Meet Dr. Surinder Batra & His Work Detecting Cancer

For more than three decades, Surinder Batra, PhD, has built a research program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) that is generating crucial insights into some of the deadliest forms of cancer. As professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and associate director for translational research at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Dr. Batra leads teams that turn discoveries made in the lab into better ways to detect and treat cancer.

Dr. Batra’s laboratory focuses on some of the most lethal malignancies, including pancreatic, ovarian, breast, prostate and lung cancer. His team studies the environment surrounding a tumor, particularly sugar- coated proteins (mucins) and other molecules that help cancer cells grow, spread, and resist treatment. By examining these changes in advanced experimental models and in samples from patients, his lab looks for weak spots that can be targeted by new drugs.

This research has been vital in explaining why certain cancers are difficult to detect or eventually stop responding to therapy. It has also led to the discovery of new biomarkers—measurable signs in blood or tissue that support earlier diagnosis—and new molecular “switches” linked to drug resistance, which may help chemotherapy remain effective for longer periods and improve treatment outcomes for future patients.

Beyond his own research program, Dr. Batra is widely known for building large, collaborative research teams. He has served as principal investigator or project leader on multiple long-term National Institutes of Health grants and leads multi-lab networks that bring together scientists and clinicians from across UNMC and partner institutions.

Mentorship is also central to Dr. Batra’s work. His lab provides research opportunities for undergraduate

students, medical students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, reflecting his commitment to training the next generation of scientists and physician- scientists. He often credits his team for the day-to-day discoveries in the lab, underscoring his belief that complex diseases like pancreatic cancer can only be solved through teamwork.

Dr. Batra was recruited to UNMC in 1996, a move that helped lay the foundation that has made UNMC’s pancreatic cancer research program one of the strongest of its kind. In 2009, he became chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and, in 2021, was named the inaugural Dr. Alfred and Linda Hartmann Chair. His leadership and scientific impact have earned some of the university’s highest honors, including recognition as UNMC’s 2012 Scientist Laureate and the University of Nebraska’s Outstanding Research and Creative Activity (ORCA) Award in 2016.

Since the establishment of Nebraska’s Tobacco Settlement Biomedical Research Development Fund, these funds have provided periodic, strategic investments to support Dr. Batra’s growing research programs, totaling $3.7 million. Over nearly a quarter- century, these investments have played a vital role

in accelerating translational research, fostering talented scientists and collaborative teams within the department, and helping grow a world-class cancer research program at UNMC.

For Nebraskans and patients around the world, the discoveries coming from Dr. Batra’s team—made possible in part by this long-term state support—have deepened our understanding of how aggressive cancers start, spread, and resist treatment, offering hope that these diseases can be detected earlier and treated more effectively.