A lentivirus-mediated doxycycline-inducible pTRIPZ short hairpin RNA micro (shRNAmir) plasmid targeting HIF‐1α was transfected into two head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines to silence HIF‐1α expression and to assess the effect of its downregulation on cell proliferation and sensitivity to IGF1R inhibitor. Here, IGF1R is linked to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.