Faculty News

Jennifer Brudno and James Kochenderfer discuss reduced side effects of remodeled CAR T-cell therapy

Jennifer Brudno, M.D., Assistant Research Physician, and James Kochenderfer, M.D., Investigator, both of the Surgery Branch, discussed their ongoing work to remodel CAR T cells to create a safer, more effective therapy in a recent Cancer Currents blog post. They share that since they tweaked the design of their original CAR T cells, the new therapy caused far fewer neurologic side effects than the original therapy did in an earlier trial but was equally effective.

James N. Kochenderfer receives Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Award

James N. Kochenderfer, M.D., Investigator in the Surgery Branch, has been named a Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awardee by the Clinical Research Forum. Dr. Kochenderfer received the award for “Development of CAR T-Cell Therapy for Myeloma.”

Jay Berzofsky and Hoyoung Maeng discuss new vaccine to help men with prostate cancer

Jay Berzofsky, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Vaccine Branch, and Hoyoung Maeng, M.D., Assistant Research Physician in the Vaccine Branch, recently discussed their ongoing work to design and develop vaccines and immunotherapy for cancer prevention and treatment with Cancer Therapy Advisor. They share how they are testing a vaccine that may one day delay the need to use androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in prostate cancer patients.

Christopher Buck recently featured in Nature Index article

Christopher Buck, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Cellular Oncology, was recently featured in a Nature Index article where he discussed US-China scientific relations and how collaboration between the two remains strong.

Ronald Gress discusses therapeutic potential of supercentinarian immune cells

Ronald Gress, M.D., Chief of the Experimental Transplantation and Immunotherapy Branch, was recently featured in a Forbes article about a unique feature of the immune system of supercentenarians—an increased frequency of certain subset of CD4 T-cells that could play a role in the longevity of these individuals. Dr. Gress discussed several important questions that must be investigated to understand the therapeutic potential of these T-cells.

Martha Zeiger elected President of the American Thyroid Association

Martha Zeiger, M.D., Head of the Surgical Oncology Program, was recently elected President of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and received the association’s 2019 Lewis E. Braverman Distinguished Award. The award is presented annually to an individual who demonstrates excellence and passion for mentoring fellows, students and junior faculty, has a long history of productive thyroid research and is devoted to the ATA.

Newest Lasker Scholars Nirali Shah and David Takeda featured in Intramural Research Program blog

Nirali Shah, M.D., M.H.Sc., Investigator in the Pediatric Oncology Branch, and David Takeda, M.D., Ph.D., Investigator in the Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, are two of the five physician-scientists selected as the 2019 class of Lasker Clinical Research Scholars. In a recent Intramural Research Program blog, they discuss their research and how the resources at NCI and NIH have helped support their goals.

Jonathan Hernandez named one of Washington, D.C.’s best doctors

Jonathan Hernandez, M.D., Investigator in the Surgical Oncology Program, has been selected as one of Washington, D.C.’s 2019 top doctors by The Washingtonian. Top Doctors are selected by nearly 13,000 doctors in D.C., Maryland and Virginia who name a colleague they would recommend in a variety of specialties.

Elaine Jaffe named an NIH Distinguished Investigator

Elaine Jaffe, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Pathology, has been selected as an NIH Distinguished Investigator, a prestigious title reserved for tenured intramural senior investigators who are at the highest level in their fields. Dr. Jaffe has conducted pioneering studies related to the classification of malignant lymphomas and has led an international effort for consensus among clinicians and pathologists.

James Kochenderfer receives 2019 FNIH Trailblazer Prize for Clinician-Scientists

James Kochenderfer, M.D., Investigator in the Surgery Branch, has received the 2019 Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Trailblazer Prize for Clinician-Scientists. The award recognizes the outstanding contributions of early career clinician-scientists whose work has the potential to or has led to innovations in patient care. Dr. Kochenderfer was selected as the 2019 recipient for developing immunotherapies that leverage chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells to treat blood cancers, including lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Breadcrumb