Elucidating Biology
Thursday, 08 December 2022
MedChi Hall, Aberdeen
From Elucidating Biology to Changing Cancer Care Through Trials
Professor Johann de Bono, Regius Professor of Cancer Research at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden Hospital.
Professor Johann de Bono, a clinician-scientist. is the Head of the Division of Clinical Studies at the ICR, an independent college of The University of London, and Director of The Royal Marsden Drug Development Unit. He leads The London Movember Prostate Cancer Centre of Excellence and the Royal Marsden Prostate Cancer Targeted Therapies team.
Professor De Bono is a world leader in prostate cancer research, having changed the treatment of prostate cancer multiple times through trials of abiraterone, cabazitaxel, enzalutamide and olaparib. He has led on the clinical development of multiple PARP inhibitors, including talazoparib, niraparib and olaparib; his work on PARP inhibitors for sufferers of advanced prostate resulted in the discovery that germline and somatic DNA repair defects are common in lethal prostate cancer.
His group have also co‐led studies mapping the genomic landscape of advanced prostate cancer, also showing how circulating biomarkers (circulating tumor cells and circulating tumor DNA NGS) can be used for managing these diseases. His work has changed international guidelines on germline testing in men with advanced prostate cancer and has resulted in the first molecular stratification for this commonest of male cancers. He has also led on the clinical development of many other novel agents including the AKT inhibitor ipatasertib, ATR inhibitors, immunoconjugates and radioimmunoconjugates targeting for example PSMA, and multi‐specific antibody constructs.
His group are grateful for grant support from multiple funders including Cancer Research UK and the UK NIHR, including funding to the ICR/RM Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC), Prostate Cancer UK and the Movember Foundation, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the V Foundation for Cancer Research, the John Black Charitable Foundation and the US Department of Defense.