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Pelotonia Special Edition

Bringing top cancer researchers to Ohio State

Some of the brightest minds in cancer research are attracted to the OSUCCC – James, and Pelotonia dollars often help these researchers continue their work when they arrive.

    In the past year the OSUCCC – James has recruited several senior- and junior-level medical scientists who have received Pelotonia funding support. Among them are these prominent senior-level scientists:

    Marcos de LimaMarcos de Lima, MD, was recruited from Case Western Reserve University to serve as a professor in the Division of Hematology at Ohio State and as director of both the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) and Cellular Therapy programs at the OSUCCC – James. Before joining the OSUCCC – James, de Lima was co-leader of the Hematopoietic and Immune Cancer Biology Program at Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, and director of the Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplant Program at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center. He has years of experience in developing and conducting clinical trials involving stem cell transplantation for cancers originating in blood-borne tissue, bone marrow or immune system cells.

    Kalady

    Matthew Kalady, MD, was recruited from the Cleveland Clinic to become director of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery in the Department of Surgery at Ohio State. He also is medical director of the Cancer Genetics Program at the OSUCCC – James, where he is working with genetic counselors to expand the program in coordination with the Division of Human Genetics. Kalady has 15 years of clinical experience treating colon and rectal cancer, and he is an expert in minimally invasive surgery. His well-funded basic and translational science laboratory focuses on colorectal cancer genetics and has led clinical trials. At the Cleveland Clinic, he served as co-director of the Comprehensive Colorectal Cancer Program and as director of the Hereditary Colorectal Neoplasia Center.

    Xuefeng Liu

    Xuefeng Liu, MD, was recruited from Georgetown Universiy to become a professor in the Department of Pathology at Ohio State and a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC— James. At Georgetown, Liu was a professor in the departments of Pathology and Oncology, co-director of the Center for Cell Reprogramming, and director of the Telomeres and Cell Immortalization Program. His research focuses on patient-derived cell models and the roles of papillomavirus oncoproteins and telomerase in cell immortalization, an early stage of cancer. Liu co-invented CR (Conditional Reprogramming) technology, which allows rapid and infinite propagation of patient-derived normal and tumor cells. The method is now the basis for cell culture facilities at several universities and the National Cancer Institute.

     

    Uma BorateUma Borate, MD, MS, was recruited to Ohio State from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSC) in Portland, Oregon, where she was a hematologist/ oncologist at the Knight Cancer Center. At Ohio State, she is an associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology. Her clinical specialty is blood cancers with a focus on myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Her research focuses on new therapies for these blood cancers and early detection of these myeloid malignancies. She is the leader for the MDS and MPN clinical trial disease group at Ohio State, and she also is the national lead and site investigator for several early-phase, industry-supported MDS and AML studies in both upfront and relapsed/refractory disease.

    Mark RubinsteinMark Rubinstein, PhD, was recruited from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and the Hollings Cancer Center to serve as an associate professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at Ohio State and as a researcher in the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology (PIIO) at the OSUCCC – James, where he also is in the Translational Therapeutics Program. Rubinstein’s NIH-funded research program is focused on understanding how the immune system functions and on applying this knowledge to the development of immune-based therapies to treat cancer. As part of this effort, his laboratory is working to develop improved adoptive cell therapy and immune checkpoint therapy strategies.