Banu Arun

Banu Arun is a Professor of Medicine (Tenure) at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. A senior investigator and high-ranking professor, she specializes in breast oncology, with research spanning cancer genetics, therapeutic resistance, and precision treatment of aggressive breast cancer subtypes. Her recent work investigates mechanisms of PARP inhibitor resistance in BRCA-mutated triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), including FGFR3-induced PARP1 phosphorylation and synergistic DNA repair pathway inhibition, alongside translational studies using artificial intelligence to predict neoadjuvant therapy responses from MRI and clinicopathologic data. She also leads quality improvement initiatives on viral hepatitis screening in early breast cancer, tests TP53 risk prediction models, and trials interventions for cancer-related fatigue. Her collaborative publications appear in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, American Journal of Human Genetics, and Cancer Research, reflecting her leadership in both clinical care and molecular oncology.