School of Medicine
Showing 1-20 of 73 Results
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Kimberly Allison
Professor of Pathology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Allisons clinical expertise is in breast pathology. Her research interests include how standards should be applied to breast cancer diagnostics (such as ER and HER2 testing), the utility of molecular panel-based testing in breast cancer, digital pathology applications and identifying the most appropriate management of specific pathologic diagnoses.
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Leah Backhus
Thelma and Henry Doelger Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery
BioLeah Backhus trained in general surgery at the University of Southern California and cardiothoracic surgery at the University of California Los Angeles. She practices at Stanford Hospital and is Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the VA Palo Alto. Her surgical practice consists of general thoracic surgery with special emphasis on thoracic oncology and minimally invasive surgical techniques. She also has special clinical expertise in adult chest wall surgery (including pectus excavated) and hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy or HITHOC (used to treat mesothelioma and other pleural tumors). She is Co-Director of the Thoracic Surgery Clinical Research Program, and has grant funding through the Veterans Affairs Administration and NIH. Her current research interests are in imaging surveillance following treatment for lung cancer and cancer survivorship. She is a member of the National Lung Cancer Roundtable of the American Cancer Society and the Task Group on Health Equity. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. As an educator, Dr. Backhus is the Associate Program Director for the Thoracic Track Residency and is former Chair of the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Thoracic Surgery.
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Michael Bassik
Associate Professor of Genetics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe are an interdisciplinary lab focused on two major areas:(1) we seek to understand mechanisms of cancer growth and drug resistance in order to find new therapeutic targets(2) we study mechanisms by which macrophages and other cells take up diverse materials by endocytosis and phagocytosis; these substrates range from bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells to drugs and protein toxins. To accomplish these goals, we develop and use new technologies for high-throughput functional genomics.
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Matthew Bogyo
Professor of Pathology and of Microbiology and Immunology and, by courtesy, of Chemical and Systems Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur lab uses chemical, biochemical, and cell biological methods to study protease function in human disease. Projects include:
1) Design and synthesis of novel chemical probes for serine and cysteine hydrolases.
2) Understanding the role of hydrolases in bacterial pathogenesis and the human parasites, Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii.
3) Defining the specific functional roles of proteases during the process of tumorogenesis.
4) In vivo imaging of protease activity -
Jennifer Caswell-Jin
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Oncology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research is on the translational application of next-generation sequencing technologies to breast cancer care: (1) the value of hereditary cancer genetic panel testing in clinical practice, (2) the mechanisms by which inherited genetic variants lead to breast cancer development, and (3) the analysis of somatic tumor sequencing data to inform understanding of breast tumorigenesis, metastasis, and development of resistance in response to therapeutics.
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James K. Chen
Jauch Professor and Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology, of Developmental Biology and of Chemistry
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory combines chemistry and developmental biology to investigate the molecular events that regulate embryonic patterning, tissue regeneration, and tumorigenesis. We are currently using genetic and small-molecule approaches to study the molecular mechanisms of Hedgehog signaling, and we are developing chemical technologies to perturb and observe the genetic programs that underlie vertebrate development.
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Jennifer R. Cochran
Senior Associate Vice Provost for Research, Addie and Al Macovski Professor, Professor of Bioengineering and, by courtesy, of Chemical Engineering
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMolecular Engineering, Protein Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Cell and Tissue Engineering, Molecular Imaging, Chemical Biology
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A. Dimitrios Colevas, MD
Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and, by courtesy, of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS) and of Radiation Oncology (Radiation Therapy)
On Partial Leave from 10/01/2025 To 04/15/2026Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMulti- modality treatment of Head and Neck Cancer
Phase 1 clinical trials -
Steven M. Corsello
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and, by courtesy, of Chemical and Systems Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory operates at the intersection of functional genomics and chemical biology, with the goal of advancing novel molecular mechanisms of cancer inhibition to clinical use. We aim to 1) leverage phenotypic screening and functional genomics to determine novel anti-cancer mechanisms of small molecules, 2) develop new targeted therapy approaches against solid tumors, and 3) build a comprehensive community resource for drug repurposing discovery.
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Hongjie Dai
The J.G. Jackson and C.J. Wood Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus
BioProfessor Dai’s research spans chemistry, physics, and materials and biomedical sciences, leading to materials with properties useful in electronics, energy storage and biomedicine. Recent developments include near-infrared-II fluorescence imaging, ultra-sensitive diagnostic assays, a fast-charging aluminum battery and inexpensive electrocatalysts that split water into oxygen and hydrogen fuels.
Born in 1966 in Shaoyang, China, Hongjie Dai began his formal studies in physics at Tsinghua U. (B.S. 1989) and applied sciences at Columbia U. (M.S. 1991). He obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard U and performed postdoctoral research with Dr. Richard Smalley. He joined the Stanford faculty in 1997, and in 2007 was named Jackson–Wood Professor of Chemistry. Among many awards, he has been recognized with the ACS Pure Chemistry Award, APS McGroddy Prize for New Materials, Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics and Materials Research Society Mid-Career Award. He has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and Foreign Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Dai Laboratory has advanced the synthesis and basic understanding of carbon nanomaterials and applications in nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, energy storage and electrocatalysis.
Nanomaterials
The Dai Lab pioneered some of the now-widespread uses of chemical vapor deposition for carbon nanotube (CNT) growth, including vertically aligned nanotubes and patterned growth of single-walled CNTs on wafer substrates, facilitating fundamental studies of their intrinsic properties. The group developed the synthesis of graphene nanoribbons, and of nanocrystals and nanoparticles on CNTs and graphene with controlled degrees of oxidation, producing a class of strongly coupled hybrid materials with advanced properties for electrochemistry, electrocatalysis and photocatalysis. The lab’s synthesis of a novel plasmonic gold film has enhanced near-infrared fluorescence up to 100-fold, enabling ultra-sensitive assays of disease biomarkers.
Nanoscale Physics and Electronics
High quality nanotubes from his group’s synthesis are widely used to investigate the electrical, mechanical, optical, electro-mechanical and thermal properties of quasi-one-dimensional systems. Lab members have studied ballistic electron transport in nanotubes and demonstrated nanotube-based nanosensors, Pd ohmic contacts and ballistic field effect transistors with integrated high-kappa dielectrics.
Nanomedicine and NIR-II Imaging
Advancing biological research with CNTs and nano-graphene, group members have developed π–π stacking non-covalent functionalization chemistry, molecular cellular delivery (drugs, proteins and siRNA), in vivo anti-cancer drug delivery and in vivo photothermal ablation of cancer. Using nanotubes as novel contrast agents, lab collaborations have developed in vitro and in vivo Raman, photoacoustic and fluorescence imaging. Lab members have exploited the physics of reduced light scattering in the near-infrared-II (1000-1700nm) window and pioneered NIR-II fluorescence imaging to increase tissue penetration depth in vivo. Video-rate NIR-II imaging can measure blood flow in single vessels in real time. The lab has developed novel NIR-II fluorescence agents, including CNTs, quantum dots, conjugated polymers and small organic dyes with promise for clinical translation.
Electrocatalysis and Batteries
The Dai group’s nanocarbon–inorganic particle hybrid materials have opened new directions in energy research. Advances include electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and water splitting catalysts including NiFe layered-double-hydroxide for oxygen evolution. Recently, the group also demonstrated an aluminum ion battery with graphite cathodes and ionic liquid electrolytes, a substantial breakthrough in battery science. -
Millie Das
Clinical Professor, Medicine - Oncology
BioDr. Das specializes in the treatment of thoracic malignancies. She sees and treats patients both at the Stanford Cancer Center and at the Palo Alto VA Hospital. She is Chief of Oncology at the Palo Alto VA and is an active member of the VA national Lung Cancer Working Group and Lung Cancer Precision Oncology Program. In 2023, she was elected President the Association of Northern California Oncologists (ANCO), where she displays her passion for patient advocacy and also for clinician education by helping to organize Bay Area focused continuing medical education programs. She is the VA site director for the Stanford fellowship program and leads the VA thoracic tumor board on a biweekly basis. She has a strong interest in clinical research, serving as a principal investigator for multiple clinical and translational studies at the Palo Alto VA, and also as a co-investigator on all of the lung cancer trials at Stanford. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and running.
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Alice C. Fan
Associate Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and, by courtesy, of Urology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Fan is a physician scientist who studies how turning off oncogenes (cancer genes) can cause tumor regression in preclinical and clinical translational studies. Based on her findings, she has initiated clinical trials studying how targeted therapies affect cancer signals in kidney cancer and low grade lymphoma. In the laboratory, she uses new nanotechnology strategies for tumor diagnosis and treatment to define biomarkers for personalized therapy.
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Dean W. Felsher
Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and of Pathology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy laboratory studies the molecular basis of cancer with a focus on understanding when cancer can be reversed through targeted oncogene inactivation.
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George A. Fisher Jr.
Colleen Haas Chair in the School of Medicine, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsClinical expertise in GI cancers with research which emphasizes Phase I and II clinical trials of novel therapies but also includes translational studies including biomarkers, molecular imaging, tumor immunology and development of immunotherapeutic trials.
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James Ford
Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and of Genetics and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMammalian DNA repair and DNA damage inducible responses; p53 tumor suppressor gene; transcription in nucleotide excision repair and mutagenesis; genetic determinants of cancer cell sensitivity to DNA damage; genetics of inherited cancer susceptibility syndromes and human GI malignancies; clinical cancer genetics of BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer and mismatch repair deficient colon cancer.
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Kristen N Ganjoo
Professor of Medicine (Oncology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsGiant cell tumor of the bone
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors
Soft tissue sarcoma
Osteosarcoma -
Jason Gotlib
Professor of Medicine (Hematology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interests include phase I/II clinical trial evaluation of novel therapies for the following diseases:
--Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
--Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
--Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
--Myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) including:
Hypereosinophilic syndrome
Systemic mastocytosis
BCR-ABL-negative MPDs -
Nathanael S. Gray
Krishnan-Shah Family Professor
BioNathanael Gray is the Krishnan-Shah Family Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology at Stanford, Co-Director of Cancer Drug Discovery Co-Leader of the Cancer Therapeutics Research Program, Member of Chem-H, and Program Leader for Small Molecule Drug Discovery for the Innovative Medicines Accelerator (IMA). His research utilizes the tools of synthetic chemistry, protein biochemistry, and cancer biology to discover and validate new strategies for the inhibition of anti-cancer targets. Dr. Gray’s research has had broad impact in the areas of kinase inhibitor design and in circumventing drug resistance.
Dr. Gray received his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1999 after receiving his BS degree with the highest honor award from the same institution in 1995. After completing his PhD, Dr. Gray was recruited to the newly established Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) in San Diego, California. During his six year stay at GNF, Dr. Gray became the director of biological chemistry where he supervised a group of over fifty researchers integrating chemical, biological and pharmacological approaches towards the development of new experimental drugs. Some of the notable accomplishments of Dr. Gray’s team at GNF include: discovery of the first allosteric inhibitors of wild-type and mutant forms of BCR-ABL which resulted in clinical development of ABL001; discovery of the first selective inhibitors of the Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK), an achievement that led to the development of now FDA-approved drugs such as ceritinib (LDK378) for the treatment of EML4-ALK expressing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); and discovery that sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor-1 (S1P1) is the pharmacologically relevant target of the immunosuppressant drug Fingomilod (FTY720) followed by the development of Siponimod (BAF312), which is currently used for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
In 2006, Dr. Gray returned to academia as a faculty member at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston. There, he has established a discovery chemistry group that focuses on developing first-in-class inhibitors for newly emerging biological targets, including resistant alleles of existing targets, as well as inhibitors of well-validated targets, such as Her3 and RAS, that have previously been considered recalcitrant to small molecule drug development. Dr. Gray’s team developed covalent inhibitors of the T790M mutant of EGFR inspired the development of Osimertinib (AZD9291), now FDA approved for treatment of patients with relapsed lung cancer due to resistance to first generation EGFR inhibitors. Dr. Gray has also developed structure-based, generalized approaches for designing drugs to overcome one of the most common mechanisms of resistance observed against most kinase inhibitor drugs, mutation of the so-called "gatekeeper" residue, which has been observed in resistance to drugs targeting BCR-ABL, c-KIT and PDGFR.
In 2021, Dr. Gray joined Stanford University where he has joined the Stanford Cancer Institute, Chem-H and the Innovative Medicines Accelerator (IMA) to spur the development of prototype drugs.
These contributions have been recognized through numerous awards including the National Science Foundation’s Career award in 2007, the Damon Runyon Foundation Innovator award in 2008, the American Association for Cancer Research for Team Science in 2010 and for Outstanding Achievement in 2011 and the American Chemical Society award for Biological Chemistry in 2011, and the Nancy Lurie Marks endowed professorship in 2015 and the Paul Marks Prize in 2019, and the Hope Funds for Cancer Research in 2023.
