果冻影院

Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics

The objective of the Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics (DDT) Program is to discover, develop and test new and existing therapies in the lab and quickly translate them into safe and effective clinical trials. 

Program Aims

As of December 2024

Identify, develop, and apply immunotherapy-based approaches for the treatment of cancer and elucidate strategies to suppress adverse effects

Objectives in DDT immuno-oncology research are to uncover novel mechanistic insights, harness the immune system to eliminate cancer, and bring novel immunotherapeutic approaches into the clinic, benefitting cancer patients in our Catchment Area. Since these therapies are often associated with adverse effects from enhanced activation of the immune system, another focus is to develop strategies that attenuate systemic and organ-specific immunological toxicities.

Develop and employ imaging and radiotherapy strategies to optimize cancer treatment and increase therapeutic index

DDT strives to develop and apply innovative cancer imaging approaches to accurately characterize the extent of tumor involvement and measure response to chemotherapy, radiotherapy (RT), and immunotherapy. Program Members also seek to advance a precision medicine approach to RT by developing strategies that reduce toxicities through real-time sequential modification of radiation fields via practice-changing computational modeling.

Discover and therapeutically target drivers of cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis

A significant focus of the DDT Program is the identification and development of therapeutic strategies that target cancer drivers and pathways enabling resistance to hormonal, biological, small molecule, and chemotherapeutic anticancer agents. DDT Members also evaluate and target treatment-refractory cancers and rare cancers with the objective of providing tailored therapy based on their unique molecular signatures.

Program Leaders

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William R. Drobyski, MD

Mariette C. and Philip W. Orth/Tom Anderson Chair of Oncology; Professor, Medicine (Hematology/Oncology), Pediatrics, Microbiology & Immunology

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Todd Miller, PhD

Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology and Pathology