Jeffrey Settleman, Ph.D.
Institutional Affiliation:
Laurel Schwartz Professor of Oncology
Harvard Medical School
Scientific Director Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
http://www2.massgeneral.org/cancer-research/profiles.aspx?id=86
Education
University of Pennsylvania, B.A.
Yale University, Ph.D.
Research
Cancer Cell Line Profiling of Putative Anti-Cancer Agents to Identify Genotype-Associated Drug Sensitivity
Impact
The research is designed to identify genomic features of tumor cells that are likely to constitute drug-sensitizing alleles for novel treatments. Many SWCRF-funded investigators are exploring the potential clinical utility of novel cancer therapeutics. Through our high-throughput cell line screening platform, we have been collaborating with several of the SWCRF scientists to determine whether these agents are likely to demonstrate activity in a genomically-defined subset of cancers.
Summary of Research
There are many different drugs used to treat cancer. However, even when they are effective, their benefit is typically only experienced by a subset of treated patients. We are beginning to appreciate that the genetic features of the tumors from individual cancer patients vary tremendously, and those genetic differences appear to play an important role in the variable response to treatment that is observed clinically. By testing cancer drugs for their effectiveness using a very large panel of cancer cells derived from more than 1000 patients, we have developed a platform that allows us to identify the key genetic differences among these cells that relate to drug sensitivity. The results of these studies can be used to help make clinical decisions about the appropriate treatment for individual patients, based on the genetic makeup of their tumor.
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