Research Summary

I am the Ada Distinguished Professor in Thoracic Oncology and Nan T. McEvoy Distinguished Professor of Thoracic Surgical Oncology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). I am also Chief of General Thoracic Surgery, Program Leader of the Thoracic Oncology Program (TOP), and Director of the Thoracic Oncology Laboratory at UCSF. I oversee a thriving bench-to-bedside program at the UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer, comprised of thoracic surgeons, thoracic oncologists, pulmonologists, radiation oncologists, and an array of other specialists.

The Thoracic Oncology lab utilizes state-of-the-art technology such as as next-generation sequencing (NGS), synthetic chemistry, and 3D-computer simulation for assessing drug efficacy. The TOP currently offers patients a broad menu of clinical trials, testing the most promising molecularly targeted agents. In 2005, I was awarded an NIH R01 grant to investigate the role of Wnt signaling in mesothelioma, and was awarded another R01 grant in 2008 to study the role of inflammation in lung carcinogenesis. The Thoracic Oncology lab has several areas of focus including molecular therapeutics, molecular diagnostics, systems biology, systems genetics, and bench-to-bedside drug discovery. The Thoracic Oncology Lab houses one of the largest thoracic tissue bank repositories in the US, with specimens for more than 1,300 patients including fresh/frozen matched tissue (tumor, normal, serum, pbmc) for lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other cancers.

I have been a pioneer in the field of molecular diagnostics, as part of a team that developed a multi-gene diagnostic assay identifying patients at risk for recurrence of early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer. I am also a co-investigator on several other grants as part of collaborations with lead PIs in other labs: (1) Development of new immunotherapy-based drugs for the treatment of lung cancer by isolating resident immune cells in lung tumor tissue to assess the adaptive immune response; (2) Investigation of the mechanism of the KMD5A protein in rendering NSCLC resistant to EGFR TKI therapy; and (3) Investigation of the role of genetic variation in TGF-beta overactivation in COPD.

Research Funding

  • May 1, 2008 - March 31, 2014 - Inflammation and Lung Carcinogenesis , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA132566
  • March 1, 2005 - February 28, 2010 - The Wnt Pathway in Malignant Mesothelioma , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA093708

Education

Yale College, BA, 1975-79, American Literature
Albany Medical Col. of Union U, MD, 1979-84
Naval Hospital, Intern, 1984-85, Surgery
Tufts University, Resident, 1985-86, Surgery
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Fellow, 1986-89, Surgical Oncology
Tufts University, 1989-91, Surgery
Brigham & Women's Hospital, Fellow, 1992-92, Lung Transplantation
Cornell University Medical Center, Fellow, 1991-93, Surgery

Honors & Awards

  • Surgical Resident Teaching Award, University of California, San Francisco, 2001
  • Surgical Resident Teaching Award, University of California, San Francisco, 1999

Selected Publications

  1. Johnson DH, Fehrenbacher L, Novotny WF, Herbst RS, Nemunaitis JJ, Jablons DM, Langer CJ, DeVore RF, Gaudreault J, Damico LA, Holmgren E, Kabbinavar F. Randomized Phase II Trial Comparing Bevacizumab Plus Carboplatin and Paclitaxel With Carboplatin and Paclitaxel Alone in Previously Untreated Locally Advanced or Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2023 May 01; 41(13):2305-2312.  View on PubMed
  2. Woodard GA, Ding V, Cho C, Brand NR, Kratz JR, Jones KD, Jablons DM. Comparative genomics between matched solid and lepidic portions of semi-solid lung adenocarcinomas. Lung Cancer. 2023 06; 180:107211.  View on PubMed
  3. Hysenaj L, Little S, Kulhanek K, Magnen M, Bahl K, Gbenedio OM, Prinz M, Rodriguez L, Andersen C, Rao AA, Shen A, Lone JC, Lupin-Jimenez LC, Bonser LR, Serwas NK, Mick E, Khalid MM, Taha TY, Kumar R, Li JZ, Ding VW, Matsumoto S, Maishan M, Sreekumar B, Simoneau C, Nazarenko I, Tomlinson MG, Khan K, von Gottberg A, Sigal A, Looney MR, Fragiadakis GK, Jablons DM, Langelier CR, Matthay M, Krummel M, Erle DJ, Combes AJ, Sil A, Ott M, Kratz JR, Roose JP. SARS-CoV-2 infection of airway organoids reveals conserved use of Tetraspanin-8 by Ancestral, Delta, and Omicron variants. Stem Cell Reports. 2023 03 14; 18(3):636-653.  View on PubMed
  4. Lee JC, Liu S, Wang Y, Liang Y, Jablons DM. MK256 is a novel CDK8 inhibitor with potent antitumor activity in AML through downregulation of the STAT pathway. Oncotarget. 2022 11 02; 13:1217-1236.  View on PubMed
  5. Kratz JR, Li JZ, Tsui J, Lee JC, Ding VW, Rao AA, Mann MJ, Chan V, Combes AJ, Krummel MF, Jablons DM. Genetic and immunologic features of recurrent stage I lung adenocarcinoma. Sci Rep. 2021 12 08; 11(1):23690.  View on PubMed
  6. Haro GJ, Sheu B, Marcus SG, Sarin A, Campbell L, Jablons DM, Kratz JR. Perioperative Lung Resection Outcomes After Implementation of a Multidisciplinary, Evidence-based Thoracic ERAS Program. Ann Surg. 2021 12 01; 274(6):e1008-e1013.  View on PubMed
  7. Lung J, Chen YC, Lin YC, Li YC, You L, Jablons DM, Mao JH, Yang CT, Hung MS. The effect of cullin 4A on lung cancer cell chemosensitivity to paclitaxel through p33ING1b regulation. Am J Transl Res. 2021; 13(10):11194-11208.  View on PubMed
  8. Gupta AR, Woodard GA, Jablons DM, Mann MJ, Kratz JR. Improved outcomes and staging in non-small-cell lung cancer guided by a molecular assay. Future Oncol. 2021 Dec; 17(34):4785-4795.  View on PubMed
  9. Woodard GA, Kratz JR, Haro G, Gubens MA, Blakely CM, Jones KD, Mann MJ, Jablons DM. Molecular Risk Stratification is Independent of EGFR Mutation Status in Identifying Early-Stage Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients at Risk for Recurrence and Likely to Benefit From Adjuvant Chemotherapy. Clin Lung Cancer. 2021 11; 22(6):587-595.  View on PubMed
  10. Hysenaj L, Little S, Kulhanek K, Gbenedio OM, Rodriguez L, Shen A, Lone JC, Lupin-Jimenez LC, Bonser LR, Serwas NK, Bahl K, Mick E, Li JZ, Ding VW, Matsumoto S, Maishan M, Simoneau C, Fragiadakis G, Jablons DM, Langelier CR, Matthay M, Ott M, Krummel M, Combes AJ, Sil A, Erle DJ, Kratz JR, Roose JP. SARS-CoV-2 infection studies in lung organoids identify TSPAN8 as novel mediator. bioRxiv. 2021 Jun 02.  View on PubMed
  11. Yang YW, Jablons DM, Lemjabbar-Alaoui H. Extracellular sulfatases as potential blood-based biomarkers for early detection of lung cancer. Exp Lung Res. 2021 May-Aug; 47(6):261-279.  View on PubMed
  12. Woodard GA, Fels Elliott DR, Yap A, Haro GJ, Kratz JR, Mann MJ, Jones KD, Jablons DM. Resectability, Recurrence, and Risk Stratification of Giant Solitary Fibrous Tumors in the Thoracic Cavity. Ann Surg Oncol. 2021 Sep; 28(9):4953-4959.  View on PubMed
  13. Li PJ, Roose JP, Jablons DM, Kratz JR. Bioinformatic Approaches to Validation and Functional Analysis of 3D Lung Cancer Models. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Feb 09; 13(4).  View on PubMed
  14. Dai Y, Kyoyama H, Yang YL, Wang Y, Liu S, Wang Y, Mao JH, Xu Z, Uematsu K, Jablons DM, You L. A novel isoform of Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase-2 promotes YAP/TEAD transcriptional activity in NSCLC cells. Oncotarget. 2021 Feb 02; 12(3):173-184.  View on PubMed
  15. Yang YW, Phillips JJ, Jablons DM, Lemjabbar-Alaoui H. Development of novel monoclonal antibodies and immunoassays for sensitive and specific detection of SULF1 endosulfatase. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj. 2021 02; 1865(2):129802.  View on PubMed
  16. Yang YW, Marrufo A, Chase J, Woodard GA, Jablons DM, Lemjabbar-Alaoui H. Ponatinib is a potential therapeutic approach for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Exp Lung Res. 2021 02; 47(1):9-25.  View on PubMed
  17. Wu SY, Lazar AA, Gubens MA, Blakely CM, Gottschalk AR, Jablons DM, Jahan TM, Wang VEH, Dunbar TL, Wong ML, Chan JW, Guthrie W, Belkora J, Yom SS. Evaluation of a National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines-Based Decision Support Tool in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 09 01; 3(9):e209750.  View on PubMed
  18. Maynard A, McCoach CE, Rotow JK, Harris L, Haderk F, Kerr DL, Yu EA, Schenk EL, Tan W, Zee A, Tan M, Gui P, Lea T, Wu W, Urisman A, Jones K, Sit R, Kolli PK, Seeley E, Gesthalter Y, Le DD, Yamauchi KA, Naeger DM, Bandyopadhyay S, Shah K, Cech L, Thomas NJ, Gupta A, Gonzalez M, Do H, Tan L, Bacaltos B, Gomez-Sjoberg R, Gubens M, Jahan T, Kratz JR, Jablons D, Neff N, Doebele RC, Weissman J, Blakely CM, Darmanis S, Bivona TG. Therapy-Induced Evolution of Human Lung Cancer Revealed by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing. Cell. 2020 09 03; 182(5):1232-1251.e22.  View on PubMed
  19. Lemjabbar-Alaoui H, Peto CJ, Yang YW, Jablons DM. AMXI-5001, a novel dual parp1/2 and microtubule polymerization inhibitor for the treatment of human cancers. Am J Cancer Res. 2020; 10(8):2649-2676.  View on PubMed
  20. Hsu PC, Yang CT, Jablons DM, You L. The Crosstalk between Src and Hippo/YAP Signaling Pathways in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Cancers (Basel). 2020 May 26; 12(6).  View on PubMed

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