Anastasios Maniakas, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. His work spans both clinical and translational research, with a focus on developing novel therapeutics using patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. He is actively involved in the design and leadership of clinical trials for advanced head and neck cancers, including a global study evaluating photoimmunotherapy in recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. His research aims to bridge laboratory discoveries with clinical application to improve outcomes in aggressive malignancies.