Damon Runyon Researchers

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Rodrigo Gier, PhD

Drug therapies that selectively target proteins that drive the growth of tumor cells are rapidly becoming the standard of care for many cancers. However, tumors are often able to evade inhibition by targeted anti-cancer drugs by activating other proteins, leading to drug resistance. Dr. Gier [HHMI Fellow] is developing a new therapeutic approach that repurposes existing drugs to release highly toxic cargoes, known as payloads, that aggregate in drug-resistant cancer cells and kill them. As a general platform, it is applicable to a wide range of solid and liquid cancers. Dr. Gier received his PhD from University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and his BA from Swarthmore College, Swarthmore. 

Project title: "Targeted chemical aggregation as a general strategy to overcome cancer drug resistance"
Institution: University of California, San Francisco
Named Award: HHMI Fellow
Award Program: Fellow
Sponsor(s) / Mentor(s): Kevan M. Shokat, PhD
Cancer Type: Blood, Other Cancer, Lung
Research Area: Chemical Biology