School of Medicine
Showing 21-40 of 74 Results
-
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. -
Sigurdis Haraldsdottir
Member, Stanford Cancer Institute
BioDr. Sigurdis Haraldsdottir, M.D., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. She received her medical degree and master's degree in medical sciences from the University of Iceland. She did her Internal Medicine training at Boston University Medical Center and training in Medical Oncology at the Ohio State University, before joining the faculty at Stanford. Her clinical and research focus is in gastrointestinal malignancies with a focus on mismatch repair deficient cancers, particularly colorectal cancer. She is conducting population-based research on Lynch syndrome - an inherited cancer syndrome, and recently completed a nation-wide study on Lynch syndrome in Iceland. She received her Ph.D. in Medical Sciences in 2017 from the University of Iceland. Her interests also focus on investigating colorectal cancer genomics, and their effect on outcomes and treatment implications.
-
Pehr Harbury
Associate Professor of Biochemistry
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsScientific breakthroughs often come on the heels of technological advances; advances that expose hidden truths of nature, and provide tools for engineering the world around us. Examples include the telescope (heliocentrism), the Michelson interferometer (relativity) and recombinant DNA (molecular evolution). Our lab explores innovative experimental approaches to problems in molecular biochemistry, focusing on technologies with the potential for broad impact.
-
Melanie Hayden Gephart
Professor of Neurosurgery and, by courtesy, of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
BioI am a brain tumor neurosurgeon, treating patients with malignant and benign tumors, including gliomas, brain metastases, meningiomas, and schwannomas. I direct the Stanford Brain Tumor Center and the Stanford Brain Metastasis Consortium, collaborative unions of physicians and scientists looking to improve our understanding and treatment of brain tumors. My laboratory seeks greater understanding of the mechanisms driving tumorigenesis and disease progression in malignant brain tumors. We study how rare cancer cell populations survive and migrate in the brain, inadvertently supported by native brain cells. We develop novel cerebrospinal fluid-based biomarkers to track brain cancer treatment response, relapse, and neurotoxicity. Our bedside-to-bench-to-bedside research model builds on a foundation of generously donated patient samples, where we test mechanisms of brain cancer growth, develop novel pre-clinical models that reliably recapitulate the human disease, and facilitate clinical trials of new treatments for patients with brain cancer.
www.GephartLab.com
www.GBMseq.org
https://stan.md/BrainMets
@HaydenGephartMD -
Gregory M. Heestand, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Oncology
BioDr. Heestand is a board-certified medical oncologist with a focus on gastrointestinal cancers, primarily hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, and gallbladder cancer. He serves as the medical oncology champion of the Stanford Hepatobiliary Tumor Board, as well as the principal investigator of multiple clinical trials. He collaborates with campus laboratories to help develop new biomarker and treatment technologies. He is the former director of the Stanford Oncology Fellowship Program.
Dr. Heestand and his team take great pride in helping patients and their families face gastrointestinal cancer.
Outside of the clinic, Dr. Heestand enjoys playing the piano, teaching his kids about music, cooking for friends and family, and surfing the internet for interesting things to read. -
Chris Holsinger, MD, FACS
Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS)
Master of Liberal Arts Student, admitted Autumn 2024Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Holsinger’s surgical practice focuses on the surgical management of benign and malignant diseases of the thyroid, parathyroid and head and neck.
His areas of clinical interest include endoscopic head and neck surgery, including robotic thyroidectomy, transoral robotic surgery and transoral laser microsurgery, as well as time-honoured approaches of conservation laryngeal surgery, supracricoid partial laryngectomy. -
Brooke Howitt
Associate Professor of Pathology
BioDr. Howitt is a gynecologic and sarcoma pathologist, with academic interests in gynecologic mesenchymal tumors and morphologic and clinical correlates of molecular alterations in gynecologic neoplasia.
-
Mark A. Kay, M.D., Ph.D.
Dennis Farrey Family Professor of Pediatrics, and Professor of Genetics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMark A. Kay, M.D., Ph.D. Director of the Program in Human Gene Therapy and Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Genetics. Respected worldwide for his work in gene therapy for hemophilia, Dr. Kay and his laboratory focus on establishing the scientific principles and developing the technologies needed for achieving persistent and therapeutic levels of gene expression in vivo. The major disease models are hemophilia, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B viral infections.
-
Electron Kebebew, MD, FACS
Harry A. Oberhelman, Jr. and Mark L. Welton Professor
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Kebebew’s translational and clinical investigations have three main scientific goals: 1) to develop effective therapies for fatal, rare and neglected endocrine cancers, 2) to identify new methods, strategies and technologies for improving the diagnosis and treatment of endocrine neoplasms and the prognostication of endocrine cancers, and 3) to develop methods for precision treatment of endocrine tumors.
-
Saad A. Khan, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine (Oncology)
BioDr. Khan is a fellowship-trained cancer specialist with board certification in oncology and hematology. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology.
Dr. Khan focuses on the treatment of head and neck cancers, advanced thyroid cancers, and neuroendocrine tumors. He recognizes the broad effects of these conditions on daily living and aims to develop personalized, comprehensive treatment plans that optimize health and quality of life.
Dr. Khan’s research interests include therapeutic clinical trials as well as ways to reduce toxicities that some patients may experience when receiving cancer treatment. His research activities include ongoing clinical trials of targeted and immune therapy for aggressive thyroid cancer.
He has published numerous articles on his research discoveries in peer-reviewed journals such as the JAMA Oncology, Investigational New Drugs, and others. Topics include new drug treatments for small cell lung cancer and for cancers of the head and neck, racial and gender disparities in certain types of cancer, and management of the potentially toxic effects of cancer therapies.
Dr. Khan is a member of the NRG Head and Neck Committee. NRG brings together internationally recognized groups (the first words in their names form the acronym “NRG”) to conduct cancer clinical research and share study results. The objective is to inform clinical decision making and healthcare policy worldwide.
Dr. Khan is a member of the ECOG Head and Neck Core and Thoracic Committees. ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) is part of one of the five groups of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) Program.
He also is a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Central IRB for Early Phase Clinical Trials.
When not providing patient care or conducting research, Dr. Khan enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, and relaxing at the beach. -
Chaitan Khosla
Wells H. Rauser and Harold M. Petiprin Professor and Professor of Chemistry and, by courtesy, of Biochemistry
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch in this laboratory focuses on problems where deep insights into enzymology and metabolism can be harnessed to improve human health.
For the past two decades, we have studied and engineered enzymatic assembly lines called polyketide synthases that catalyze the biosynthesis of structurally complex and medicinally fascinating antibiotics in bacteria. An example of such an assembly line is found in the erythromycin biosynthetic pathway. Our current focus is on understanding the structure and mechanism of this polyketide synthase. At the same time, we are developing methods to decode the vast and growing number of orphan polyketide assembly lines in the sequence databases.
For more than a decade, we have also investigated the pathogenesis of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine, with the goal of discovering therapies and related management tools for this widespread but overlooked disease. Ongoing efforts focus on understanding the pivotal role of transglutaminase 2 in triggering the inflammatory response to dietary gluten in the celiac intestine. -
Youn H Kim, MD
The Joanne and Peter Haas, Jr., Professor for Cutaneous Lymphoma Research and Professor, by courtesy, of Medicine (Oncology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsClinical research in cutaneous lymphomas, especially, mycosis fungoides; studies of prognostic factors, long-term survival results, and effects of therapies. Collaborative research with Departments of Pathology and Oncology in basic mechanisms of cutaneous lymphomas. Clinical trials of new investigative therapies for various dermatologic conditions or clinical trials of known therapies for new indications.
-
Eric Kool
George A. and Hilda M. Daubert Professor of Chemistry
Current Research and Scholarly Interests• Design of cell-permeable reagents for profiling, modifying, and controlling RNAs
• Developing fluorescent probes of DNA repair pathways, with applications in cancer, aging, and neurodegenerative disease
• Discovery and development of small-molecule modulators of DNA repair enzymes, with focus on cancer and inflammation -
Norman J. Lacayo, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Hematology and Oncology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsPediatric Hematology/Oncology, Phase I drug studies for refractory and relapsed leukemia; genomic studies, biologic risk-stratification and treatment of acute myeloid leukemia; prediction or induction response and risk of relapse using phosphoproteomics in childhood AML; novel MRD techniques in childhood ALL.
-
Philip W. Lavori
Professor of Biomedical Data Science, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsBiostatistics, clinical trials, longitudinal studies, casual inference from observational studies, genetic tissue banking, informed consent. Trial designs for dynamic (adaptive) treatment regimes, psychiatric research, cancer.
-
Michael Link
Lydia J. Lee Professor of Pediatric Cancer
On Leave from 01/06/2025 To 04/06/2025Current Research and Scholarly InterestsHematology/Oncology, treatment of sarcomas of bone and soft tissue, biology of acute lymphoblastic leukemias, treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease.
-
Natalie Shaubie Lui
Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery (Thoracic Surgery)
BioDr. Lui studied physics as an undergraduate at Harvard before attending medical school at Johns Hopkins. She completed a general surgery residency at the University of California San Francisco, which included two years of research in the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Laboratory and completion of a Master in Advanced Studies in clinical research. Dr. Lui went on to hold a fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, during which she participated in visiting rotations at Memorial Sloan Kettering and the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Lui’s surgical practice consists of general thoracic surgery with a focus on thoracic oncology and robotic thoracic surgery. Her research interests include intraoperative molecular imaging for lung cancer localization, increasing rates of lung cancer screening, and using artificial intelligence to predict lung cancer recurrence. She is the recipient of the Donald B. Doty Educational Award in 2019 from the Western Thoracic Surgical Association, the Dwight C. McGoon Award for teaching from the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association in 2020, and the Carolyn E. Reed Traveling Fellowship from the Thoracic Surgery Foundation and Women in Thoracic Surgery in 2022.