Research Summary

I have performed clinical trials in hematologic malignancies and hematopoietic cell transplantation since 1988. My focus is predominantly in the acute and chronic leukemias with emphasis on novel chemotherapy drug schedules and dosing aimed at enhancing treatment efficacy and/or reducing treatment toxicity. I discovered the relationship of high-dose cytarabine neurotoxicity and renal insufficiency that led to a dose-modification scheme that reduced neurotoxicity risk (this has become the standard of care in physicians using high doses of cytarabine). I have explored methods of adding immunotherapy to autologous hematopoietic cell transplant, most notably the GVAX platform in AML in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins group. I was the national PI on CALGB protocol 59909 adding rituximab and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant to aggressive chemotherapy for mantle cell lymphoma. I am the UCSF sub-PI on the Ohio State University Blood and Marrow Transplant Research Consortium within the BMT CTN. I am the campus PI on the new University of California Hematologic Malignancies Research Consortium linking UCSF, UCSD, UCD, UCLA, UCSF Fresno and UCI to facilitate clinical and collaborative scientific research in blood cancers in California.

My research activities have been tempered by additional clinical and administrative responsibilities since achieving faculty status. Based on the waxing and waning of nonmalignant hematology faculty at UCSF, I have often had to shift my clinical work to nonmalignant activities (outpatient clinic and inpatient consults) multiple times over my career. At this time, my activities are half malignant and half non-malignant hematology. I previously served on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline panels for adult acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Education

Olivet College, Olivet, Michigan, B.A., 1978, Chemistry/Biology
University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, M.D., 1982, Medicine
University of California San Francisco, Residency, 1985, Internal Medicine
University of California San Francisco, Fellowship, 1988, Hematology/Oncology

Honors & Awards

  • 1985
    American Cancer Society Clinical Fellowship Award
  • 2001, 2003
    Faculty teaching award, Division of Hematology-Oncology
  • 2003
    Exceptional Physician Award, UCSF Medical Center
  • 2007
    "Master Clinician" Award, UCSF Department of Medicine

Selected Publications

  1. Huang LW, Shi Y, Andreadis C, Logan AC, Mannis GN, Smith CC, Gaensler KML, Martin TG, Damon LE, Boscardin WJ, Steinman MA, Olin RL. Association of geriatric measures and global frailty with cognitive decline after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in older adults. J Geriatr Oncol. 2023 Sep 05; 14(8):101623.  View on PubMed
  2. Lee A, Badgley C, Lo M, Banez MT, Graff L, Damon L, Martin T, Dzundza J, Wong M, Olin R. Evaluation of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis protocol in hematopoietic cell transplant patients. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2023 Aug 25.  View on PubMed
  3. Huang LW, Sheng Y, Andreadis C, Logan AC, Mannis GN, Smith CC, Gaensler KML, Martin TG, Damon LE, Huang CY, Olin RL. Patterns and Predictors of Functional Decline after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Older Adults. Transplant Cell Ther. 2022 06; 28(6):309.e1-309.e9.  View on PubMed
  4. Schuster SJ, Tam CS, Borchmann P, Worel N, McGuirk JP, Holte H, Waller EK, Jaglowski S, Bishop MR, Damon LE, Foley SR, Westin JR, Fleury I, Ho PJ, Mielke S, Teshima T, Janakiram M, Hsu JM, Izutsu K, Kersten MJ, Ghosh M, Wagner-Johnston N, Kato K, Corradini P, Martinez-Prieto M, Han X, Tiwari R, Salles G, Maziarz RT. Long-term clinical outcomes of tisagenlecleucel in patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell lymphomas (JULIET): a multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study. Lancet Oncol. 2021 10; 22(10):1403-1415.  View on PubMed
  5. Wang VE, Blaser BW, Patel RK, Behbehani GK, Rao AA, Durbin-Johnson B, Jiang T, Logan AC, Settles M, Mannis GN, Olin R, Damon LE, Martin TG, Sayre PH, Gaensler KM, McMahon E, Flanders M, Weinberg V, Ye CJ, Carbone DP, Munster PN, Fragiadakis GK, McCormick F, Andreadis C. Inhibition of MET Signaling with Ficlatuzumab in Combination with Chemotherapy in Refractory AML: Clinical Outcomes and High-Dimensional Analysis. Blood Cancer Discov. 2021 09; 2(5):434-449.  View on PubMed
  6. Trinh TD, Strnad L, Damon L, Dzundza JH, Graff LR, Griffith LM, Hilts-Horeczko A, Olin R, Shenoy S, DeVoe C, Wang L, Rodriguez-Monguio R, Gu TM, Hampton SR, Macapinlac BAC, Yang K, Doernberg SB. Reductions in vancomycin and meropenem following the implementation of a febrile neutropenia management algorithm in hospitalized adults: An interrupted time series analysis. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2021 09; 42(9):1090-1097.  View on PubMed
  7. Valliani S, Ali M, Mahmoo O, Hinduja S, Chen CK, Damon L, Abdulhaq H. Efficacy of Venetoclax and Dexamethasone in Refractory IgM Primary Plasma Cell Leukemia with t(11;14) and TP53 Mutation: A Case Report and Literature Review. Case Rep Hematol. 2020; 2020:8823877.  View on PubMed
  8. Kambhampati S, Hunter B, Varnavski A, Fakhri B, Kaplan L, Ai WZ, Pampaloni M, Huang CY, Martin T, Damon L, Andreadis CB. Ofatumumab, Etoposide, and Cytarabine Intensive Mobilization Regimen in Patients with High-risk Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Undergoing Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2021 04; 21(4):246-256.e2.  View on PubMed
  9. Nawas MT, Sheng Y, Huang CY, Andreadis C, Martin TG, Wolf JL, Ai WZ, Kaplan LD, Mannis GN, Logan AC, Damon LE, Olin RL. Serial comprehensive geriatric and quality of life assessments in adults age ≥ 50 years undergoing autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation. J Geriatr Oncol. 2021 05; 12(4):531-539.  View on PubMed
  10. Ko AH, Jordan AC, Tooker E, Lacey SF, Chang RB, Li Y, Venook AP, Tempero M, Damon L, Fong L, O'Hara MH, Levine BL, Melenhorst JJ, Plesa G, June CH, Beatty GL. Dual Targeting of Mesothelin and CD19 with Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T Cells in Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer. Mol Ther. 2020 11 04; 28(11):2367-2378.  View on PubMed
  11. Burns ST, Damon L, Akagi N, Laszik Z, Ko AH. Rapid Improvement in Gemcitabine-associated Thrombotic Microangiopathy After a Single Dose of Eculizumab: Case Report and Review of the Literature. Anticancer Res. 2020 Jul; 40(7):3995-4000.  View on PubMed
  12. Shah EE, Young RP, Wong SW, Damon LE, Wolf JL, Shah ND, Leavitt AD, Loeffler P, Martin TG. Impact of Plerixafor Use at Different Peripheral Blood CD34+ Thresholds on Autologous Stem Cell Collection in Patients with Multiple Myeloma. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2020 05; 26(5):876-883.  View on PubMed
  13. Gupta S, Damon L, Gelfand JM. Progressive Neurological Impairment and an Enhancing Brainstem Lesion in a Middle-aged Man. JAMA Neurol. 2019 Nov 01; 76(11):1397-1398.  View on PubMed
  14. Huang LW, Sheng Y, Andreadis C, Logan AC, Mannis GN, Smith CC, Gaensler KML, Martin TG, Damon LE, Steinman MA, Huang CY, Olin RL. Functional Status as Measured by Geriatric Assessment Predicts Inferior Survival in Older Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Recipients. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2020 01; 26(1):189-196.  View on PubMed
  15. Wieduwilt MJ, Pawlowska N, Thomas S, Olin R, Logan AC, Damon LE, Martin T, Kang M, Sayre PH, Boyer W, Gaensler KML, Anderson K, Munster PN, Andreadis C. Histone Deacetylase Inhibition with Panobinostat Combined with Intensive Induction Chemotherapy in Older Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Phase I Study Results. Clin Cancer Res. 2019 08 15; 25(16):4917-4923.  View on PubMed
  16. Bolaños-Meade J, Reshef R, Fraser R, Fei M, Abhyankar S, Al-Kadhimi Z, Alousi AM, Antin JH, Arai S, Bickett K, Chen YB, Damon LE, Efebera YA, Geller NL, Giralt SA, Hari P, Holtan SG, Horowitz MM, Jacobsohn DA, Jones RJ, Liesveld JL, Logan BR, MacMillan ML, Mielcarek M, Noel P, Pidala J, Porter DL, Pusic I, Sobecks R, Solomon SR, Weisdorf DJ, Wu J, Pasquini MC, Koreth J. Three prophylaxis regimens (tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and cyclophosphamide; tacrolimus, methotrexate, and bortezomib; or tacrolimus, methotrexate, and maraviroc) versus tacrolimus and methotrexate for prevention of graft-versus-host disease with haemopoietic cell transplantation with reduced-intensity conditioning: a randomised phase 2 trial with a non-randomised contemporaneous control group (BMT CTN 1203). Lancet Haematol. 2019 Mar; 6(3):e132-e143.  View on PubMed
  17. Nawas MT, Andreadis C, Martin TG, Wolf JL, Ai WZ, Kaplan LD, Mannis GN, Logan AC, Damon LE, Huang CY, Olin RL. Limitation in Patient-Reported Function Is Associated with Inferior Survival in Older Adults Undergoing Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2019 06; 25(6):1218-1224.  View on PubMed
  18. Rahmat LT, Damon LE. The Use of Natural Health Products Especially Papaya Leaf Extract and Dandelion Root Extract in Previously Untreated Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia. Case Rep Hematol. 2018; 2018:7267920.  View on PubMed
  19. Schiller GJ, Damon LE, Coutre SE, Hsu P, Bhat G, Douer D. High-Dose Vincristine Sulfate Liposome Injection, for Advanced, Relapsed, or Refractory Philadelphia Chromosome-Negative Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in an Adolescent and Young Adult Subgroup of a Phase 2 Clinical Trial. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2018 10; 7(5):546-552.  View on PubMed
  20. Brown PA, Shah B, Fathi A, Wieduwilt M, Advani A, Aoun P, Barta SK, Boyer MW, Bryan T, Burke PW, Cassaday R, Coccia PF, Coutre SE, Damon LE, DeAngelo DJ, Frankfurt O, Greer JP, Kantarjian HM, Klisovic RB, Kupfer G, Litzow M, Liu A, Mattison R, Park J, Rubnitz J, Saad A, Uy GL, Wang ES, Gregory KM, Ogba N. NCCN Guidelines Insights: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Version 1.2017. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2017 09; 15(9):1091-1102.  View on PubMed

Go to UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI