John F. Gerecitano, MD, PhD

Targeting DNA Repair mechanisms and Tumor Protein Regulation to Treat Patients with Lymphoma

Important differences exist between cancerous and normal cells in DNA repair and protein regulation.  Dr. Gerecitano is currently exploiting these differences in three clinical trials: 1) Combining ABT-888, which disables the DNA repair enzyme PARP, with bendamustine, which causes genetic damage that then goes unrepaired and causes death in cancer cells.  2) Combining chemotherapy with bortezomib, which blocks protein degradation.  Buildup of toxic proteins in cancer cells then causes their death.  3) A first-in-man study of PU-H71.  This drug inhibits heat shock protein 90 (HSP 90), a ‘chaperone’ required by cancer cells for protein stabilization and survival.