

Lautenschlaeger Lab
a researcher in a white coat prepares a research sample under the lab's safety hood

Dynlacht Lab

The Dynlacht Lab team studies the effects of agents (physical or chemical) that modulate the response of cancer cells and normal tissue to the radiation response, particularly hyperthermia and various chemotherapeutic agents.

Dynlacht Lab
a close up shot of a hand pointing at dna results on a printed paper

Mendonca Lab

Researchers in the Mendonca Lab are focused on gaining a better understanding of radiation’s ability to both heal and harm through two main areas of study: mechanisms of radiation-induced cancer and its prevention by natural antioxidants, and effectiveness of radiation as a treatment for lung and pancreatic cancers by biological and physical approaches.

Mendonca Lab
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Huang Lab

The Huang Lab is focused on uncovering how NQO1 bioactivatable drugs alone, or in synergy with ionizing radiation, PARP1 inhibitors or immune checkpoint inhibitors (PD-1/PD-L1, etc.), trigger immunogenic cell death (ICD) and induce damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) release and phagocytes/APCs (antigen-presenting cells) recruitment, which enhance cross-talk between tumor cells and immune cells to stimulate anti-cancer immunity.

Xiumei Huang Lab

Resident Education

As part of the academic health center and largest medical school in the United States, the Department of Radiation Medicine at IU School of Medicine promotes resident participation in research and provides resources and physician-scientist mentoring to facilitate this work. Residents have presented their results at national and international meetings and published in many widely read journals.

Cancer Research Updates

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IU researchers identify proteins fueling rare childhood leukemia, revealing new treatment strategy

By identifying a specific set of inflammatory proteins that drive JMML’s growth and weaken the immune system, IU researchers have uncovered a new strategy to combat the aggressive childhood blood cancer.

June 16, 2026

Three researchers use a lab.

IU cancer center researchers show oxygen levels significantly alter stem cell behaviors

The research team found that hematopoietic stem cells are highly sensitive to oxygen.

May 18, 2026

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Chuckstrong raises more than $900,000 for IU cancer research

The 14th annual Chuckstrong Tailgate Gala raised more than $900,000 for research at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

April 20, 2026

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Renowned supportive oncology expert to lead IU center

Renowned supportive oncology expert Christian "Chris" Nelson will lead the Walther Center for Supportive Oncology. 

April 01, 2026

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IU researchers identify clotting protein as potential target in pancreatic cancer

Research published in Gastroenterology found a new possible way to slow pancreatic cancer spread. 

March 10, 2026