
I am a classically trained virologist with a focus on molecular mechanisms of RNA virus pathogenesis. My career is dedicated to unraveling RNA virus:host relations and devising methods of exploiting them for cancer immunotherapy and vaccine design. My background is in translation regulation and mRNA metabolism, viral RNA sensing and innate immunity, and cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Basic mechanistic research in my laboratory is supporting an ambitious clinical translational research program with active multi-center clinical trials in several cancer indications.
Education and Training
- Postdoctoral Associate, Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, State University of New York, Stony Brook, 1996 - 1999
- Postdoctoral fellow, Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, State University of New York, Stony Brook, 1993 - 1996
- M.D., University of Hamburg (Germany), 1992
Grants
- Viral Oncology Training Grant
- Innate Antiviral Signals for Cancer Immunotherapy
- Oncolytic Polovirus, Immunotoxin, and Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy of Gliomas
- Is Low Tumor Mutational Burden Predictive of Response to Oncolytic Polio Virus Therapy in Recurrent Glioblastoma?
- Translational Research in Surgical Oncology
- The Role of CD155 in Leptomeningeal Dissemination and Oncolytic Virus Susceptibility in the Medulloblastoma Microenvironment
- Regional Oncolytic Poliovirus Immunotherapy for Breast Cancer
- Phase-1 clinical trial of PVSRIPO oncolytic immunotherapy in pediatric HGG
- Establishing a Rationale for PVSRIPO Immunotherapy in Newly Diagnosed GBM
- Poliovirus-Instigated APC Responses Against BRaf(V600E) for Pediatric Brain Tumor Immunotherapy