Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
I am a head and neck surgeon scientist with a clinical and research interest in understanding treatment resistance in head and neck cancer. I am investigating the NRF2 oxidative stress pathway as both a biomarker and therapeutic target. Activation of this pathway provides tumor cells with enhanced defenses against cytotoxic immune responses, radiation and chemotherapy. Our group’s discovery of pyrimethamine as a potent and effective inhibitor of NRF2 has led to an actively recruiting clinical trial utilizing pyrimethamine in head and neck cancer. The focus of our team is to better understand the both the biologic impact of NRF2 on cancer cells and the clinical impact of NRF2 activity on patient outcomes. The goal of our research is 1) development of a targeted NRF2 assay which can guide treatment decisions, and 2) development of novel NRF2 inhibitors as immunotherapy and radiation sensitizing agents which can improve outcomes for patients.