Michael Hurwitz, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology)Cards
About
Research
Overview
My research interests are in the treatment of kidney cancer specifically and in the use of immune cells to treat all solid tumor cancers, treatments called immune cell therapies. Two common treatments are CAR-T cell therapy and tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, both of which I study (as well as other types of cell products). At the Smilow Cancer Hospital I oversee all clinical trials using immune cells to treat patients with cancers of the solid organs. I also collaborate with laboratories to develop new treatments for solid organ cancers.
Medical Research Interests
Neoplastic Processes
Public Health Interests
Cancer; Immunology
Publications
2025
Presence of tertiary lymphoid structures and exhausted tissue-resident T cells determines clinical response to PD-1 blockade in renal cell carcinoma.
Hugaboom M, Wirth L, Street K, Ruthen N, Jegede O, Schindler N, Shah V, Zaemes J, El Ahmar N, Matar S, Savla V, Choueiri T, Denize T, West D, McDermott D, Plimack E, Sosman J, Haas N, Stein M, Alter R, Bilen M, Hurwitz M, Hammers H, Signoretti S, Atkins M, Wu C, Braun D. Presence of tertiary lymphoid structures and exhausted tissue-resident T cells determines clinical response to PD-1 blockade in renal cell carcinoma. Cancer Discovery 2025, of1-of21. PMID: 39992403, DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-24-0991.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTertiary lymphoid structuresRenal cell carcinomaCD8+ T cellsAnti-PD1 monotherapyImmune checkpoint inhibitorsT cellsCell carcinomaLymphoid structuresClinical outcomesClinical response to PD-1 blockadeTreatment of advanced renal cell carcinomaResponse to PD-1 blockadePresence of tertiary lymphoid structuresAdvanced renal cell carcinomaTissue-resident T cellsPD-1 blockadePhase II clinical trialPD-1 pathwayCheckpoint inhibitorsICI resistancePD-1Responding patientsTumor microenvironmentTherapeutic responseTissue-residentSurvival of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma with or without brain metastases.
Hurwitz M, Considine B, Hasson N, Savion Gaiger N, Nelson M, Chiang V, Kluger H, Braun D, Schoenfeld D, Sznol M, Leapman M. Survival of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma with or without brain metastases. Journal Of Clinical Oncology 2025, 43: 476-476. DOI: 10.1200/jco.2025.43.5_suppl.476.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMetastatic renal cell carcinomaImmune checkpoint inhibitorsClear cell RCCRenal cell carcinomaImmune checkpoint inhibitor therapyMetastatic clear cell RCCBrain metastasesOverall survivalCell carcinomaImmune checkpoint inhibitor eraPrevalence of brain metastasesMultivariate Cox proportional hazards modelAssociated with poor survivalMedian overall survivalAssociated with poor prognosisCompare overall survivalImproved overall survivalAdverse prognostic indicatorDevelopment of BMSurvival of patientsKaplan-Meier analysisYale Cancer CenterRetrospective cohort studyCox proportional hazards modelsProportional hazards modelA comprehensive evaluation of gene expression-based signatures for detecting tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).
Saad E, El Ahmar N, Simsek B, Jegede O, Matar S, Mohanna R, Yekeduz E, McDermott D, Plimack E, Sosman J, Haas N, Hurwitz M, Hammers H, Van Allen E, Choueiri T, Atkins M, Signoretti S, Braun D. A comprehensive evaluation of gene expression-based signatures for detecting tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Journal Of Clinical Oncology 2025, 43: 591-591. DOI: 10.1200/jco.2025.43.5_suppl.591.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMetastatic renal cell carcinomaMature tertiary lymphoid structuresTertiary lymphoid structuresTLS signatureArea under the receiver operating characteristicSignature scoreGene set variation analysisExpression-based signaturesCD8 densityStaining of tumor sectionsTertiary lymphoid structure densityResponse to immunotherapyTreatment naive patientsGene signature scoresGene expression-based signaturesRenal cell carcinomaSpearman correlationGene expression signaturesReceiver operating characteristicPrimary tumorAlternative diagnostic toolCell carcinomaTumor sectionsLymphoid structuresLymphoid aggregatesProgressive natural killer cell dysfunction in advanced-stage clear-cell renal cell carcinoma and association with clinical outcomes
Xu W, Birch G, Meliki A, Moritz V, Bharadwaj M, Schindler N, Labaki C, Saliby R, Dinh K, Horst J, Sun M, Kashima S, Hugaboom M, Dighe A, Machaalani M, Lee G, Hurwitz M, McGregor B, Hirsch M, Shukla S, McDermott D, Signoretti S, Romee R, Choueiri T, Braun D. Progressive natural killer cell dysfunction in advanced-stage clear-cell renal cell carcinoma and association with clinical outcomes. ESMO Open 2025, 10: 104105. PMID: 39813824, PMCID: PMC11783098, DOI: 10.1016/j.esmoop.2024.104105.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsClear-cell renal cell carcinomaAdvanced clear-cell renal cell carcinomaNK cell phenotypeNK cell functionNK cellsRenal cell carcinomaClinical outcomesCell carcinomaCell phenotypeRestoration of NK cell functionNormal kidneyNatural killer (NK) cellsMarkers of tissue residencyNatural killer cell dysfunctionAssociated with worse overall survivalClear-cell renal cell carcinoma patientsLocalized clear-cell renal cell carcinomaTumor-infiltrating NK cellsAnalyzed single-cell RNA sequencing dataAssociated with worse survivalExpression of cytotoxic genesPaired normal kidneyLocal tumor extensionNK cell subsetsPrimary tumor specimens
2024
Decoy-resistant IL-18 reshapes the tumor microenvironment and enhances rejection by anti-CTLA-4 in renal cell carcinoma
Schoenfeld D, Djureinovic D, Su D, Zhang L, Lu B, Kamga L, Mann J, Huck J, Hurwitz M, Braun D, Jilaveanu L, Ring A, Kluger H. Decoy-resistant IL-18 reshapes the tumor microenvironment and enhances rejection by anti-CTLA-4 in renal cell carcinoma. JCI Insight 2024, 10: e184545. PMID: 39561007, PMCID: PMC11721305, DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.184545.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAnti-CTLA-4Renal cell carcinomaIL-18IL-18BPCell carcinomaTumor microenvironmentTumor typesPatients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitorsRegulatory T cell levelsAnti-PD-1 treatmentCD8+ T cellsAnti-PD-1Immune checkpoint inhibitorsCell renal cell carcinomaNon-responder patientsMyeloid cell populationsT cell levelsCytokine interleukin-18Anti-cancer efficacySecreted binding proteinCheckpoint inhibitorsResponding patientsPreclinical modelsT cellsMurine modelSorafenib or anthracycline‐based chemotherapy for progressive desmoid tumors
Costa P, Arora A, Fernandez Y, Yi I, Bakkila B, Tan H, Coelho P, Campoverde L, Hardy N, Bialick S, Freire A, D’Amato G, Chang Y, Mesenger J, Subhawong T, Haims A, Hurwitz M, Olino K, Turaga K, Deshpande H, Trent J. Sorafenib or anthracycline‐based chemotherapy for progressive desmoid tumors. Cancer 2024, 131: e35647. PMID: 39543805, DOI: 10.1002/cncr.35647.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchProgression-free survivalAnthracycline-containing regimensAnthracycline-based therapyDesmoid tumorsAdverse eventsOne-year progression-free survivalMulti-institutional retrospective analysisAnthracycline-containing regimenCommon grade 1Desmoid tumor patientsGrade 3 eventsAnthracycline-based chemotherapyHand-foot syndromeSecondary end pointsActivity of sorafenibProgressive desmoid tumorsYear of treatmentMedian TTRBaseline characteristicsTumor patientsLocal invasionTreatment responseSorafenibAnthracyclinesEnd points662 A phase1 study of autologous engineered CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, HLA-A*11:01-restricted, KRAS G12V-specific, transgenic TCR; CD8α/β coreceptor and a FAS41BB switch receptor in patients with solid tumors
Mitchell S, Khan B, Payumo F, Gabriela Chiorean E, Gahvari Z, Randolph Hecht J, Hurwitz M, Leidner R, Lenz H, Pelster M, Schoenfeld A, Punekar S, Zhao D, Basu S, Nagorsen D. 662 A phase1 study of autologous engineered CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, HLA-A*11:01-restricted, KRAS G12V-specific, transgenic TCR; CD8α/β coreceptor and a FAS41BB switch receptor in patients with solid tumors. 2024, a759-a759. DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2024-sitc2024.0662.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCost trends of metastatic renal cell carcinoma therapy: the impact of oral anticancer agents and immunotherapy
Forman R, Long J, Westvold S, Agnish K, McManus H, Leapman M, Hurwitz M, Spees L, Wheeler S, Gross C, Dinan M. Cost trends of metastatic renal cell carcinoma therapy: the impact of oral anticancer agents and immunotherapy. JNCI Cancer Spectrum 2024, 8: pkae067. PMID: 39133171, PMCID: PMC11376369, DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pkae067.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMetastatic renal cell carcinomaOral anticancer agentsOAA useAssociated with decreased adherenceRenal cell carcinomaAnticancer agentsDays of treatmentCombination therapyCell carcinomaStudy patientsInitial treatmentReal-world costsCombination groupImmunotherapyPatientsOOP costsTherapyTreatment typePercent daysPerspective of payersTreatmentClaims dataMedicare patientsAnalyzed differencesFee-for-service MedicareTIGIT expression in renal cell carcinoma infiltrating T cells is variable and inversely correlated with PD-1 and LAG3
Perales O, Jilaveanu L, Adeniran A, Su D, Hurwitz M, Braun D, Kluger H, Schoenfeld D. TIGIT expression in renal cell carcinoma infiltrating T cells is variable and inversely correlated with PD-1 and LAG3. Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy 2024, 73: 192. PMID: 39105820, PMCID: PMC11303630, DOI: 10.1007/s00262-024-03773-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRenal cell carcinomaRenal cell carcinoma tumorsT cellsTIGIT expressionCheckpoint inhibitorsPD-1Likelihood of response to therapyTumor-infiltrating T cellsCD3+ T cellsRenal cell carcinoma metastasisTreatment of renal cell carcinomaImmune checkpoint inhibitorsInfiltrating T cellsPurposeImmune checkpoint inhibitorsResponse to therapyT cell immunoglobulinCD3+ levelsMetastatic RCC specimensAdjacent normal renal tissuesNormal renal tissuesQuantitative immunofluorescence analysisCell carcinomaResistant diseasePotential therapeutic targetTissue microarray14 Natural killer cells have impaired cytotoxicity in advanced renal cell carcinoma
Moritz V, Xu W, Birch G, Meliki A, Bharadwaj M, Schindler N, Labaki C, Saliby R, Dinh K, Horst J, Sun M, Kashima S, Machaalani M, Lee G, Hurwitz M, McGregor B, Hirsch M, Shukla S, McDermott D, Signoretti S, Romee R, Choueiri T, Braun D. 14 Natural killer cells have impaired cytotoxicity in advanced renal cell carcinoma. The Oncologist 2024, 29: s7-s8. PMCID: PMC11301877, DOI: 10.1093/oncolo/oyae181.012.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNK cell phenotypeGene expression signaturesNK cell populationK562 target cellsNK cellsRenal cell carcinomaAdvanced ccRCCNK cell clustersLocalized ccRCCAnti-tumor activityNormal kidneyNatural killerCell carcinomaMarkers of tissue residencyAdvanced renal cell carcinomaProportion of NK cellsFunction of NK cellsExpression of cytotoxic genesTarget cellsNK cell dysfunctionTotal immune cellsNK cell subsetsCell phenotypeCell populationsCell renal cell carcinoma
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Melanoma Margins Trial-II - A Phase III, Multi-centre Randomised Controlled Trial Investigating 1cm v 2cm Wide Surgical Excision Margins for AJCC Stage II Primary Cutaneous Melanoma (02.18 MelMarT-II)
HIC ID2000033087RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/31/2029Recruiting ParticipantsA Phase 1/2 Study of REGN5678 (Anti-PSMAxCD28) With Cemiplimab (Anti-PD-1) in Patients With Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer
HIC ID2000029991RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date02/13/2024Recruiting ParticipantsPhase II Trial Of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for Oligoprogression on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI) in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
HIC ID2000027702RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date10/01/2025Recruiting ParticipantsA Phase 1a Open-Label, Dose-Escalation, and a Phase 2 Study to Investigate the Safety, PK, PD, and Clinical Activity of ST-067 Administered Subcutaneously as Monotherapy in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors
HIC ID2000030299RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date06/30/2025Recruiting ParticipantsSIMCAP (Surgery in Metastatic Carcinoma of Prostate): Phase 2.5 Multi-Institution Randomized Prospective Clinical Trial Evaluating the Impact of Cytoreductive Radical Prostatectomy Combined With Best Systemic Therapy on Oncologic and Quality of Life Outcomes in Men With Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Prostate Cancer
HIC ID2000031290RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date10/31/2025Recruiting ParticipantsGenderMaleAge18+ years
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
Clinical Care
Overview
Michael Hurwitz, MD, PhD, is a medical oncologist who cares for people with genitourinary cancers, including kidney, bladder, prostate, and testicular cancers. He uses immune cell-based therapies to treat a wide range of solid tumors.
“As a clinician, my goal is to provide the best clinical care to my patients,” Dr. Hurwitz says. “To do that, I think it is paramount to address patients’ goals and desires.”
As an associate professor of medicine (medical oncology) at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Hurwitz focuses on expanding clinical trials for immune cell-based treatments. He collaborates with scientists to develop new approaches for improving outcomes in kidney and other solid tumor cancers. He is also the co-director of the Cell Therapy Clinical Research Program at Yale Cancer Center.
Dr. Hurwitz received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College and earned a doctoral degree from Rockefeller University. He completed a residency in internal medicine at The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in adult oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Clinical Specialties
Medical Oncology
Fact Sheets
Transitional Cell Cancer of the Renal Pelvis and Ureter
Learn More on Yale MedicineCAR T-Cell Therapy
Learn More on Yale MedicineTesticular Cancer
Learn More on Yale MedicineKidney Cancer
Learn More on Yale Medicine
Board Certifications
Medical Oncology
- Certification Organization
- AB of Internal Medicine
- Latest Certification Date
- 2016
- Original Certification Date
- 2004
Yale Medicine News
News & Links
News
- July 30, 2024
Smilow Cancer Hospital Cellular Therapies Program
- May 06, 2024
Yale Cancer Center to Offer a New Cellular Therapy for an Aggressive Skin Cancer
- April 03, 2024
Smilow Shares with Primary Care: Bladder Cancer
- April 01, 2024
YCC, Smilow Awardees Honored
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