Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz

Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz guides gastrointestinal medical oncology at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he serves as Associate Director for Clinical Research and Co-Director of the Colorectal Cancer Center of Excellence. By uniting surgeons, hepatobiliary interventionalists, radiation oncologists, genetic counselors, pharmacists, nutritionists, social-work navigators, and precision-medicine bioinformaticians in a standing morning conference, he ensures every person with a colorectal or upper-GI malignancy begins the day with one coordinated plan rather than piecemeal advice. Same-day next-generation sequencing on tumor biopsies, combined with rapid liquid-biopsy profiling, compresses the gap between diagnosis and actionable therapy, while multilingual nurse navigators fold imaging, tele-visits, and insurance clearances into a single call, sparing families repeated travel. A secure portal lists infusion schedules, laboratory trends, and direct-message links so questions receive same-day answers, transforming what can feel like a maze into a transparent roadmap backed by specialists who collaborate continuously.

 

Bench discoveries in Dr. Lenz’s laboratory focus on how KRAS mutations, microsatellite instability, and the tumor micro­environment shape response to targeted and immune therapies. A flagship study he leads pairs a KRAS G12C inhibitor with an allosteric SHP2 blocker, embedding serial circulating-tumor-DNA (ctDNA) sampling and spatial-transcriptomic mapping to track clonal evolution in real time. Correlative work reveals that early ctDNA clearance precedes radiographic response, insight now used to tailor treatment duration in expansion cohorts. Tissue, plasma, and radiomic data feed a living biobank that links genomic, epigenomic, and metabolomic signatures to longitudinal outcomes, giving data-science teams the raw material to build bedside decision dashboards clinicians can query during clinic. By shortening the bench-to-bedside loop, his program offers participants therapies that evolve with their tumor’s biology while accelerating options for patients worldwide.

 

Beyond the laboratory, Dr. Lenz steers institutional and national research strategy. As chair of the Southwest Oncology Group’s GI committee, he broadened trial eligibility to include patients with limited hepatic function and prior checkpoint exposure, ensuring studies mirror real-world diversity. He mentors fellows on adaptive-design statistics, ctDNA analytics, and empathic communication, reinforcing that scientific rigor and human connection are inseparable. Regular podcasts and OncLive video briefings translate complex topics—such as minimal residual disease surveillance or antibody-drug conjugates—into plain language for primary-care clinicians and caregivers. Community partnerships bring bilingual screening fairs and nutrition workshops to Los Angeles neighborhoods with historically low colonoscopy uptake, turning prevention rhetoric into tangible access. Together these initiatives prove discovery, education, and equity can move forward in lockstep.