Research Summary

My primary clinical and research interests focus on gastrointestinal malignancies, particularly pancreatic cancer and upper-GI malignancies, where I have been focused on the evaluation of new therapeutic agents (ranging from novel cytotoxics to molecular targeted agents to immunotherapies) through the development, leading, and conduct of clinical trials supported by industry collaborators, the National Cancer Institute/CTEP, and various consortia/foundations. This work has included efforts to identify individual patient/tumor characteristics that influence prognosis and response to specific therapies, including both tissue- and blood-based biomarkers.

At a national level I am also responsible for developing and shepherding new trial concepts in pancreatic cancer through roles in the NCI's Pancreatic Cancer Task Force (of which I currently serve as chair) and the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology national cooperative group. I have also served on the scientific program committee, grants committee, and specialty editorial board for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO); sit on the editorial board for multiple peer-reviewed oncology journals, including assuming the role as Associate Editor for GI Cancers for the Journal of Clinical Oncology beginning in 2016; and am a member of the NCCN Pancreatic Cancer guidelines committee.

Leadership and administrative responsibilities at my institution have included leading our site committee for gastrointestinal cancer-specific clinical trial development at the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center; chairing the scientific Protocol Review Committee; and, from Sept 2018 – June 2022, serving as (interim) Chief in our Division of Hematology/Oncology.

Research Funding

  • September 19, 2011 - August 31, 2014 - Dual Targeting of MEK and EGFR Signaling Pathways in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21CA149939

Education

Brown University, Providence, RI, Sc.B., 1991, Applied Mathematics/Biology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, M.D., 1995, Medicine
Board certified, Internal Medicine, 1998
Board certified, Medical Oncology, 2002

Honors & Awards

  • 1987
    National Merit Scholarship
  • 1988
    IBM Thomas J. Watson Memorial Scholarship
  • 1990
    Sigma Xi, elected associate member
  • 1991
    Departmental honors and Magna cum laude, Brown University
  • 1993
    Alpha Omega Alpha, student essay competition honoree
  • 1994
    Harry C. Saltzstein Prize in Medical Writing, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
  • 1995
    Medical Assistance Programs/Reader's Digest International Fellowship
  • 2000
    Amgen National Oncology Fellows' Forum, selected for oral presentation
  • 2000
    American Society of Clinical Oncology, Travel Award (meritorious abstract)
  • 2001
    Digestive Disease Center Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • 2003
    UCSF Cancer Center Clinical Investigator Research Program award
  • 2003
    American Society of Clinical Oncology Career Development Award
  • 2007
    Joan Rombauer UCSF Endowed Fellowship
  • 2008
    UCSF Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Classroom Setting, nominee
  • 2011
    NCI Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award
  • 2013
    UCSF Hematology and Oncology Division Teaching Award

Selected Publications

  1. Ko AH, Kim KP, Siveke JT, Lopez CD, Lacy J, O'Reilly EM, Macarulla T, Manji GA, Lee J, Ajani J, Alsina Maqueda M, Rha SY, Lau J, Al-Sakaff N, Allen S, Lu D, Shemesh CS, Gan X, Cha E, Oh DY. Atezolizumab Plus PEGPH20 Versus Chemotherapy in Advanced Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Gastric Cancer: MORPHEUS Phase Ib/II Umbrella Randomized Study Platform. Oncologist. 2023 Mar 20.  View on PubMed
  2. Tempero MA, Pelzer U, O'Reilly EM, Winter J, Oh DY, Li CP, Tortora G, Chang HM, Lopez CD, Bekaii-Saab T, Ko AH, Santoro A, Park JO, Noel MS, Frassineti GL, Shan YS, Dean A, Riess H, Van Cutsem E, Berlin J, Philip P, Moore M, Goldstein D, Tabernero J, Li M, Ferrara S, Le Bruchec Y, Zhang G, Lu B, Biankin AV, Reni M, APACT Investigators. Adjuvant nab-Paclitaxel + Gemcitabine in Resected Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Results From a Randomized, Open-Label, Phase III Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2023 Apr 10; 41(11):2007-2019.  View on PubMed
  3. O'Reilly EM, Ko AH. Precision Medicine and Immunotherapy in GI Cancers. J Clin Oncol. 2022 08 20; 40(24):2659-2661.  View on PubMed
  4. Munigala S, Gardner TB, O'Reilly EM, Fernández-Del Castillo C, Ko AH, Pleskow D, Vollmer CM, Searle NA, Bakelman D, Holt JM, Gelrud A. Helping Patients Understand Pancreatic Cancer Using Animated Pancreas Patient Education With Visual Formats of Learning. Pancreas. 2022 07 01; 51(6):628-633.  View on PubMed
  5. Padrón LJ, Maurer DM, O'Hara MH, O'Reilly EM, Wolff RA, Wainberg ZA, Ko AH, Fisher G, Rahma O, Lyman JP, Cabanski CR, Yu JX, Pfeiffer SM, Spasic M, Xu J, Gherardini PF, Karakunnel J, Mick R, Alanio C, Byrne KT, Hollmann TJ, Moore JS, Jones DD, Tognetti M, Chen RO, Yang X, Salvador L, Wherry EJ, Dugan U, O'Donnell-Tormey J, Butterfield LH, Hubbard-Lucey VM, Ibrahim R, Fairchild J, Bucktrout S, LaVallee TM, Vonderheide RH. Sotigalimab and/or nivolumab with chemotherapy in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer: clinical and immunologic analyses from the randomized phase 2 PRINCE trial. Nat Med. 2022 06; 28(6):1167-1177.  View on PubMed
  6. Walker EJ, Blanco AM, Carnevale J, Cinar P, Collisson EA, Tempero MA, Ko AH. The Additional Diagnostic Benefit of Pancreatic Cancer Molecular Profiling After Germline Testing. Pancreas. 2022 04 01; 51(4):302-304.  View on PubMed
  7. Burns S, Vella M, Paciorek A, Zhang L, Atreya CE, Feng M, Kelley RK, Tempero MA, Van Loon K, Ko AH. Characteristics and Growth Rate of Lung Metastases in Patients With Primary Gastrointestinal Malignancies and Lung-dominant Metastatic Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis. Am J Clin Oncol. 2022 01 01; 45(1):22-27.  View on PubMed
  8. Walker EJ, Goldberg D, Gordon KM, Pedley C, Carnevale J, Cinar P, Collisson EA, Tempero MA, Ko AH, Blanco AM, Dhawan M. Implementation of an Embedded In-Clinic Genetic Testing Station to Optimize Germline Testing for Patients with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Oncologist. 2021 11; 26(11):e1982-e1991.  View on PubMed
  9. Tsang ES, Walker EJ, Carnevale J, Fisher GA, Ko AH. Durable response after immune checkpoint inhibitor-related diabetes in mismatch repair-deficient pancreatic cancer. Immunotherapy. 2021 10; 13(15):1249-1254.  View on PubMed
  10. Wong A, Zhu D, Tong JY, Ko A, Tham T, Kraus D. The jaw-dropping costs of oral cavity cancer malpractice. Head Neck. 2021 10; 43(10):2869-2875.  View on PubMed
  11. Kelly RJ, Ajani JA, Kuzdzal J, Zander T, Van Cutsem E, Piessen G, Mendez G, Feliciano J, Motoyama S, Lièvre A, Uronis H, Elimova E, Grootscholten C, Geboes K, Zafar S, Snow S, Ko AH, Feeney K, Schenker M, Kocon P, Zhang J, Zhu L, Lei M, Singh P, Kondo K, Cleary JM, Moehler M, CheckMate 577 Investigators. Adjuvant Nivolumab in Resected Esophageal or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2021 04 01; 384(13):1191-1203.  View on PubMed
  12. Tempero MA, Malafa MP, Al-Hawary M, Behrman SW, Benson AB, Cardin DB, Chiorean EG, Chung V, Czito B, Del Chiaro M, Dillhoff M, Donahue TR, Dotan E, Ferrone CR, Fountzilas C, Hardacre J, Hawkins WG, Klute K, Ko AH, Kunstman JW, LoConte N, Lowy AM, Moravek C, Nakakura EK, Narang AK, Obando J, Polanco PM, Reddy S, Reyngold M, Scaife C, Shen J, Vollmer C, Wolff RA, Wolpin BM, Lynn B, George GV. Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, Version 2.2021, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2021 04 01; 19(4):439-457.  View on PubMed
  13. O'Hara MH, O'Reilly EM, Varadhachary G, Wolff RA, Wainberg ZA, Ko AH, Fisher G, Rahma O, Lyman JP, Cabanski CR, Mick R, Gherardini PF, Kitch LJ, Xu J, Samuel T, Karakunnel J, Fairchild J, Bucktrout S, LaVallee TM, Selinsky C, Till JE, Carpenter EL, Alanio C, Byrne KT, Chen RO, Trifan OC, Dugan U, Horak C, Hubbard-Lucey VM, Wherry EJ, Ibrahim R, Vonderheide RH. CD40 agonistic monoclonal antibody APX005M (sotigalimab) and chemotherapy, with or without nivolumab, for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: an open-label, multicentre, phase 1b study. Lancet Oncol. 2021 01; 22(1):118-131.  View on PubMed
  14. Shitara K, Van Cutsem E, Bang YJ, Fuchs C, Wyrwicz L, Lee KW, Kudaba I, Garrido M, Chung HC, Lee J, Castro HR, Mansoor W, Braghiroli MI, Karaseva N, Caglevic C, Villanueva L, Goekkurt E, Satake H, Enzinger P, Alsina M, Benson A, Chao J, Ko AH, Wainberg ZA, Kher U, Shah S, Kang SP, Tabernero J. Efficacy and Safety of Pembrolizumab or Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy vs Chemotherapy Alone for Patients With First-line, Advanced Gastric Cancer: The KEYNOTE-062 Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2020 10 01; 6(10):1571-1580.  View on PubMed
  15. Hoang T, Dayyani F, Alfaro A, Huynh J, Ji J, Ko AH, Cho M, Hiyama D. Variability in multimodality treatment influences survival in non-metastatic gastric cancer patients. J Gastrointest Oncol. 2020 Oct; 11(5):952-963.  View on PubMed
  16. 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
  17. Shah MA, Enzinger P, Ko AH, Ocean AJ, Philip PA, Thakkar PV, Cleveland K, Lu Y, Kortmansky J, Christos PJ, Zhang C, Kaur N, Elmonshed D, Galletti G, Sarkar S, Bhinder B, Pittman ME, Plotnikova OM, Kotlov N, Frenkel F, Bagaev A, Elemento O, Betel D, Giannakakou P, Lenz HJ. Multicenter Phase II Study of Cabazitaxel in Advanced Gastroesophageal Cancer: Association of HER2 Expression and M2-Like Tumor-Associated Macrophages with Patient Outcome. Clin Cancer Res. 2020 09 15; 26(18):4756-4766.  View on PubMed
  18. Wang ZJ, Zhang TT, An C, Ko AH, Tempero M, Collisson E, Yeh BM. Estimation of Fractional Extracellular Space at CT for Predicting Chemotherapy Response and Survival in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2020 09; 215(3):610-616.  View on PubMed
  19. 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
  20. Wu AA, Bever KM, Ho WJ, Fertig EJ, Niu N, Zheng L, Parkinson RM, Durham JN, Onners B, Ferguson AK, Wilt C, Ko AH, Wang-Gillam A, Laheru DA, Anders RA, Thompson ED, Sugar EA, Jaffee EM, Le DT. A Phase II Study of Allogeneic GM-CSF-Transfected Pancreatic Tumor Vaccine (GVAX) with Ipilimumab as Maintenance Treatment for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2020 10 01; 26(19):5129-5139.  View on PubMed

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