Research Summary

The overarching goal of my research is to improve treatment options and outcomes in patients with primary cancers of the liver and bile ducts through clinical and translational research of novel drugs and combinations along with biomarker analyses to identify the patients most likely to respond. My current work in hepatobiliary cancers includes leading multiple clinical trials of new immunotherapy treatment combinations, ranging from large, international phase 3 trials to smaller, investigator-initiated institutional trials with translational biomarker endpoints. I am also the PI of the UCSF Hepatobiliary Tissue Bank and Registry (HBTBR), initiated in 2012 to serve as a platform for translational and epidemiology research using fresh and archival tumor tissue samples, blood samples, and longitudinal clinical data from patients with hepatobiliary cancers who receive cancer care at UCSF. The HBTBR has enrolled over 500 cases since its activation in late 2012 and has contributed samples and data to multiple projects, including the NCI/NHGRI The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) liver and cholangiocarcinoma cohorts, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in HCC and cholangiocarcinoma, a University of California consortium project to develop minority patient-derived xenografts including hepatocellular carcinoma for tumor genomics, the Liver Cancer Moonshot initiative of the NCI, and many collaborative, retrospective studies of clinical outcomes.

Education

Harvard College, Boston, MA, B.A., 1993-97, Biochemistry
UCLA, M.D., 1998-2002, Medicine
UCLA, Intern, 2002-03, Medicine
UCLA, Resident, 2003-05, Medicine
UCLA, Chief Resident, 2005-06, Medicine
UCSF, Fellow, 2006-09, Hematology/Oncology

Honors & Awards

  • 1993-1997
    Harvard College Scholarship, Harvard College
  • 1993-1997
    Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Merit Award, Harvard College
  • 1997-1998
    Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, Costa Rica
  • 2001
    Alpha Omega Alpha, UCLA School of Medicine
  • 2001
    Merck Book Award, UCLA School of Medicine
  • 2001
    Janet M. Glascow Memorial Achievement Citation, American Medical Women's Association
  • 2004, 2006
    Solomon Scholars Resident Research Day Award, UCLA Department of Medicine
  • 2006
    Medical Student Teaching Award, UCLA Department of Medicine
  • 2009
    ASCO Cancer Foundation Merit Award, Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium
  • 2010
    ASCO Young Investigator Award
  • 2014
    Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Selected Publications

  1. Javle M, Roychowdhury S, Kelley RK, Sadeghi S, Macarulla T, Weiss KH, Waldschmidt DT, Goyal L, Borbath I, El-Khoueiry A, Borad MJ, Yong WP, Philip PA, Bitzer M, Tanasanvimon S, Li A, Pande A, Soifer HS, Shepherd SP, Moran S, Zhu AX, Bekaii-Saab TS, Abou-Alfa GK. Infigratinib (BGJ398) in previously treated patients with advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements: mature results from a multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021 Aug 03.  View on PubMed
  2. Kelley RK, Sangro B, Harris W, Ikeda M, Okusaka T, Kang YK, Qin S, Tai DW, Lim HY, Yau T, Yong WP, Cheng AL, Gasbarrini A, Damian S, Bruix J, Borad M, Bendell J, Kim TY, Standifer N, He P, Makowsky M, Negro A, Kudo M, Abou-Alfa GK. Safety, Efficacy, and Pharmacodynamics of Tremelimumab Plus Durvalumab for Patients With Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Randomized Expansion of a Phase I/II Study. J Clin Oncol. 2021 Jul 22; JCO2003555.  View on PubMed
  3. Kelley RK, Greten TF. Hepatocellular Carcinoma - Origins and Outcomes. N Engl J Med. 2021 07 15; 385(3):280-282.  View on PubMed
  4. El-Khoueiry AB, Hanna DL, Llovet J, Kelley RK. Cabozantinib: An evolving therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Treat Rev. 2021 Jul; 98:102221.  View on PubMed
  5. Harding JJ, Do RK, Yaqubie A, Cleverly A, Zhao Y, Gueorguieva I, Lahn M, Benhadji KA, Kelley RK, Abou-Alfa GK. Phase 1b study of galunisertib and ramucirumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Med. 2021 05; 10(9):3059-3067.  View on PubMed
  6. Llovet JM, Kelley RK, Villanueva A, Singal AG, Pikarsky E, Roayaie S, Lencioni R, Koike K, Zucman-Rossi J, Finn RS. Hepatocellular carcinoma. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2021 01 21; 7(1):6.  View on PubMed
  7. Kelley RK, Ryoo BY, Merle P, Park JW, Bolondi L, Chan SL, Lim HY, Baron AD, Parnis F, Knox J, Cattan S, Yau T, Lougheed JC, Milwee S, El-Khoueiry AB, Cheng AL, Meyer T, Abou-Alfa GK. Second-line cabozantinib after sorafenib treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a subgroup analysis of the phase 3 CELESTIAL trial. ESMO Open. 2020 08; 5(4).  View on PubMed
  8. Kelley RK, Meyer T, Rimassa L, Merle P, Park JW, Yau T, Chan SL, Blanc JF, Tam VC, Tran A, Dadduzio V, Markby DW, Kaldate R, Cheng AL, El-Khoueiry AB, Abou-Alfa GK. Serum Alpha-fetoprotein Levels and Clinical Outcomes in the Phase III CELESTIAL Study of Cabozantinib versus Placebo in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2020 09 15; 26(18):4795-4804.  View on PubMed
  9. Harding JJ, Kelley RK, Tan B, Capanu M, Do GK, Shia J, Chou JF, Ferrer CS, Boussayoud C, Muenkel K, Yarmohammadi H, El Dika I, Khalil DN, Ruiz C, Rodriguez-Lee M, Kuhn P, Wilton J, Iyer R, Abou-Alfa GK. Phase Ib Study of Enzalutamide with or Without Sorafenib in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Oncologist. 2020 12; 25(12):e1825-e1836.  View on PubMed
  10. Kelley RK, W Oliver J, Hazra S, Benzaghou F, Yau T, Cheng AL, Rimassa L. Cabozantinib in combination with atezolizumab versus sorafenib in treatment-naive advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: COSMIC-312 Phase III study design. Future Oncol. 2020 Jul; 16(21):1525-1536.  View on PubMed
  11. Kelley RK, Mollon P, Blanc JF, Daniele B, Yau T, Cheng AL, Valcheva V, Marteau F, Guerra I, Abou-Alfa GK. Comparative Efficacy of Cabozantinib and Regorafenib for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Adv Ther. 2020 06; 37(6):2678-2695.  View on PubMed
  12. Kelley RK. Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab - A Landmark in Liver Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2020 05 14; 382(20):1953-1955.  View on PubMed
  13. Abou-Alfa GK, Macarulla T, Javle MM, Kelley RK, Lubner SJ, Adeva J, Cleary JM, Catenacci DV, Borad MJ, Bridgewater J, Harris WP, Murphy AG, Oh DY, Whisenant J, Lowery MA, Goyal L, Shroff RT, El-Khoueiry AB, Fan B, Wu B, Chamberlain CX, Jiang L, Gliser C, Pandya SS, Valle JW, Zhu AX. Ivosidenib in IDH1-mutant, chemotherapy-refractory cholangiocarcinoma (ClarIDHy): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study. Lancet Oncol. 2020 06; 21(6):796-807.  View on PubMed
  14. Piha-Paul SA, Oh DY, Ueno M, Malka D, Chung HC, Nagrial A, Kelley RK, Ros W, Italiano A, Nakagawa K, Rugo HS, de Braud F, Varga AI, Hansen A, Wang H, Krishnan S, Norwood KG, Doi T. Efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab for the treatment of advanced biliary cancer: Results from the KEYNOTE-158 and KEYNOTE-028 studies. Int J Cancer. 2020 10 15; 147(8):2190-2198.  View on PubMed
  15. Huppert LA, Gordan JD, Kelley RK. Checkpoint Inhibitors for the Treatment of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Clin Liver Dis (Hoboken). 2020 Feb; 15(2):53-58.  View on PubMed
  16. Giannelli G, Santoro A, Kelley RK, Gane E, Paradis V, Cleverly A, Smith C, Estrem ST, Man M, Wang S, Lahn MM, Raymond E, Benhadji KA, Faivre S. Biomarkers and overall survival in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with TGF-ßRI inhibitor galunisertib. PLoS One. 2020; 15(3):e0222259.  View on PubMed
  17. Trosman JR, Douglas MP, Liang SY, Weldon CB, Kurian AW, Kelley RK, Phillips KA. Insights From a Temporal Assessment of Increases in US Private Payer Coverage of Tumor Sequencing From 2015 to 2019. Value Health. 2020 05; 23(5):551-558.  View on PubMed
  18. Kelley RK, Bridgewater J, Gores GJ, Zhu AX. Systemic therapies for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. J Hepatol. 2020 02; 72(2):353-363.  View on PubMed
  19. Chen B, Garmire L, Calvisi DF, Chua MS, Kelley RK, Chen X. Harnessing big 'omics' data and AI for drug discovery in hepatocellular carcinoma. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 04; 17(4):238-251.  View on PubMed
  20. Savoie MB, Paciorek A, Zhang L, Van Blarigan EL, Sommovilla N, Abrams D, Atreya CE, Bergsland EK, Chern H, Kelley RK, Ko A, Laffan A, Sarin A, Varma MG, Venook AP, Van Loon K. Vitamin D Levels in Patients with Colorectal Cancer Before and After Treatment Initiation. J Gastrointest Cancer. 2019 Dec; 50(4):769-779.  View on PubMed

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