# Repurposing systemic therapies to improve clinical outcomes in advanced basal cell cancer

> **NIH NIH K23** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $173,556

## Abstract

REPURPOSING SYSTEMIC THERAPIES TO IMPROVE CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN ADVANCED BASAL CELL
CANCER
 PROJECT SUMMARY
 This is an application for a K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award for Dr. Kavita
Sarin, an Assistant Professor at Stanford University. Dr. Sarin is establishing herself as a translational investigator in
cutaneous oncology, focused on developing rationally-designed molecular-based therapies for patients with non-melanoma
skin cancer. The K23 Award will provide Dr. Sarin the support needed to achieve this goal by: 1) enabling her to obtain
training in advanced bioinformatics, translational research, clinical trial design, and cutaneous oncology through research,
mentorship and didactics; 2) providing protected time to pursue her research goals under the guidance of an experienced
multidisciplinary team of mentors; and 3) enabling publications and speaking opportunities to gain recognition in the field
of cutaneous oncology. Dr. Sarin has assembled a team of mentors and collaborators with expertise in translational
laboratory investigation and clinical trials in advanced basal cell cancer (Anthony Oro M.D. Ph.D., Jean Tang M.D. Ph.D.,
Ervin Epstein M.D. Ph.D., Anne Chang M.D. Ph.D.) and applied bioinformatics (Howard Chang M.D. Ph.D., Marina Sirota
Ph.D.). With her mentorship team, Dr. Sarin has developed a comprehensive career development plan to transition from a
mentored investigator to an independent translational investigator in cutaneous oncology.
 Dr. Sarin’s research plan aims to investigate new targeted and immune-checkpoint therapies for the treatment of
advanced basal cell cancer (BCC). Using a bioinformatics-based drug-repositioning screen, she identified the histone
deacetylase inhibitor, vorinostat, as a candidate therapeutic for advanced BCC. Subsequent preclinical studies demonstrated
that vorinostat can suppress hedgehog signaling and BCC growth in BCC cell lines and tumor allografts. In Aim 1, Dr.
Sarin will mechanistically interrogate the role of HDAC1 in Hh signaling and conduct a Phase 2 open-label clinical trial of
vorinostat in 24 patients with advanced BCC. In Aim 2, Dr. Sarin will investigate genomic, transcriptomic, and immunologic
correlates to PD-1 blockade in advanced basal cell cancer. Dr. Sarin has the full support of her mentors and Stanford
University, who are providing guidance, samples, and financial support for the proposal. Successful completion of this
proposal will allow Dr. Sarin to develop the multidisciplinary skills needed to be an independent principal investigator in
the development of molecular-based therapeutics for skin cancer and will generate the preliminary data for a future R01
grant.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9843495
- **Project number:** 5K23CA211793-03
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kavita Yang Sarin
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $173,556
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-02-01 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9843495

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9843495, Repurposing systemic therapies to improve clinical outcomes in advanced basal cell cancer (5K23CA211793-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9843495. Licensed CC0.

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