Research Assistant Professor
University of Pittsburgh
I have a longstanding interest in translational cancer research, specifically in how the tumor microenvironment impacts treatment sensitivity. My career and training have focused on the development or repurposing of anti-cancer agents with the goal of moving cancer therapeutics and new technology into Phase I and II clinical trials in different diseases. One example is the use of ex vivo drug sensitivity testing for the treatment stratification of pediatric and adult patients with different malignancies. Due to my interest in the tumor microenvironment, I have been involved in the testing of a large number of novel anticancer targeting different aspects of the tumor microenvironment such as hypoxia and tumor-associated fibroblasts. Currently, my work involved the testing of epigenetic compounds as well as the development of clinically available treatment schedules for these molecules in different cancers. Because the adaptation to the rapidly changing tumor microenvironment is likely driven by changes in the epigenetic code, these compounds are especially interesting in context of solid tumor treatment. Additionally, a large number of already FDA-approved compounds have never been evaluated in the context of microenvironmental targeting and may display microenvironment-specific activities that can be exploited clinically.
