‘Cancer detective’ wants to use liquid biopsy to change how the disease is diagnosed and treated

For cancer researcher Peter Kuhn, the battle against the disease is profoundly personal as well as scientific.

Kuhn’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 48. Though treatment was successful, Kuhn watched her live for decades with the terrifying specter of its return. With every small ache and pain, she worried the cancer might be back — and 33 years after her first diagnosis, it recurred.

“Think how often you have an ache or pain, and multiply that out over 33 years,” says Kuhn, University Professor and Dean’s Professor of Biological Sciences at USC Dornsife.

Driven by a commitment to ease the burden for millions of people at risk of cancer, Kuhn pioneered a “liquid biopsy” to detect cancer cells in the bloodstream. The blood test, a minimally invasive alternative to tissue biopsies, has become an important tool in the management of late-stage cancers. It helps doctors customize treatment plans with precision, aligning drug therapies with the unique profile of each patient’s cancer.