Albert B. Deisseroth, MD, PhD

2008-2009 BCRF Project:
The Deisseroth Laboratory has opened at UCLA a phase I trial of a new breast cancer vaccine that attaches MUC-1, which promotes metastasis and chemotherapy resistance and is a marker for the breast cancer stem cell, to the CD40 ligand. The CD40L signal is not expressed on the activated CD4 helper T cells in individuals above the age of 55, when most breast cancer occurs. Thus, in contrast to most vaccines, which induce a weak response in older people, this vaccine may induce a potent immune response in older breast cancer patients.

This vaccine has been shown to induce regressions of existing breast cancer in laboratory models in which there is tolerance of the breast cancer and which have been genetically engineered to develop spontaneous cancer. The phase I trial is open to women who have relapsed after initial therapy, and only achieved a partial response to salvage therapy. This is the first cancer vaccine to be tested against the breast cancer stem cell, and the first one to be engineered to work in the older age groups. As such, it may dramatically reduce the recurrence rate after surgery and radiation therapy, and be active at the time of recurrence.

Bio:
Dr. Albert Deisseroth is best known for the development of new directions in the treatment of leukemias and solid tumors through the use of molecular targeting and genetic therapy. He has also been active in the development of new targeting and genetic modification techniques for the treatment of solid tumors. This work has led to a cancer vaccine that can induce T cell mediated immunity against tumor associated antigens for up to a year in animal models. This work has also led to vectors which can target chemotherapy so as to decrease toxicity and increase the efficacy of combination chemotherapy. Currently he is launching a vector mediated tumor vascular targeting trial for breast cancer among other malignancies.

Dr. Deisseroth is currently the President and CEO of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in San Diego, CA. Dr. Deisseroth received his M.D. in 1970 and Ph.D. in 1968 from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, New York. He completed his internship and residency at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston and was a Fellow in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Following several years of training at the NIH and at the Dana Farber Cancer Center, Dr. Deisseroth joined the Pediatric Oncology Branch of the NCI as Head of the Experiment Hematology Section.

Other positions held by Dr. Deisseroth include: Ensign Professor of Medicine, Chief of Medical Oncology, and Associate Director of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University School of Medicine, the Anderson Professor of Cancer Treatment and Research and Chairman of the Department of Hematology at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Professor of Medicine at UCSF and Chief of the Medical Oncology/Hematology Division at the San Francisco VAMC.