Dr. Boyu Hu Receives Prestigious National Cancer Institute R50 Award to Advance Lymphoma Research
Dr. Boyu Hu Receives Prestigious National Cancer Institute R50 Award to Advance Lymphoma Research
Sep 24, 2025
Boyu Hu, MD is an Associate Professor at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and within the Division of Hematology and Hematologic Malignancies has been awarded the R50 Award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This prestigious recognition supports clinician researchers who lead and conduct critical clinical trials within the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), also known as the NCI “cooperative groups.”
Dr. Hu is a nationally recognized clinical investigator whose research focuses on developing novel and combination therapies for patients with lymphoid malignancies, including lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). His portfolio of clinical trials addresses key areas of unmet need, with findings that promise to have practice-changing implications for patients with lymphoid malignancies. His work aims not only to advance drug discovery but also to reduce treatment-related toxicities, ultimately improving the lives of patients with lymphoma locally, nationally, and internationally.
At HCI, Dr. Hu holds several leadership positions in hematology clinical research. He is the Director of Lymphoma and CLL and serves as physician leader for both the hematology clinical trials research group and the HCI clinical trials office. In addition, he is deeply committed to mentorship. He is the primary mentor for multiple early-career faculty, many of whom have gone on to secure competitive career development awards under his mentorship.
The R50 Award will provide Dr. Hu 40% protected time to continue serving as the national chair and lead principal investigator for two NCTN studies, AHOD2131 for early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma and S2506 MOZART MZL for relapsed/refractory marginal zone lymphoma. Furthermore, this support will enable him to pursue long-term goals that align with the NCI’s vision for cooperative group research, including:
- Advancing investigator-initiated studies at HCI into national cooperative group trials, while creating opportunities for promising junior faculty to serve as leaders of these efforts.
- Expanding access to clinical trials across HCI’s catchment area, with a focus on improving trial availability for patients in rural and underserved regions.
- Increasing patient enrollment in clinical trials through the integration of HCI’s Patient Navigation and Patient & Public Education Programs.
Through the R50 Award, Dr. Hu will continue to expand his leadership in clinical trial innovation and mentorship while advancing groundbreaking research that holds promise to reshape standards of care for patients with lymphoid malignancies.