Clinical Interests
Dr. Von Hoff's major interest is in the development of new anticancer agents, both in the clinic and in the laboratory. He and his colleagues were involved in the beginning of the development of many of the agents used in cancer therapy, including the first drug to improve survival for patients with pancreatic cancer — gemcitabine.
As the Physician-in-Chief and Distinguished Professor at TGen, Dr. Von Hoff and his team are focused on targeted new anti-cancer agents. They currently have 26 new agents in phase I or II trials. The mechanisms of action in these agents are targeted toward specific abnormalities in a particular patient's tumor (individualized therapeutics). Their lab research is focused on genetic and biochemical approaches to identify molecular targets for the development of new therapies for patients with pancreatic cancer, which has the worst survival rate of any cancer and is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Their approach is the development of targeted therapies based on distinguishing characteristics of pancreatic cancer cells versus normal cells.
In 2010, Stand Up To Cancer selected Dr. Von Hoff and Dr. Craig Thompson to lead the pancreatic cancer Dream Team.
This powerhouse team is building on a common idea in cancer research - "starve" cancer cells to death by depriving them of a specific nutrient that they require for survival. Most cancer cells become addicted to a continual supply of specific nutrients to produce the energy needed for survival and proliferation. In addition, the Dream Team is trying to eliminate the fibrosis, or scar tissue, around the pancreatic cancer cells to allow penetration of therapies and of the immune cells. The Team is testing drugs in combination with existing standard chemotherapy, with the hope to increase the percentage of pancreatic cancer patients surviving beyond one year while improving quality of life.
Working closely with the TGen Foundation and the Pancreatic Cancer Research Team (PCRT), Dr. Von Hoff helped launch globalCure, an effort to improve treatment and one day find a cure for pancreatic cancer. The backbone of globalCure is an alliance between TGen and PCRT, which includes leading pancreatic cancer scientists, physicians and researchers, armed with the most technologically advanced tools and resources, at 46 institutions worldwide. Funds generated through globalCure will enable an international team of physicians to move quickly on promising new clinical therapies. Specifically, the funds will enable globalCure supported scientists and clinicians to identify biomarkers of diagnostic value, as well as those that constitute new drug targets in pancreatic cancer; identify and optimize new agents that affect the activity of those targets; and evaluate new agents and take the most promising ones to clinical trials for patients in advanced stages of the disease.
Read more about this topic: Daniel Von Hoff
Famous quotes containing the word interests:
“... contemporary black women felt they were asked to choose between a black movement that primarily served the interests of black male patriarchs and a women’s movement which primarily served the interests of racist white women.”
—bell hooks (b. c. 1955)