Amato J. Giaccia

Jack, Lulu and Sam Willson Professor, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Emeritus

Bio

Professor of Radiation Oncology in the the Division of Radiation & Cancer Biology, Department of Radiation Oncology. He was awarded an American Cancer Society Junior Faculty Research Award and the Michael Fry Award from the Radiation Research Society for his outstanding contributions on understanding the molecular mechanisms of resistance promoted by the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, he was the recipient of the 2013 ASTRO Gold Medal. In 2015, he was awarded an NIH R35 Outstanding Investigator Award and was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine. He co-authored the sixth & seventh editions of the textbook, “Radiation Biology for the Radiologist,” with Professor Eric Hall from Columbia. In addition, he is currently the “Jack, Lulu and Sam Willson Professor in Cancer Biology” in the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Academic Appointments

Emeritus Faculty, Acad Council, Radiation Oncology - Radiation and Cancer Biology
Member, Bio-X
Member, Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI)
Member, Stanford Cancer Institute

Administrative Appointments

Graduate Group in Cancer Biology, Stanford University (1992 - Present)
Graduate Group in Biophysics, Stanford University (1992 - Present)
Assistant Professor, Stanford University, Department of Radiation Oncology (1992 - 1999)
Associate Professor, Stanford University, Department of Radiation Oncology (1999 - 2003)
Associate Professor (by courtesy), Stanford University, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics (2001 - 2003)
Professor, Stanford University, Department of Radiation Oncology (2003 - Present)
Professor (by courtesy), Stanford University, Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics (2003 - Present)
Professor & Division Director, Stanford University, Department of Radiation Oncology, Division of Radiation & Cancer Biology (2004 - 2019)
Director, Program in Cancer Biology, Stanford Cancer Center (2005 - 2017)
Leader, Molecular Therapeutics Program, Stanford Cancer Center (2011 - 2018)
Associate Chair, Research, Stanford University, Department of Radiation Oncology (2011 - 2019)
Associate Director for Basic Science, Stanford Cancer Institute (2012 - 2019)

Honors & Awards

American Cancer Society Junior Faculty Research Award, Stanford University (1995)
Howard Hughes Junior Faculty Award, Stanford University (1996)
Michael Fry Research Awardee of the Radiation Research Society, Radiation Research Society (1997)
John Yuhas Award (Excellence in Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania), University of Pennsylvania (2000)
Virginia Logan Lecture, Thomas Jefferson University (2003)
Jack, Lulu and Sam Willson Endowed Professor of Cancer Biology, Stanford University (2006)
MERIT Award, NIH (2010)
ASTRO Gold Medal, American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (2013)
National Academy of Medicine, NAM (2015)
Outstanding Investigator Award, NIH (2015)
Excellence in Mentoring and Service Award, Stanford Biosciences (2016)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations

Editorial Board, International Journal of Radiation Biology (1995 - 2000)
Associate Editor, Radiation Research, Official Journal of the Radiation Research Society (1998 - 2002)
Associate Editor, International Journal of Radiation Biology (2000 - 2009)
Editorial Board, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics (2000 - 2010)
Associate Editor, Cancer Biology and Therapy (2001 - Present)
Deputy Editor for Reviews and Senior Editor, Molecular Cancer Research (2002 - 2012)
Associate Editor, Cancer Research (2003 - 2012)
Foreign Associate Editor, Journal of Radiation Research, Official Journal of the Japan Radiation Research Society (2004 - 2009)
Editorial Advisory Board, Current Cancer Therapy Reviews (2005 - Present)
Editorial Board, Peer J (2013 - Present)
Editorial Board, Molecular Therapeutics (2015 - Present)
Editorial Board, Scientific Reports (2015 - Present)

Professional Education

Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Pathology/Molecular Biology (1989)
B.A., Lafayette College, Biology (1980)

Current Research and Scholarly Interests

During the last five years, we have identified several small molecules that acted to kill VHL deficient renal cancer cells through a synthetic lethal screening approach. We published on one of the molecules (Cancer Cell 14: 90, 2008) that killed VHL deficient tumor and are performing screens to identify new therapeutics against other targets. Another major interest of my laboratory is in identifying hypoxia-induced genes involved in invasion and metastases. We have identified and characterized several genes that are induced by hypoxia and promote metastases in breast, ovarian, renal and head and neck cancer (Nature 440:1222, 2006, Cancer Cell 15:35, 2009) and are developing therapeutics against them. My group is also investigating how hypoxia regulates gene expression epigenetically through the regulation of histone demethylases and microRNAs.

Clinical Trials

Imaging and Biomarkers of Hypoxia in Solid Tumors Not Recruiting
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Hypoxia, meaning a lack of oxygen, has been associated strongly with a wide range of human cancers. Hypoxia occurs when tumor growth exceeds the ability of blood vessels to supply the tumor with oxygenated blood. It is currently understood that hypoxic tumors are more aggressive. Current methods for measuring hypoxia include invasive procedures such as tissue biopsy, or insertion of an electrode into the tumor. EF5-PET may be a non-invasive way to measure tumor hypoxia.

Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial. For more information, please contact Justin Carter, 650-725-4796.

Lead Sponsor
- Stanford University
Stanford Investigators
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Metabolic Reprogramming Therapy for Treatment of Recurrent Head and Neck Cancers Not Recruiting
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The purpose of this study is to study the effect of the drug DCA (dichloroacetate) on recurrent head and neck cancers. Part of this study will also use EF5 PET scan to study tumor hypoxia.

Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial. For more information, please contact Alice Banh, 650-723-1423.
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
View full details

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Amato J. Giaccia

Jack, Lulu and Sam Willson Professor, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Emeritus

Lead Sponsor

Stanford Investigators

Stanford Investigators

2023-24 Courses

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