Dr Merchan's research efforts are focused on the preclinical and clinical development of novel strategies to overcome treatment resistance to targeted and immunotherapy agents in renal cell and other cancers. The goals of his funded laboratory research are to characterize the tumor and stromal mechanisms of tumor escape to oncolytic viruses, and the development of novel oncolytic virus - drug combinatorial strategies to enhance viral oncolysis and immunomodulation using xenograft and syngeneic cancer models, respectively. His collaborative research is focused on characterization and validation of understudied kinases as novel targets for kidney cancer drug development. As the director of the Phase 1 Clinical Trials Program, Dr. Merchan oversees a dynamic team of investigators and clinical research staff, to bring promising, innovative treatments, and hope, to patients with advanced cancers.