Dr. Robert Vonderheide Presents for NCI Division of Cancer Prevention
September 05, 2023
Dr. Robert Vonderheide
Cancer interception is an opportunity to catch or intercept cancer at an early stage and is among the key avenues of research at the Penn Medicine and the Basser Center for BRCA. The result of developments in genetic and molecular diagnostics, precision medicine, and immuno-oncology, cancer interception has the mission of defining the molecular origins of malignancy to catch and block the progress of cancer cells at or before their transformation into pre-cancers or early cancers.
Director of the Abramson Cancer Center Dr. Robert Vonderheide has studied the mechanisms of malignancy and immunity for much of his career, and will be presenting on cancer interception for the National Cancer Institute on September 13th.
“We now know that cells have vulnerabilities during their transition from healthy cells to cancer cells, and have the ability to determine where these transitions are taking place in the history of a cell,” says Dr Vonderheide. “This offers us a unique opportunity to intervene in the progression of a range of cancers — including breast and pancreatic cancers — before they can grow or metastasize.” Dr Vonderheide notes that healthy individuals are already being vaccinated to prevent or intercept colon cancers.
“Interception is not prevention per se, and it’s not therapy,” Vonderheide explains. “But if done successfully, it will be a whole new space to impact the burden of cancer.”
Dr. Vonderheide is a distinguished laboratory scientist, clinician, and cancer leader who has deciphered mechanisms of cancer immune surveillance and developed novel cancer immunotherapies such as CD40 agonists with a particular focus on pancreatic cancer. He is an expert in the use of genetic mouse models of cancer and a leading architect of immunotherapy clinical trials to understand mechanisms and advance novel therapies. He is an elected member of ASCI and AAP, serves on the NCI Board of Scientific Advisers, is a member of the boards of directors for American Association of Cancer Research, American Association of Cancer Institutes, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Meeting Date and Time
- Wed, September 13, 2023: 1 to 2 pm EST
Registration for this event is free.
Associated Resources