Research Summary

I am a cell and molecular biologist and a board-certified medical oncologist. I lead a basic and translational research program focused on signal transduction and cancer genetics and the molecular basis of tumor initiation and progression. My discoveries have provided insight into the function and regulation of critical cancer-driving proteins including oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinases and RAS pathway genes. Of note, recent work that forms the basis of this proposal uncovered a distinct mode of kinase-mediated RAS signaling in cancer via membraneless cytoplasmic protein granules. My work also uncovered drug resistance programs mediated by NF-kappaB and Hippo-YAP pathway signaling and lineage plasticity switches in lung cancer and cancer dormancy. The overall goal of my research program is to understand the regulatory principles underlying cell signaling pathways, cancer growth, and metastasis through hypothesis-driven investigations in order to improve cancer therapy and patient survival. I direct the NCI-funded U54 Bay Area Drug Resistance and Sensitivity Center within the Cancer Moonshot program. I have successfully mentored over 20 individuals into independent academic and industry positions over the last 10 years and serve as co-PI on the UCSF NCI-funded K12 translational oncology training program. I am a Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Senior Investigator and an elected member of the ASCI.

Research Funding

  • July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2026 - UCSF Paul Calabresi K12 Career Development Program in Clinical Oncology , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: K12CA260225
  • July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2024 - (PQ7) Defining a new mode of RAS signaling in cancer from cytoplasmic protein granules , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA231300
  • February 1, 2013 - January 31, 2024 - Rational Combined Inhibition of NF-kB and EGFR to Optimize Lung Cancer Treatment , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA169338
  • September 30, 2017 - August 31, 2022 - Bay Area Team Against Resistance , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U54CA224081

Education

Vanderbilt University, B.S., 1998, Molecular Biology
New York University, School of Medicine, Ph.D., 2004, Cell and Mol. Biology
New York University, School of Medicine, M.D., 2005, Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard, 2005-2007, Internal Medicine
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 2007-2011, Medical Oncology

Honors & Awards

  • 2022
    Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Senior Investigator
  • 2020
    Editor-in-Chief, npj Precision Oncology
  • 2019, 2021
    ALK Positive Lung Cancer Patient Advocate Research Award
  • 2016
    American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), elected member
  • 2015
    Pew Charitable Trust and Stewart Foundation Scholar
  • 2014
    Lung Cancer Innovators Award (Addario and Van Auken Foundations)
  • 2013
    Searle Scholar Award
  • 2012
    NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2)
  • 2012
    Visiting Scholar Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Program at Cal. State
  • 2012
    Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Scientist Development Award
  • 2012
    American Lung Association Lung Cancer Discovery Award
  • 2012
    Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award Finalist
  • 2012
    Sidney Kimmel Foundation Kimmel Scholar Award
  • 2012
    National Lung Cancer Partnership Young Investigator Award
  • 2011
    NIH/NCI Clinical Investigator Career Development Award (K08)
  • 2010
    Uniting Against Lung Cancer Research Award
  • 2010
    American Society of Clinical Oncology Young Investigator Award
  • 2009
    Julia Zelmanovich Young Alumnus Award, NYU School of Medicine
  • 2008-2010
    Charles A. Dana Foundation Clinical Scholars Research Fellowship
  • 2007
    US Patent 20060083742 Prenyl-electrostatic Switch
  • 2005
    Medical Science Writing Award, NYU School of Medicine
  • 1998-2005
    NIH Medical Scientist Training Program Award
  • 1998
    Vanderbilt University Research Excellence Award
  • 1998
    Vanderbilt University Honors Degree in Molecular Biology

Selected Publications

  1. Gencel-Augusto J, Wu W, Bivona TG. Long Non-Coding RNAs as Emerging Targets in Lung Cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Jun 10; 15(12).  View on PubMed
  2. Meraz IM, Majidi M, Fang B, Meng F, Gao L, Shao R, Song R, Li F, Lissanu Y, Chen H, Ha MJ, Wang Q, Wang J, Shpall E, Jung SY, Haderk F, Gui P, Riess JW, Olivas V, Bivona TG, Roth JA. Author Correction: 3-Phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 drives acquired resistance to osimertinib. Commun Biol. 2023 Jun 06; 6(1):608.  View on PubMed
  3. Tulpule A, Menon S, Breese M, Lin Y, Allegakoen H, Perati S, Heslin A, Horlbeck M, Weissman J, Sweet-Cordero A, Bivona T. FET fusion oncoproteins disrupt physiologic DNA repair networks and induce ATR synthetic lethality in cancer. Res Sq. 2023 May 29.  View on PubMed
  4. Menon S, Breese MR, Lin YP, Allegakoen H, Perati S, Heslin A, Horlbeck MA, Weissman J, Sweet-Cordero EA, Bivona TG, Tulpule A. FET fusion oncoproteins disrupt physiologic DNA repair networks in cancer. bioRxiv. 2023 May 16.  View on PubMed
  5. Meraz IM, Majidi M, Fang B, Meng F, Gao L, Shao R, Song R, Li F, Lissanu Y, Chen H, Ha MJ, Wang Q, Wang J, Shpall E, Jung SY, Haderk F, Gui P, Riess JW, Olivas V, Bivona TG, Roth JA. 3-Phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 drives acquired resistance to osimertinib. Commun Biol. 2023 05 11; 6(1):509.  View on PubMed
  6. Morales J, Allegakoen DV, Garcia JA, Kwong K, Sahu PK, Fajardo DA, Pan Y, Horlbeck MA, Weissman JS, Gustafson WC, Bivona TG, Sabnis AJ. GATOR2-dependent mTORC1 activity is a therapeutic vulnerability in FOXO1 fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma. JCI Insight. 2022 Dec 08; 7(23).  View on PubMed
  7. Lara MS, Gubens MA, Bacaltos B, Daran L, Lim SL, Li T, Gandara DR, Bivona TG, Riess JW, Blakely CM. Phase 1 Study of Ceritinib Combined With Trametinib in Patients With Advanced ALK- or ROS1-Positive NSCLC. JTO Clin Res Rep. 2022 Dec; 3(12):100436.  View on PubMed
  8. Noronha A, Belugali Nataraj N, Lee JS, Zhitomirsky B, Oren Y, Oster S, Lindzen M, Mukherjee S, Will R, Ghosh S, Simoni-Nieves A, Verma A, Chatterjee R, Borgoni S, Robinson W, Sinha S, Brandis A, Kerr DL, Wu W, Sekar A, Giri S, Chung Y, Drago-Garcia D, Danysh BP, Lauriola M, Fiorentino M, Ardizzoni A, Oren M, Blakely CM, Ezike J, Wiemann S, Parida L, Bivona TG, Aqeilan RI, Brugge JS, Regev A, Getz G, Ruppin E, Yarden Y. AXL and Error-Prone DNA Replication Confer Drug Resistance and Offer Strategies to Treat EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancer. Cancer Discov. 2022 Nov 02; 12(11):2666-2683.  View on PubMed
  9. Zaman A, Bivona TG. Quantitative Framework for Bench-to-Bedside Cancer Research. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Oct 26; 14(21).  View on PubMed
  10. Bennett NK, Nakaoka HJ, Laurent D, Okimoto RA, Sei Y, Horvai AE, Bivona TG, Ten Hoeve J, Graeber TG, Nakamura K, Nakamura JL. Primary and metastatic tumors exhibit systems-level differences in dependence on mitochondrial respiratory function. PLoS Biol. 2022 09; 20(9):e3001753.  View on PubMed
  11. Nanjo S, Wu W, Karachaliou N, Blakely CM, Suzuki J, Chou YT, Ali SM, Kerr DL, Olivas VR, Shue J, Rotow J, Mayekar MK, Haderk F, Chatterjee N, Urisman A, Yeo JC, Skanderup AJ, Tan AC, Tam WL, Arrieta O, Hosomichi K, Nishiyama A, Yano S, Kirichok Y, Tan DS, Rosell R, Okimoto RA, Bivona TG. Deficiency of the splicing factor RBM10 limits EGFR inhibitor response in EGFR-mutant lung cancer. J Clin Invest. 2022 07 01; 132(13).  View on PubMed
  12. Yang D, Jones MG, Naranjo S, Rideout WM, Min KHJ, Ho R, Wu W, Replogle JM, Page JL, Quinn JJ, Horns F, Qiu X, Chen MZ, Freed-Pastor WA, McGinnis CS, Patterson DM, Gartner ZJ, Chow ED, Bivona TG, Chan MM, Yosef N, Jacks T, Weissman JS. Lineage tracing reveals the phylodynamics, plasticity, and paths of tumor evolution. Cell. 2022 05 26; 185(11):1905-1923.e25.  View on PubMed
  13. Tyner JW, Haderk F, Kumaraswamy A, Baughn LB, Van Ness B, Liu S, Marathe H, Alumkal JJ, Bivona TG, Chan KS, Druker BJ, Hutson AD, Nelson PS, Sawyers CL, Willey CD. Understanding Drug Sensitivity and Tackling Resistance in Cancer. Cancer Res. 2022 04 15; 82(8):1448-1460.  View on PubMed
  14. Ali M, Lu M, Ang HX, Soderquist RS, Eyler CE, Hutchinson HM, Glass C, Bassil CF, Lopez OM, Kerr DL, Falcon CJ, Yu HA, Hata AN, Blakely CM, McCoach CE, Bivona TG, Wood KC. Small-molecule targeted therapies induce dependence on DNA double-strand break repair in residual tumor cells. Sci Transl Med. 2022 03 30; 14(638):eabc7480.  View on PubMed
  15. Manabe T, Bivona TG. Remodeling of the tumor/tumor microenvironment ecosystem during KRAS G12C inhibitor clinical resistance in lung cancer. J Clin Invest. 2022 02 15; 132(4).  View on PubMed
  16. Pedraz-Valdunciel C, Giannoukakos S, Potie N, Giménez-Capitán A, Huang CY, Hackenberg M, Fernandez-Hilario A, Bracht J, Filipska M, Aldeguer E, Rodríguez S, Bivona TG, Warren S, Aguado C, Ito M, Aguilar-Hernández A, Molina-Vila MA, Rosell R. Digital multiplexed analysis of circular RNAs in FFPE and fresh non-small cell lung cancer specimens. Mol Oncol. 2022 06; 16(12):2367-2383.  View on PubMed
  17. Gui P, Bivona TG. Evolution of metastasis: new tools and insights. Trends Cancer. 2022 02; 8(2):98-109.  View on PubMed
  18. Barbosa Rabago D, Blakely CM, Haderk F, Bivona TG. Profiling Sensitivity to Targeted Therapies in EGFR-Mutant NSCLC Patient-Derived Organoids. J Vis Exp. 2021 11 22; (177).  View on PubMed
  19. Wu Q, Luo X, Terp MG, Li Q, Li Y, Shen L, Chen Y, Jacobsen K, Bivona TG, Chen H, Zeng R, Ditzel HJ. DDX56 modulates post-transcriptional Wnt signaling through miRNAs and is associated with early recurrence in squamous cell lung carcinoma. Mol Cancer. 2021 08 26; 20(1):108.  View on PubMed
  20. Zaman A, Bivona TG. Targeting AXL in NSCLC. Lung Cancer (Auckl). 2021; 12:67-79.  View on PubMed

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