Heinz-Josef Lenz

Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, FACP is Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine and Co-Director of the Colorectal Cancer Program at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Born and trained in Germany, he has built one of the most influential careers in gastrointestinal oncology in the United States, focusing on the molecular and immune biology of colorectal cancer and translating these discoveries into clinical practice. Dr. Lenz is best known as a principal investigator for KEYNOTE-177, the pivotal phase III trial that established pembrolizumab as the first-line standard of care for patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer. This landmark trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2020, demonstrated that pembrolizumab significantly improved progression-free survival and response rates compared with chemotherapy, ushering in the era of immunotherapy as frontline treatment for biomarker-selected CRC patients. Beyond KEYNOTE-177, Dr. Lenz has led extensive research into the pharmacogenomics of CRC, identifying predictive biomarkers for chemotherapy response and toxicity. His laboratory and clinical work spans molecular profiling, immune checkpoint mechanisms, and innovative combination strategies in GI malignancies. He has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and is a sought-after mentor and speaker in the global oncology community.