
Current research activities involve the immunotherapeutic targeting of a tumor-specific mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor. Approaches used to target this tumor-specific epitope include unarmed and radiolabeled antibody therapy and cell mediated approaches using peptide vaccines and dendritic cells. Another area of interest involves drug delivery to brain tumors. Translational and clinical work is carried out in this area to formulate the relationship between various direct intratumoral infusion parameters and drug distribution within brain tumors and normal brain.
The Duke Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program (BTIP) has an emphasis on translational research in Neuro-Oncology. There are two main areas of study. The first is novel mechanisms of delivery of large molecular weight molecules, such as monoclonal antibodies, throughout brain intersitial space using novel intracerebral infusion techniques developed by this laboratory. Studies exploring this technology are undertaken in both small and large laboratory animals and patients with brain tumors.
The other focus of the BTIP is translational immunotherapy. In this line of work, dendritic cell vaccination strategies and adoptive T-cell strategies have been developed to target novel and well-characterized tumor-specific antigens in patients with brain tumors. The BTIP integrates well with and works closely with the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. The BTIP is well funded and currently holds seven NIH grants, including a SPORE in Brain Cancer grant. There are a large number of investigators at various levels so that students will get exposure to various levels of research and mentorship.
Education and Training
- University of Manitoba (Canada), M.D. 1990
- Duke University, Ph.D. 1996
- Duke University School of Medicine, M.H.S. 2007
- Duke University, M.B.A. 2011
- University of Manitoba (Canada), Investigator in Cerebral Hydrodynamics Lab, Neurosurgery
- Duke University, Intern, Surgery
- Duke University, Resident in Neurosurgery, Surgery
- Duke University, Ph.D. Program in Pathology, Surgery
Selected Grants and Awards
- NINDS Research Education Programs for Residents and Fellows in Neurosurgery
- Basic Immunology Training Program
- Duke SPORE in Brain Cancer
- Viral Oncology Training Grant
- Mechanisms and Clinical Impact of Myocardial Injury Following Traumatic Brain Injury
- Advanced Immunobiology Traning Program for Surgeons
- Duke Resident Physician-Scientist Program in Radiation Oncology and Radiology
- Clinical Brain Tumor Development of a Cytomegalovirus-targeted Therapeutic with Vaccine pre-conditioning to Validate Novel Predictors of Vaccine Efficacy
- Experimental Therapy for Brain Tumors
- Medical Scientist Training Program
- University Training Program in Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering
- CCL3 as a Developmental Therapeutic to Enhance Brain Tumor Therapy
- BATF3+ Dendritic Cells for the Treatment of Malignant Gliomas
- Improving CAR T cell immunotherapy for heterogeneous brain tumors
- Is Low Tumor Mutational Burden Predictive of Response to Oncolytic Polio Virus Therapy in Recurrent Glioblastoma?
- Translational Research in Surgical Oncology
- UNC - Duke Immunotherapy Training Program
- The Role of CD155 in Leptomeningeal Dissemination and Oncolytic Virus Susceptibility in the Medulloblastoma Microenvironment
- Human EGFRvIII-specific BiTE for the treatment of Glioblastoma
- Quantitative Staging and Therapeutic Response in IDH-1 Mutated Glioblastomas
- PBTF Institute Grant
- Efficacy of dendritic cell vaccines targeting CMV antigens in glioblastoma
- EGFRvIII-targeted Bispecific T cell Engagers for brain tumors
- Development of a Therapeutic for Brain Tumor Immunotherapy
- Systemically administrered EGRFvIII-targeted bispecific antibody as an immunotherapeutic for glioblastoma.
- Brain tumors with regulatory T-cells treated with EGFRvIII-specific T-cells
- Loglio Project
- Brain Tumor Targeting Using Tumor-Specific Neuroimmunology
- Targeting Translation Control in Malignant Glioma
- A clinically-relevant anti-CD27 agonist antibody as a vaccine adjuvant for brain tumor immunotherapy
- Enhancing dendritic cell migration to drive potent anti-tumor immune responses
- Use of YH24931 in combination with antigen-specific DC vaccines for antitumor efficacy
- Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium
- Research Training In Neuro-Oncology
- HFTL event
- Cancer Biology Training Grant
- Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program
- Development of peptide vaccine for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma
- Convection Enhanced Delivery of Chemokines can increase T-Cell Chemotaxis to Brain Tumors in an Adoptive T cell Model
- Targeting EGFRvIII in Brain Tumors with Bispecific Antibodies
- Modulation of the blood-tumor barrier through targeted suppression of claudin 5
- RNA-based Immunotherapy Targeting Antigens Unique to Brain Tumor Stem Cells
- Enterovirus Vectors with Respiratory Tropism for Cancer Immunotherapy
- Neuroimmunology of Vaccines in Adoptive T-cell Therapy for Brain Tumor
- Pre-clinical Translation of Regulatory T-cell Inhibition in Brain Tumors
- Gene Targeted Therapy of Brain Tumors
- Research Training In Neuro-Oncology
- Effect on IL-2R Antibody on Regulatory T-cells in Patients with Malignant Gliomas
- Dendritic Cell Immunotherapy of Malignant Gliomas
- Intracerebral Infusion of Radiolabeled Specific Antibody
- Regional AGT Depletion of CNS and Leptomeningeal Tumors
- GCRC CAP