Q&A with Texia Loh: Targeting Cancer’s DNA Repair Process to Improve Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment
October 27, 2025Texia Loh, a PhD student at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, is researching strategies to enhance the effectiveness of treatment for small cell lung cancer.
Texia Loh’s career goal is to take a drug from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside. Her dream solidified during her time working at a small pharmaceutical company before starting her PhD program at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.
“I know that the chances are really small, and it might not happen in my lifetime, but that’s my goal,” she said.
Loh received a 2025 PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Drug Discovery for her work to improve treatment for small cell lung cancer (SCLC), an aggressive malignancy with a five-year survival of only 7%. In SCLC, the cancer cells produce a high level of PARP enzymes, which help fix broken DNA so the cancer cells can keep growing and dividing. PARP inhibitors have yielded modest responses in clinical trials, emphasizing the need for strategies to enhance their effectiveness.
To increase sensitivity to the PARP inhibitors, Loh is targeting DNA helicases — enzymes that “unzip” the DNA double helix, allowing the cell to repair its genetic material. Her lab developed a novel drug that leverages the cell’s own protein disposal system to eliminate the helicase. Initial results show that helicase degradation works synergistically with the PARP inhibitor to suppress SCLC cell growth.
Watch this video to learn more about Loh and her research.
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