Research Summary

My clinical interests focus most heavily on surgical neuropathology, especially in terms of its application towards neuro-oncology. As a diagnostic neuropathologist with a focus on CNS tumors, I am primarily involved in translational research with the primary goal of developing new diagnostic and prognostic markers, which can be utilized in the clinical management of brain tumor patients. In order to achieve this goal, my lab has applied immunohistochemical, molecular cytogenetic, and genomic screening techniques primarily towards the study of gliomas, meningiomas, and primitive pediatric malignancies. I have been particularly interested in improved classification and grading schemes as well as the identification of molecular genetic markers associated with tumorigenesis, malignant progression, and/or biologic behavior. I collaborate with a number of clinical and scientific researchers both within and outside UCSF and it is our hope that the markers we identify will improve patient management and lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches. I also maintain a private consultation service for difficult surgical neuropathology cases obtained from the U.S. and abroad, particularly brain tumors.

Research Funding

  • September 20, 2002 - August 31, 2023 - Brain Tumor SPORE Grant, Co-Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NCI, Sponsor Award ID: P50CA097257
  • September 20, 2002 - August 31, 2023 - Brain Tumor SPORE Grant, Co-Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NCI, Sponsor Award ID: P50CA097257
  • September 20, 2002 - August 31, 2023 - Brain Tumor SPORE Grant, Co-Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NCI, Sponsor Award ID: P50CA097257

Education

The University of Texas at Austin, TX, B.S., 1986, Zoology
UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, M.D., 1990, M.D.
UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, Postdoctoral, 1994, Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Residency
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, Postdoctoral, 1998, Surgical Pathology, Neuropathology, and Research Fellowships

Honors & Awards

  • 1993
    First Place Resident Award (poster): Texas Society of Pathologists meeting
  • 1994
    First Place Resident Award (podium): Texas Society of Pathologists meeting
  • 1994
    Matthew T. Moore Award, International Congress of Neuropathology meeting
  • 1995
    Mary Tom Award, Canadian Association of Neuropathologists meeting
  • 1995-1997
    Fellowship Research Award, American Brain Tumor Association
  • 1999
    Distinguished Service Teaching Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2001)
  • 2002
    Lucien J. Rubenstein Award, American Association of Neuropathologists meeting
  • 2002
    Distinguished Service Teaching Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2004)
  • 2004
    Distinguished Service Teaching Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2006)
  • 2005
    Professor of the Year Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2007)
  • 2006-now
    America’s Top Doctors and America's Top Doctors for Cancer (Castle Connolly)
  • 2007
    Distinguished Service Teaching Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2009)
  • 2008
    Professor of the Year Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2010)
  • 2009-now
    Best Doctors in America, U.S. News and World Reports
  • 2009
    Distinguished Service Teaching Award, WUSM (Medical School Class of 2011)
  • 2013
    Nominated for MS1 Essential Core Teaching Award, UCSF (MS Class of 2016)

Selected Publications

  1. Chen WC, Vasudevan HN, Choudhury A, Pekmezci M, Lucas CG, Phillips J, Magill ST, Susko MS, Braunstein SE, Oberheim Bush NA, Boreta L, Nakamura JL, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Sneed PK, Perry A, McDermott MW, Solomon DA, Theodosopoulos PV, Raleigh DR A Prognostic Gene-Expression Signature and Risk Score for Meningioma Recurrence After Resection.  View on PubMed
  2. Sievers P, Sill M, Blume C, Tauziede-Espariat A, Schrimpf D, Stichel D, Reuss DE, Dogan H, Hartmann C, Mawrin C, Hasselblatt M, Stummer W, Schick U, Hench J, Frank S, Ketter R, Schweizer L, Schittenhelm J, Puget S, Brandner S, Jaunmuktane Z, Küsters B, Abdullaev Z, Pekmezci M, Snuderl M, Ratliff M, Herold-Mende C, Unterberg A, Aldape K, Ellison DW, Wesseling P, Reifenberger G, Wick W, Perry A, Varlet P, Pfister SM, Jones DTW, von Deimling A, Sahm F Clear cell meningiomas are defined by a highly distinct DNA methylation profile and mutations in SMARCE1.  View on PubMed
  3. Sloan EA, Chiang J, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Alexandrescu S, Eschbacher JM, Wang W, Mafra M, Ud Din N, Carr-Boyd E, Watson M, Punsoni M, Oviedo A, Gilani A, Kleinschmidt-DeMasters BK, Coss DJ, Lopes MB, Raffel C, Berger MS, Chang S, Reddy A, Ramani B, Ferris SP, Lee JC, Hofmann JW, Cho SJ, Horvai AE, Pekmezci M, Tihan T, Bollen AW, Rodriguez F, Ellison DW, Perry A, Solomon DA Intracranial mesenchymal tumor with FET-CREB fusion - a unifying diagnosis for the spectrum of intracranial myxoid mesenchymal tumors and angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma-like neoplasms.  View on PubMed
  4. Sievers P, Sill M, Schrimpf D, Stichel D, Reuss DE, Sturm D, Hench J, Frank S, Krskova L, Vicha A, Zapotocky M, Bison B, Castel D, Grill J, Debily MA, Harter PN, Snuderl M, Kramm CM, Reifenberger G, Korshunov A, Jabado N, Wesseling P, Wick W, Solomon DA, Perry A, Jacques TS, Jones C, Witt O, Pfister SM, von Deimling A, Jones DTW, Sahm F A subset of pediatric-type thalamic gliomas share a distinct DNA methylation profile, H3K27me3 loss and frequent alteration of EGFR.  View on PubMed
  5. Schulte JD, Buerki RA, Lapointe S, Molinaro AM, Zhang Y, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Perry A, Phillips JJ, Tihan T, Bollen AW, Pekmezci M, Butowski N, Oberheim Bush NA, Taylor JW, Chang SM, Theodosopoulos P, Aghi MK, Hervey-Jumper SL, Berger MS, Solomon DA, Clarke JL Clinical, radiologic, and genetic characteristics of histone H3 K27M-mutant diffuse midline gliomas in adults.  View on PubMed
  6. Carter-Febres M, Schneller N, Fair D, Solomon D, Perry A, Roy A, Linscott L, Alashari M, Kestle JR, Bruggers CS Adjuvant Maintenance Larotrectinib Therapy in 2 Children With NTRK Fusion-positive High-grade Cancers.  View on PubMed
  7. Ramani B, Gupta R, Wu J, Barreto J, Bollen AW, Tihan T, Mummaneni PV, Ames C, Clark A, Oberheim Bush NA, Butowski N, Phillips D, King BE, Bator SM, Treynor EC, Zherebitskiy V, Quinn PS, Walker JB, Pekmezci M, Sullivan DV, Hofmann JW, Sloan EA, M Chang S, Berger MS, Solomon DA, Perry A The immunohistochemical, DNA methylation, and chromosomal copy number profile of cauda equina paraganglioma is distinct from extra-spinal paraganglioma.  View on PubMed
  8. Lucas CG, Gupta R, Doo P, Lee JC, Cadwell CR, Ramani B, Hofmann JW, Sloan EA, Kleinschmidt-DeMasters BK, Lee HS, Wood MD, Grafe M, Born D, Vogel H, Salamat S, Puccetti D, Scharnhorst D, Samuel D, Cooney T, Cham E, Jin LW, Khatib Z, Maher O, Chamyan G, Brathwaite C, Bannykh S, Mueller S, Kline CN, Banerjee A, Reddy A, Taylor JW, Clarke JL, Oberheim Bush NA, Butowski N, Gupta N, Auguste KI, Sun PP, Roland JL, Raffel C, Aghi MK, Theodosopoulos P, Chang E, Hervey-Jumper S, Phillips JJ, Pekmezci M, Bollen AW, Tihan T, Chang S, Berger MS, Perry A, Solomon DA Comprehensive analysis of diverse low-grade neuroepithelial tumors with FGFR1 alterations reveals a distinct molecular signature of rosette-forming glioneuronal tumor.  View on PubMed
  9. Toland A, McNulty SN, Pekmezci M, Evenson M, Huntoon K, Pierson CR, Boue DR, Perry A, Dahiya S Pediatric meningioma: a clinicopathologic and molecular study with potential grading implications.  View on PubMed
  10. Prager BC, Vasudevan HN, Dixit D, Bernatchez JA, Wu Q, Wallace LC, Bhargava S, Lee D, King BH, Morton AR, Gimple RC, Pekmezci M, Zhu Z, Siqueira-Neto JL, Wang X, Xie Q, Chen C, Barnett GH, Vogelbaum MA, Mack SC, Chavez L, Perry A, Raleigh DR, Rich JN The Meningioma Enhancer Landscape Delineates Novel Subgroups and Drives Druggable Dependencies.  View on PubMed
  11. Ko K, Kitani T, Harris BT, Anaizi AN, Solomon D, Perry A, Toretsky J, Ozdemirli M A novel PARD3B-NUTM1 fusion in an aggressive primary CNS embryonal tumor in a young adult.  View on PubMed
  12. Viaene AN, Pu C, Perry A, Li MM, Luo M, Santi M Congenital tumors of the central nervous system: an institutional review of 64 cases with emphasis on tumors with unique histologic and molecular characteristics.  View on PubMed
  13. Vasudevan HN, Castro MRH, Lee JC, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Bush NAO, McDermott MW, Solomon DA, Perry A, Magill ST, Raleigh DR DNA methylation profiling demonstrates superior diagnostic classification to RNA-sequencing in a case of metastatic meningioma.  View on PubMed
  14. Asa SL, Asioli S, Bozkurt S, Casar-Borota O, Chinezu L, Comunoglu N, Cossu G, Cusimano M, Delgrange E, Earls P, Ezzat S, Gazioglu N, Grossman A, Guaraldi F, Hickman RA, Ikeda H, Jaffrain-Rea ML, Karavitaki N, Kraljevic I, La Rosa S, Manojlovic-Gacic E, Maartens N, McCutcheon IE, Messerer M, Mete O, Nishioka H, Oz B, Pakbaz S, Pekmezci M, Perry A, Reiniger L, Roncaroli F, Saeger W, Söylemezoglu F, Tachibana O, Trouillas J, Turchini J, Uccella S, Villa C, Yamada S, Yarman S Pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs): nomenclature evolution, not clinical revolution.  View on PubMed
  15. Gallo RA, Shoag J, Johnson TE, Solomon DA, Perry A, Podda A, Lee JY, Rong AJ Eye-sparing Treatment of Localized Orbital Medulloepithelioma With Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation.  View on PubMed
  16. Louis DN, Wesseling P, Aldape K, Brat DJ, Capper D, Cree IA, Eberhart C, Figarella-Branger D, Fouladi M, Fuller GN, Giannini C, Haberler C, Hawkins C, Komori T, Kros JM, Ng HK, Orr BA, Park SH, Paulus W, Perry A, Pietsch T, Reifenberger G, Rosenblum M, Rous B, Sahm F, Sarkar C, Solomon DA, Tabori U, van den Bent MJ, von Deimling A, Weller M, White VA, Ellison DW cIMPACT-NOW update 6: new entity and diagnostic principle recommendations of the cIMPACT-Utrecht meeting on future CNS tumor classification and grading.  View on PubMed
  17. Mondal G, Lee JC, Ravindranathan A, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Tran QT, Allen SJ, Barreto J, Gupta R, Doo P, Van Ziffle J, Onodera C, Devine P, Grenert JP, Samuel D, Li R, Metrock LK, Jin LW, Antony R, Alashari M, Cheshier S, Whipple NS, Bruggers C, Raffel C, Gupta N, Kline CN, Reddy A, Banerjee A, Hall MD, Mehta MP, Khatib Z, Maher OM, Brathwaite C, Pekmezci M, Phillips JJ, Bollen AW, Tihan T, Lucas JT, Broniscer A, Berger MS, Perry A, Orr BA, Solomon DA Pediatric bithalamic gliomas have a distinct epigenetic signature and frequent EGFR exon 20 insertions resulting in potential sensitivity to targeted kinase inhibition.  View on PubMed
  18. Sloan EA, Hilz S, Gupta R, Cadwell C, Ramani B, Hofmann J, Kline CN, Banerjee A, Reddy A, Oberheim Bush NA, Chang S, Braunstein S, Chang EF, Raffel C, Gupta N, Sun PP, Kim JYH, Moes G, Alva E, Li R, Bruggers CS, Alashari M, Wetmore C, Garg S, Dishop M, Van Ziffle J, Onodera C, Devine P, Grenert JP, Lee JC, Phillips JJ, Pekmezci M, Tihan T, Bollen AW, Berger MS, Costello JF, Perry A, Solomon DA Gliomas arising in the setting of Li-Fraumeni syndrome stratify into two molecular subgroups with divergent clinicopathologic features.  View on PubMed
  19. Brat DJ, Aldape K, Colman H, Figrarella-Branger D, Fuller GN, Giannini C, Holland EC, Jenkins RB, Kleinschmidt-DeMasters B, Komori T, Kros JM, Louis DN, McLean C, Perry A, Reifenberger G, Sarkar C, Stupp R, van den Bent MJ, von Deimling A, Weller M cIMPACT-NOW update 5: recommended grading criteria and terminologies for IDH-mutant astrocytomas.  View on PubMed
  20. Pekmezci M, Phillips JJ, Dirilenoglu F, Atasever-Rezanko T, Tihan T, Solomon D, Bollen A, Perry A Loss of H3K27 trimethylation by immunohistochemistry is frequent in oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant and 1p/19q-codeleted, but is neither a sensitive nor a specific marker.  View on PubMed

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