Umar Farooq, MD, has been appointed director for the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center (HCCC), according to an announcement from the Department of Internal Medicine at University of Iowa Health Care.1 Prior to his appointment, Dr. Farooq served as the department’s interim director for the past year.
Dr. Farooq’s area of study is centered around chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and other areas of immunotherapy. Recently, he coauthored a study evaluating the effectiveness of LYL314, an autologous dual-targeting CD19/CD20 CAR T-cell candidate intended for CD621+-naïve and central memory T cells, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. Results showed that LYL314 had a manageable safety profile and both a high overall response rate and complete response rate.2
The appointment comes as cancer rates in Iowa continue to grow, according to the press release. Iowa Cancer Registry’s Cancer in Iowa Report estimates that 21,700 people in the state will be diagnosed with cancer and 6,400 will die of cancer in 2026. In addition, the cancer incidence rate for young adults in Iowa increased “significantly” from 2008-2012 to 2018-2022, ranking second highest in the US and exceeding the national average.3
According to the announcement, Dr. Farooq was chosen for the position due to his clinical and academic expertise, as well as his ability to command multidisciplinary teams.1 In addition to his new role of director, Dr. Farooq is the Gary D. Arthur Clinical Professor in Adult Bone Marrow Transplantation, Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine-Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and Associate Director for Clinical Research at the HCCC.4…