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Keck Medicine of USC – Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging

, a state-of-the-art radiation oncology and imaging center, at 4590 MacArthur Blvd. in Newport Beach.

The 12,500 square-foot clinical space houses new-to-market imaging and radiation therapy technology in a serene, beach-inspired space designed to help patients feel at ease.

“Our new radiation oncology and imaging center demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing Orange County with world-class care,” said 

, chief executive officer of Keck Medicine. “We recognize the importance of keeping cancer care close to home and are proud to expand our presence in the community.”

The center is equipped with PET-CT imaging and CT scanners for diagnosis, treatment simulation and monitoring, as well as two state-of the-art linear accelerators to deliver precision radiation therapy treatment.

Keck Medicine of USC – Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging will be the first clinical site in Orange County, and just the third in California, to offer 

 biology-guided radiation therapy (BgRT) using the new-to-market RefleXion X1 system. 

Unlike other types of radiation therapy that use static images of a patient’s anatomy to map treatment areas, BgRT is the first and only radiation therapy delivery modality that uses a PET radiotracer compound that, once injected into the body, interacts with cancer cells to send up-to-the-minute “signals” about the location of cancer cells, even as the patient breathes or moves slightly. This helps radiation oncologists track, target and treat cancer cells in real time while minimizing damage to healthy cells, which may alleviate some of the side effects of radiation.

BgRT also eliminates the need for placing markers (tiny metal objects positioned inside the patient in or near cancerous tissue to identify where to deliver treatment), as well as enables radiation oncologists to more efficiently treat multiple tumor locations in the same course of therapy.

BgRT recently received breakthrough device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating lung tumors and is currently approved for certain patients with lung and bone tumors.

Keck Medicine will install a second X1 system with BgRT at a medical facility in Pasadena opening later this year. It will be the first university-based academic institution to offer BgRT at multiple locations, bringing new cancer treatment options for the Los Angeles area, Orange County and surrounding communities.

“This groundbreaking technology enables us to provide the best possible care and offer treatment for patients whose options may be very limited,” said 

, radiation oncologist and director of clinical operations, regional radiation oncology clinics, with Keck Medicine. Tao is also clinical associate professor of radiation oncology with the 

. “We are thrilled to be the first to offer this revolutionary and potentially life-saving treatment to patients in Orange County.”

Keck Medicine of USC – Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging is less than 15 minutes away from USC Norris’ oncology locations in Newport Beach and Irvine, where patients can make appointments with respected medical oncologists who have served Orange County for decades, and who treat more medical oncology outpatients in Newport Beach than any other provider.

“This new location expands our spectrum of cancer services in Orange County, ranging from diagnostic imaging to multiple treatment options that optimize outcomes and provide personalized radiation medicine,” said 

, radiation oncologist with Keck Medicine and chair and professor of radiation oncology with the Keck School.

As one of the eight original National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States, 

 has revolutionized cancer treatment, research and prevention for 50 years. In 2024-25, U.S. News & World Report ranked USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center among the top 25 cancer centers nationally and recognized 

“The addition of this new location means so much for our patients and their loved ones,” said 

, medical oncologist with USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, practicing in Newport Beach. “Our convenient location near our medical oncology offices means that our patients can truly benefit from multidisciplinary, collaborative care from doctors they know and trust.”

To make an appointment at Keck Medicine of USC – Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging, call (949) 507-6700 or visit 

USC Norris opened the new facility in collaboration with Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (ART Health), a leading developer of radiotherapy centers. ART Health is a division of Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a national investment manager.

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USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has launched a cutting-edge radiation oncology and imaging center in Newport Beach, featuring advanced technology like the RefleXion X1 system for SCINTIX biology-guided radiation therapy (BgRT). This innovative approach uses PET radiotracers to track and treat cancer cells in real-time, minimizing damage to healthy tissue. The center enhances cancer care accessibility in Orange County, offering multidisciplinary services in collaboration with Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies. USC Norris continues to expand its presence, providing world-class, personalized cancer treatment options to the community.

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has opened Keck Medicine of USC – Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging, a radiation oncology center.

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Opens State-of-the-Art Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging Center

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has awarded a $6 million grant to USC investigators pioneering a new first-of-its-kind genetic therapy for glioblastoma, a severe form of brain cancer. The treatment would be the first gene therapy for glioblastoma to use a novel, more precise delivery system that is less likely to harm non-cancerous cells.

Glioblastoma is an aggressive and fast-growing cancer originating in the brain that occurs primarily in adults and has no known cure. Patients diagnosed with this type of tumor have a five-year survival rate of just 5 percent. The cancer’s location—in the sensitive brain—combined with its heterogeneity make treatment notoriously difficult. Tumor composition varies widely across patients and even within individual tumors as abnormal cells continuously mutate.

“The personalized treatment you hear about for this type of cancer often feels like a game of whack-a-mole,” said principal investigator 

, USC associate professor of neurological surgery and neurology, division chief of neuro-oncology at the 

. “By the time you’ve sequenced a patient’s tumor, identified all its mutations, personalized a treatment plan, and developed the therapy, the tumor you’re treating is no longer the same tumor. There’s a new set of mutations. So, you wind up chasing your tail.”

The three-year grant, led by USC in collaboration with members of the Zolotukhin Lab at the University of Florida, builds on three advances the team has made towards a novel GBM treatment, with the goal of moving it closer to clinical trials.

Tran’s team developed a new AI technology to analyze large genetic data sets and identify “master regulators” within glioblastoma—key genes that define a brain tumor and are essential for its survival. Of the nine master genes they found, seven were developmental, or typically active only in early fetal development, where they support rapid growth before becoming dormant.

“Tumor cells are smart,” Tran said, who is also a member of the Tumor Immunology and Microenvironment Program at the 

. “They go back and pull these developmental genes out from dormancy and use them to fuel their own uncontrollable growth.” Tests in his lab showed that targeting these developmental genes with anti-cancer therapy led to tumor collapse. “You only need to deplete a few of these master genes,” Tran said. “Once they’re gone, the cancer doesn’t stand a chance.”

In addition to identifying new targets, researchers have discovered a promising vehicle for delivering therapy to the cancer using a common virus known as AAV (adeno-associated virus). While viruses serve as vital tools in many gene therapies, when it comes to glioblastoma they typically lack precision, infecting not just the diseased cells but also surrounding healthy brain cells.

“Too often, these viruses have a carpet-bombing effect,” Tran said. “That’s not ideal for brain cancers.”

The USC team created a library of approximately 10 billion different variants of these AAV viruses and exhaustively screened them, looking for any viruses capable of infecting glioblastoma cells without infecting normal brain tissue. One candidate, a virus known as T6, fit the bill: in mice carrying human glioblastoma tumors, this potent virus demonstrated a high preference for infecting cancer cells and little else. When used to deliver a targeting drug already identified by Tran’s team, the virus showed cure rates approaching 70 to 90 percent in these mouse models. “That’s almost unheard of,” Tran said. CIRM funding will enable the team to prepare this new delivery vehicle and drug target for clinical trials.

Patients with aggressive brain tumors typically undergo a procedure called conduction-enhanced delivery (CED), where a surgeon implants a catheter into the tumor to deliver the gene therapy and cellular treatment. This clinical process is ripe for improvement.

“Historically, CED has been done somewhat blindly,” Tran said. “After initial imaging to identify the tumor’s coordinates, the surgeon inserts the catheter into the middle of the tumor and hopes that it will be effectively delivered to the entire tumor. But tumors are more complicated than that.”

If the catheter hits a “blind pouch” in the tumor, the medication remains stuck there and can’t flow outward. To tackle the problem, USC investigators and collaborators have started engineering a new computational method to map the tumors’ flow patterns, which function like riverbeds. This mapping will provide surgeons with enhanced guidance for optimal catheter placement and maximum drug diffusion. The CIRM grant will support further improvements to the technology, which Tran hopes will make its way into clinical settings. “The goal is to safely deliver the highest concentration of effective therapy to the patient,” he said.

The grant team, which includes USC neuropathologists, computational biologists, and neurosurgeons, will collaborate with the USC/CHLA cGMP facility. Designed to manufacture cell and gene therapies under the Food and Drug Administration’s current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) standards, the facility will ensure that all treatment products and protocols meet human safety and efficacy standards. The researchers also plan more preclinical testing to reconfirm the results achieved in laboratory models.

For Tran, it’s a profoundly hopeful moment. “This is the best time to be in this field as a researcher and as a clinician,” he said. “When I started seventeen years ago, I spent most of my time telling patients to get their affairs in order. Today, we’re talking about prolonging survival. In the next five to ten years, we’re going to see major changes in what a diagnosis of glioblastoma means for patients.”

USC researchers have received a $6 million grant to develop a pioneering genetic therapy for glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain cancer. This therapy utilizes a novel delivery system that targets cancer cells while sparing healthy ones. The team has identified key "master regulator" genes essential for tumor survival and developed a virus-based delivery vehicle with high specificity for cancer cells. Additionally, they are enhancing tumor mapping techniques to improve drug delivery. The grant supports further development and preclinical testing, aiming to advance the therapy towards clinical trials.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has awarded a $6 million grant to USC investigators pioneering a new genetic therapy to treat glioblastoma.

New Grant Funds First-of-Its-Kind Gene Therapy to Treat Aggressive Brain Cancer

A new study from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has found evidence that targeting CD47, a protein that is part of the innate immune system, could be a key step in fighting colorectal cancer.

It is one of the first indications that targeting part of the innate immune system, combined with traditional immunotherapy drugs which work on the adaptive immune system, could be more effective in fighting colorectal cancer. The findings were just published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.

Traditional immunotherapies, known as immune checkpoint inhibitors, have transformed cancer care by helping the body’s immune system fight cancer like it does other diseases. They do this by blocking immune checkpoints – proteins that act like brakes for the immune system to keep it from attacking healthy cells. Cancer cells exploit these proteins to evade detection by immune cells, but immune checkpoint inhibitors prevent that.

Until recently, immunotherapies only targeted the body’s learned immune response, once cancer cells had already slipped by the body’s first line of defense against disease, known as the innate immune system.

“Up until now, immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the adaptive immune system have been the mainstream in immunotherapy,” said first author Hiroyuki Arai, MD, PhD, a former postdoctoral researcher at the cancer center, part of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “But in our current study, we focused on CD47, a checkpoint molecule in the innate immune system.”

The researchers knew colorectal cancer cells use the immune checkpoint CD47 to dodge macrophages, innate immune cells that would otherwise target and destroy them. But how exactly do cancer cells manipulate CD47, and what could this mean when it comes to treating colon cancer?

In the present study, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, researchers analyzed DNA and RNA from 14,287 colorectal cancer tumors to answer those questions. They compared tumors with higher levels of CD47 expression to those with lower levels, finding that higher levels were linked to more aggressive tumors, more activated cancer pathways and more immune cells inside the tumor.

Those findings suggest that developing an immune checkpoint inhibitor drug that can block the activity of CD47 could improve outcomes for colon cancer patients, many of whom are not well served by existing immunotherapy drugs.

“The most important takeaway is this data suggests that CD47 is a very attractive target for drug development,” said senior author Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, deputy director for research programs and co-director for the Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Center for Cancer Drug Development at the USC Norris cancer center.

To delve into the details of CD47’s role in colon cancer, researchers sequenced the DNA and RNA from 14,287 colorectal tumor samples stored within the Caris Life Sciences database. The researchers divided cases into two groups: those with high CD47 expression (above the median level) and those with low CD47 expression (below the median level). They then compared the two groups, looking for differences in immune signaling and other biological processes.

Higher expression of CD47 within a tumor was associated with higher oncogenic signaling, which means that tumors are growing and may be spreading. Higher CD47 expression was also linked to changes in several key immune pathways, including suppressing the signal used to activate macrophages, which would otherwise eliminate the cancer cells.

The researchers also found that higher levels of CD47 were associated with the formation of new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis. In cancer research, angiogenesis is a red flag because it is typically a sign that tumors are growing larger.

Taken together, these findings point to CD47 as a top target for new colorectal cancer drugs. It could be used alongside one of more of the currently available therapies, including chemotherapy, angiogenesis inhibitors and adaptive immune checkpoint inhibitors, said Arai, who is now an assistant professor of clinical oncology at the St. Marianna University School of Medicine in Kawasaki, Japan.

“The key is to develop an antibody or an engineered immune cell that can inhibit CD47 signaling, but it has to be used in combination with other drugs. The right combination is not clear yet, so more research is needed,” said Lenz, who is also a professor of medicine and preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine.

Lenz, Arai and their team are also studying other methods of shrinking colorectal cancer tumors, including with compounds that stimulate macrophages to attack cancer cells.

In addition to Lenz and Arai, the study’s other authors are Francesca Battaglin, Jingyuan Wang, Sandra Algaze, Priya Jayachandran, Shivani Soni, Wu Zhang, Yan Yang, Joshua Millstein and Jae Ho Lo from the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California; Nishant Gandhi, Joanne Xiu and Micharl W. Korn from Caris Life Sciences Inc.; Davendra Sohal from University of Cincinnati Medicine; Richard Goldberg from the West Virginia University Cancer Institute; Michael J. Hall from Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Aaron James Scott from the University of Arizona Cancer Center, Department of Medicine; Jimmy J. Hwang from GI Medical Oncology Levine Cancer Institute; Emil Lou from the University of Minnesota; Benjamin Weinberg from Georgetown University Medical Center; John Marshall from Georgetown University; and Sanjay Goel from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health [P30CA014089]; the Gloria Borges WunderGlo Foundation; the Dhont Family Foundation; the Victoria and Philip Wilson Research Fund; the San Pedro Peninsula Cancer Guild; Ming Hsieh Research and the Daniel Butler Research Fund.

Targeting CD47, a protein in the innate immune system, may enhance colorectal cancer treatment when combined with traditional immunotherapies. CD47 allows cancer cells to evade macrophages, leading to more aggressive tumors. Researchers analyzed 14,287 colorectal cancer tumors, finding higher CD47 expression linked to increased oncogenic signaling and angiogenesis. Developing drugs targeting CD47 could improve patient outcomes, especially when used with existing therapies. Further research is needed to determine the optimal combination of treatments to inhibit CD47 signaling effectively.

Researchers find evidence that simultaneously targeting the innate and adaptive immune systems holds promise for treating aggressive colon cancer cases.

USC Study Explores New Insights into Innate Eesistance for Immunotherapies in Colorectal Cancer

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC, will open a Newport Beach location offering the latest advancements in radiation therapy and diagnostic imaging. The treatment center, which will open in early 2025, will feature cutting-edge cancer technologies that are yet to be available in Orange County, providing new therapeutic options and optimizing patient outcomes.

The new location address is 4590 MacArthur Blvd. in Newport Beach, less than 15 minutes away from USC Norris’ oncology centers in Newport Beach and Irvine. Those centers are staffed by respected oncologists who have served Orange County for decades, and who treat more medical oncology outpatients in Newport Beach than any other providers.

“We are excited to build upon USC Norris’ well-established, robust cancer practices in Orange County and broaden our spectrum of services,” said Louis Vandermolen, MD, medical oncologist with USC Norris Oncology/Hematology. “Our radiation oncology and imaging center is a testament to our continued commitment to offer world class, comprehensive cancer services for patients without having to leave the local community.”

As one of the eight original National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States, USC Norris has revolutionized cancer treatment, research and prevention for 50 years. In 2024-25, U.S. News & World Report ranked USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center among the top 25 cancer centers nationally and recognized USC Norris Cancer Hospital as a Best Specialty Hospital.

USC Norris is collaborating on their new Newport Beach facility with Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (ART Health), a leading developer of radiotherapy centers. ART Health is a division of Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a national investment manager.

The new USC Norris location will feature new-to-market technology not yet available in Orange County 

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center to Open Radiation Oncology and Imaging Center in Newport Beach

For adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of cancer that originates in the bone marrow, allogeneic stem cell transplantation (more commonly known as a bone marrow transplant) may be necessary for survival. But for Hispanic patients, finding an identically matched donor within their family or through the bone marrow donor registry can be challenging, with only a 30% chance of finding a matching relative and a 48% chance of identifying a matching bone marrow donor through the national donor registry.

 suggests that a bone marrow transplant from a haploidentical, or half-identical relative, may greatly increase patients’ odds of success, in addition to being easier to find. Parents and children are guaranteed half-matches, while siblings have a 50% chance of being half-matches, which is twice as likely as finding a fully matched sibling (25%).

The study retrospectively assessed outcomes from 88 patients with B-cell ALL (an aggressive type of leukemia wherein the body overproduces abnormal white blood cells called B-lymphocytes) who underwent a bone marrow transplant at 

, part of Keck Medicine. Bone marrow donors included fully matched sibling donors, fully matched unrelated donors identified through the national donor registry, and half-matched donors from the patient’s family. The study assessed patient outcomes after two years following transplantation.

Patients who received their transplant from a half-identical relative were about 70% more likely to avoid relapse than those who received a bone marrow transplant from a fully identical relative.

Compared to patients who received a bone marrow transplant from an identically matched registered donor, half-identical relative transplant recipients were more than twice as likely to avoid both relapse and graft versus host disease, a debilitating condition wherein the body rejects the transplanted stem cells.

“These results suggest that Hispanic patients may benefit more from receiving a bone marrow transplant from a half-matched parent, child or sibling, rather than a full match from the national donor registry,” said 

 and lead author on the study. “This creates opportunities for patients to receive a life-saving procedure that may otherwise be out of reach.”

Prior to receiving a bone marrow transplant, potential recipients must first find a donor with a matching human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue type. HLAs are proteins on cells that act like a signature or passcode for the immune system. When white blood cells find foreign cells with an unfamiliar HLA type, it triggers an attack response. To ensure that a patient’s immune system accepts the new bone marrow stem cells, doctors aim to find a donor with the closest possible match for the patient.

Because HLA tissue type is inherited, patients often look first to immediate family members as potential donors. Unrelated matched donors may be available through the 

, which manages the largest registry of potential bone marrow donors.

Despite the size of the NMDP registry, certain ethnic backgrounds have more difficulties finding a match due to being underrepresented in the registry. While white patients have a 79% chance of finding a match through the registry, Hispanic patients are only 48% likely to find a match.

Hispanic patients have a higher incidence of ALL compared to white patients, and often present with higher-risk disease characteristics that are associated with more challenging outcomes and require complex care. This makes finding a bone marrow donor all the more crucial.

New Opportunities with Half-Identical Donors

Bone marrow transplants from half-identical family members have been performed more frequently due to the challenges in finding a fully matched donor, as well as due to treatment advances that help the body accept the new cells despite not having a fully matched HLA type.

Yaghmour hopes the study results will inspire larger clinical trials to further investigate the findings and provide insight as to why bone marrow transplants from half-identical relatives result in positive outcomes, particularly among patients with high-risk subtypes of ALL.

“These findings are a strong basis to continue researching the clinical benefits of haploidentical bone marrow donation, particularly among patient groups with historically limited access to fully matched donors,” said Yaghmour, who is also the associate director of transplant and cellular therapy with USC Norris and an associate professor of clinical medicine at the 

. “Future studies can potentially address health disparities while optimizing outcomes, and ultimately provide more hope for all patients facing this difficult diagnosis.”

A new study from Keck Medicine of USC suggests that bone marrow transplants from haploidentical (half-identical) relatives significantly improve outcomes for Hispanic patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This approach is particularly beneficial given the challenges Hispanic patients face in finding fully matched donors. The study found that patients receiving transplants from half-identical relatives had a higher likelihood of avoiding relapse and graft versus host disease compared to those receiving transplants from fully matched donors. These findings could lead to more accessible and effective treatment options for this patient population.

A new study may open life-saving opportunities for Hispanic patients, who are one-third less likely to find a fully matched donor from the national registry than white patients.

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

Articles

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Opens State-of-the-Art Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging Center

New Grant Funds First-of-Its-Kind Gene Therapy to Treat Aggressive Brain Cancer

USC Study Explores New Insights into Innate Eesistance for Immunotherapies in Colorectal Cancer

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center to Open Radiation Oncology and Imaging Center in Newport Beach

Half-Matched Family Donors Offer Best Outcomes for Hispanic Patients Undergoing Bone Marrow Transplants