My long-term vision is to improve the treatment of metastatic disease through clinical research. I believe this can only be achieved through challenging the prevailing view that metastases are always widespread and incurable. My laboratory utilizes integrative molecular analyses of clinical metastases, bioinformatics and computational tools, tumor models, molecular biology, immunologic analyses, and statistical modeling to investigate: (1) biological mechanisms that restrict the potential curability of patients with limited metastatic disease following localized therapies, such as surgery and ablative radiotherapy, and (2) the interplay between ablative radiotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade in patients with metastatic disease. We discovered the first biological basis for curable metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer who underwent surgical resection of limited de novo liver metastases, whereby robust adaptive immune activation in concert with favorable clinical factors was associated with a 10-year overall survival of ~95% following surgery (Nature Communications 2018). Recently, we discovered that concurrent administration of ablative radiotherapy with immunotherapy augmented local tumor immunity and improved survival in patients with highly aneuploid non-small cell lung cancer (Nature Cancer 2022). In addition, we validated a tumor aneuploidy score as a novel biomarker of immunotherapy response across multiple human cancers (Nature Genetics 2022). I anticipate these findings will ultimately have important implications in the delineation of those patients with potentially curable metastatic disease from those whose few metastases are part of a large cascade of widespread disease, thereby advancing the paradigm for the treatment of metastatic cancers.
The University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Residency - Radiation Oncology
2016
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York City, NY
- Spinal Radiosurgery
2015
Chicago Proton Center
Warrenville, IL
- Proton Radiotherapy
2015
The University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Internship - Internal Medicine
2012
The University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
M.D. - Medicine
2011
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL
B.S. - Biomedical Engineering
2006
Author Correction: Tumor aneuploidy predicts survival following immunotherapy across multiple cancers.
Author Correction: Tumor aneuploidy predicts survival following immunotherapy across multiple cancers. Nat Genet. 2023 Feb; 55(2):355.
PMID: 36596861
STK11 Inactivation Predicts Rapid Recurrence in Inoperable Early-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.
STK11 Inactivation Predicts Rapid Recurrence in Inoperable Early-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. JCO Precis Oncol. 2023 01; 7:e2200273.
PMID: 36603171
Synergizing radiotherapy and immunotherapy: Current challenges and strategies for optimization.
Synergizing radiotherapy and immunotherapy: Current challenges and strategies for optimization. Neoplasia. 2023 Feb; 36:100867.
PMID: 36563632
ASO Visual Abstract: Phase II Prospective Open-Label Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Standard of Care Chemotherapy with and without Sequential Cytoreductive Interventions for Patients with Oligometastatic Foregut Adenocarcinoma and Undetectable Circulating Tumor-Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (ctDNA) Levels.
ASO Visual Abstract: Phase II Prospective Open-Label Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Standard of Care Chemotherapy with and without Sequential Cytoreductive Interventions for Patients with Oligometastatic Foregut Adenocarcinoma and Undetectable Circulating Tumor-Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (ctDNA) Levels. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022 12; 29(Suppl 3):616-617.
PMID: 35930113
Highly aneuploid non-small cell lung cancer shows enhanced responsiveness to concurrent radiation and immune checkpoint blockade.
Highly aneuploid non-small cell lung cancer shows enhanced responsiveness to concurrent radiation and immune checkpoint blockade. Nat Cancer. 2022 12; 3(12):1498-1512.
PMID: 36443406
Tumor aneuploidy predicts survival following immunotherapy across multiple cancers.
Tumor aneuploidy predicts survival following immunotherapy across multiple cancers. Nat Genet. 2022 12; 54(12):1782-1785.
PMID: 36443443
A proliferative subtype of colorectal liver metastases exhibits hypersensitivity to cytotoxic chemotherapy.
A proliferative subtype of colorectal liver metastases exhibits hypersensitivity to cytotoxic chemotherapy. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2022 Oct 14; 6(1):72.
PMID: 36241710
Beyond the Visible Spectrum: Considering the Oligometastatic Hypothesis in the Light of a New Era.
Beyond the Visible Spectrum: Considering the Oligometastatic Hypothesis in the Light of a New Era. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2022 11 15; 114(4):581-586.
PMID: 36244394
Phase 1 Randomized Trial of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Followed by Nivolumab plus Ipilimumab or Nivolumab Alone in Advanced/Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
Phase 1 Randomized Trial of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Followed by Nivolumab plus Ipilimumab or Nivolumab Alone in Advanced/Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2023 01 01; 115(1):202-213.
PMID: 36108891
The oligometastatic spectrum in the era of improved detection and modern systemic therapy.
The oligometastatic spectrum in the era of improved detection and modern systemic therapy. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2022 09; 19(9):585-599.
PMID: 35831494
LUNGevity Career Development Award
University of Chicago
2020 - 2023
Spotlight Grant on Tumor Biology
University of Chicago
2019 - 2020
Ullman Scholarship in Translational Cancer Immunology
University of Chicago
2019 - 2020
Best of ASTRO Basic/Translational Science Award for Junior Investigator in Radiation&Cancer Biology
American Society for Radiation Oncology
2018 - 2018
Distinguished Biomedical Engineering Alumni Award
Illinois Institute of Technology
2016 - 2016
Franklin McLean Medical Student Research Award
Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago
2011 - 2011
Senior Research Award
Dept. of Radiation and Cellular Oncology, University of Chicago
2011 - 2011
Calvin Fentress Research Fellowship
University of Chicago
2010 - 2012
NIH Summer Research Fellowship
University of Chicago
2007 - 2007
Summa Cum Laude
Illinois Institute of Technology
2006 - 2006
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellowship
University of Chicago
2005 - 2006
Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society Winkler Scholarship
Illinois Institute of Technology
2005 - 2006
Heald Undergraduate Tuition Scholarship
Illinois Institute of Technology
2002 - 2006