Research Summary

I am a physician scientist focused on the treatment and study of primary liver cancers. I attend in the Gastrointestinal Oncology Group and run a research group in the Quantitive Biosciences Institute. My laboratory applies proteomic methods to identify novel targets and improve the application of existing therapeutics for liver cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma and fibrolamellar liver cancer. We have three major areas of investigation:
1. Mapping oncogenic kinase signaling and its response to targeted therapeutics to define biomarkers and combination treatments for clinically relevant agents
2. Characterizing the impact of hepatitis viruses on liver cancer and its response to treatment
3. Developing small molecule strategies to target Hippo pathway dysregulation

Research Funding

  • December 15, 2023 - November 30, 2028 - Targeting Oncogenic PKA signaling mechanisms , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA279997
  • January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2026 - Understanding intrinsic resistance to direct KRAS inhibition in colorectal cancers , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R37CA266549

Education

Harvard College, Cambridge, MA, BA, 06/2001, Biochemistry
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, PhD, 12/2007, Cancer Biology
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, MD, 05/2009, Medicine
UC San Francisco, Resident, 06/2011, Internal Medicine
UC San Francisco, Clinical Fellow, 07/12, Hematology/Oncology

Honors & Awards

  • 2022
    NCI R37 Merit Award
  • 2018
    Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award for Medical Scientists
  • 2015
    American Society for Clinical Oncology Young Investigator Award
  • 2014
    American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • 2008
    Saul Winegrad Award for Outstanding Dissertation in Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Pennsylvania

Selected Publications

  1. O'Neill AF, Zeme EL, Abou-Alfa GK, Baretti M, Bondoc AJ, Church A, Ferrone CR, Fitzgerald M, Geller JI, Gill AE, Harris WP, Kim HB, Lee SS, Liu KX, Ortiz MV, Rangaswami A, Riehle KJ, Rosenberg AR, Torbenson MS, Yarchoan M, Gordan JD. Clinical guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of fibrolamellar carcinoma. Hepatology. 2026 Mar 18. View on PubMed
  2. Keenan BP, Fan Z, Le BK, Harris Q, Chen J, Clark M, Lea A, Zhang L, Cheung A, Lara F, Gordan JD, Bracci P, Behr SC, Fong L, Venook AP, Kim EJ, Kelley RK. Phase II trial with nivolumab and sorafenib in HCC identified enrichment of immunosuppressive monocytes in patients with Child-Pugh B liver dysfunction. JHEP Rep. 2026 May; 8(5):101817. View on PubMed
  3. Ma RK, Tsai PY, Farghli AR, Shumway A, Kanke M, Gordan JD, Gujral TS, Vakili K, Nukaya M, Noetzli L, Ronnekleiv-Kelly S, Broom W, Barrow J, Sethupathy P. Correction: DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion protein-regulated LINC00473 promotes tumor growth and alters mitochondrial fitness in fibrolamellar carcinoma. PLoS Genet. 2026 Feb; 22(2):e1012054. View on PubMed
  4. Wilbur HC, Zhao LX, Nakazawa M, Kao C, Gordan JD, Gade TP, Cope L, Kagohara LT, Zabransky D, Ho WJ, Baretti M, Yarchoan M. Baseline and dynamic cytokines as biomarkers for immune checkpoint and anti-VEGF therapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. ESMO Gastrointest Oncol. 2026 Mar; 11:100273. View on PubMed
  5. Beresis R, Prathigudupu V, Cable C, Yu A, Adler M, Ramamoorthi R, Yeon SK, Gordan JD, Sharma S, DeGrado WF, Zaro B, Chen JY, Jo H. Exploration of a Class of Aryl Imidazolyl Ureas As Potent Acid Ceramidase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Fibrotic Diseases. ACS Omega. 2025 Aug 12; 10(31):34747-34761. View on PubMed
  6. Stevers NO, Kim S, Yuan JB, Barger CJ, Hong C, Lenzo O, McKinney AM, Wu SH, Lee YJ, Kwok DW, Suwala AK, Appin CL, Gordan JD, Molinaro AM, Song JS, Costello JF. The immortality mechanism of TERT promoter mutant cancers is self-reinforcing and reversible. Mol Cell. 2025 Jun 19; 85(12):2337-2354.e9. View on PubMed
  7. Gritti I, Wan J, Weeresekara V, Vaz JM, Tarantino G, Bryde TH, Vijay V, Kammula AV, Kattel P, Zhu S, Vu P, Chan M, Wu MJ, Gordan JD, Patra KC, Silveira VS, Manguso RT, Wein MN, Ott CJ, Qi J, Liu D, Sakamoto K, Gujral TS, Bardeesy N. Correction: DNAJB1-PRKACA Fusion Drives Fibrolamellar Liver Cancer through Impaired SIK Signaling and CRTC2/p300-Mediated Transcriptional Reprogramming. Cancer Discov. 2025 Apr 02; 15(4):862. View on PubMed
  8. Turnham RE, Pitea A, Jang GM, Xu Z, Lim HC, Choi AL, Von Dollen J, Levin RS, Webber JT, McCarthy E, Hu J, Li X, Che L, Singh A, Yoon A, Chan GKL, Kelley RK, Swaney DL, Zhang W, Bandyopadhyay S, Theis FJ, Eckhardt M, Chen X, Shokat KM, Ideker T, Krogan NJ, Gordan JD. HBV Remodels PP2A Complexes to Rewire Kinase Signaling in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancer Res. 2025 02 17; 85(4):660-674. View on PubMed
  9. Gritti I, Wan J, Weeresekara V, Vaz JM, Tarantino G, Bryde TH, Vijay V, Kammula AV, Kattel P, Zhu S, Vu P, Chan M, Wu MJ, Gordan JD, Patra KC, Silveira VS, Manguso RT, Wein MN, Ott CJ, Qi J, Liu D, Sakamoto K, Gujral TS, Bardeesy N. DNAJB1-PRKACA Fusion Drives Fibrolamellar Liver Cancer through Impaired SIK Signaling and CRTC2/p300-Mediated Transcriptional Reprogramming. Cancer Discov. 2025 Feb 07; 15(2):382-400. View on PubMed
  10. Goyal L, DiToro D, Facchinetti F, Martin EE, Peng P, Baiev I, Iyer R, Maurer J, Reyes S, Zhang K, Majeed U, Berchuck JE, Chen CT, Walmsley C, Pinto C, Vasseur D, Gordan JD, Mody K, Borad M, Karasic T, Damjanov N, Danysh BP, Wehrenberg-Klee E, Kambadakone AR, Saha SK, Hoffman ID, Nelson KJ, Iyer S, Qiang X, Sun C, Wang H, Li L, Javle M, Lin B, Harris W, Zhu AX, Cleary JM, Flaherty KT, Harris T, Shroff RT, Leshchiner I, Parida L, Kelley RK, Fan J, Stone JR, Uboha NV, Hirai H, Sootome H, Wu F, Bensen DC, Hollebecque A, Friboulet L, Lennerz JK, Getz G, Juric D. A model for decoding resistance in precision oncology: acquired resistance to FGFR inhibitors in cholangiocarcinoma. Ann Oncol. 2025 04; 36(4):426-443. View on PubMed
  11. Kassaye I, Alyafaie A, Zhang K, Lifton J, Gordan JD, Kelley RK, Yung M. Cataracts Associated With Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitors for Cholangiocarcinoma. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2024 12 01; 142(12):1109-1113. View on PubMed
  12. Rosenthal KJ, Gordan JD, Scott JD. Protein kinase A and local signaling in cancer. Biochem J. 2024 11 20; 481(22):1659-1677. View on PubMed
  13. Li M, Hannan LM, Goyal L, Bocobo AG, Parks AL, Bauer K, Baiev I, Dinicola C, Gordan JD, Venook AP, Harris WP, Bracci P, Kelley RK. Changes in alpha-fetoprotein across the systemic therapy continuum in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma-a real-world, multicenter study. Ther Adv Med Oncol. 2024; 16:17588359241297085. View on PubMed
  14. Weinfurtner K, Tischfield D, McClung G, Crainic J, Gordan J, Jiao J, Furth EE, Li W, Supan ET, Nadolski GJ, Hunt SJ, Kaplan DE, Gade TPF. Human GM-CSF/IL-3 enhance tumor immune infiltration in humanized HCC patient-derived xenografts. JHEP Rep. 2025 Mar; 7(3):101264. View on PubMed
  15. Weinfurtner K, Tischfield D, McClung G, Crainic J, Gordan J, Jiao J, Furth EE, Li W, Tuzneen Supan E, Nadolski GJ, Hunt SJ, Kaplan DE, Gade TPF. Human GM-CSF/IL-3 enhance tumor immune infiltration in humanized HCC patient-derived xenografts. bioRxiv. 2024 Oct 31. View on PubMed
  16. Abou-Alfa GK, Meyer T, Do RKG, Piha-Paul SA, Light JS, Sherrin S, Yaqubie A, O'Neill AC, Harding JJ, Al-Rajabi R, Denlinger CS, Cano P, Cornelius AS, O'Reilly EM, DiPrimeo D, Eli LD, Gordan JD, Solit DB. Neratinib Alone or in Combination with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors with or without Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Inhibitors in Patients with Fibrolamellar Carcinoma. Liver Cancer. 2025 Mar; 14(1):58-67. View on PubMed
  17. Zeme EL, Van Loon K, Kelley RK, Gordan JD. Emerging Therapies for the Management of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-/ERBB2-Altered Advanced Biliary Tract Cancers. J Clin Oncol. 2024 09 20; 42(27):3170-3176. View on PubMed
  18. Rose MG, Kennedy EB, Abou-Alfa GK, Finn RS, Gade T, Kelley RK, Taddei T, Gordan JD. Systemic Therapy for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: ASCO Guideline Update Clinical Insights. JCO Oncol Pract. 2024 08; 20(8):1035-1039. View on PubMed
  19. Ma RK, Tsai PY, Farghli AR, Shumway A, Kanke M, Gordan JD, Gujral TS, Vakili K, Nukaya M, Noetzli L, Ronnekleiv-Kelly S, Broom W, Barrow J, Sethupathy P. DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion protein-regulated LINC00473 promotes tumor growth and alters mitochondrial fitness in fibrolamellar carcinoma. PLoS Genet. 2024 03; 20(3):e1011216. View on PubMed
  20. Gordan JD, Kennedy EB, Abou-Alfa GK, Beal E, Finn RS, Gade TP, Goff L, Gupta S, Guy J, Hoang HT, Iyer R, Jaiyesimi I, Jhawer M, Karippot A, Kaseb AO, Kelley RK, Kortmansky J, Leaf A, Remak WM, Sohal DPS, Taddei TH, Wilson Woods A, Yarchoan M, Rose MG. Systemic Therapy for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: ASCO Guideline Update. J Clin Oncol. 2024 05 20; 42(15):1830-1850. View on PubMed

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