J. Silvio Gutkind

Associate Director, Basic ScienceJ. Silvio Gutkind received his Ph.D. in Pharmacy and Biochemistry from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was trained as a post-doctoral fellow at the NIMH and NCI, and joined the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), NIH, where he is currently the Chief of the Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Branch. Dr. Gutkind is a national and international leader in the study of basic signal transduction mechanisms in cancer. He is recognized for his pioneering research aimed at unraveling the complexity of the intracellular signaling circuitry by which cell surface receptors and Rho GTPases control the nuclear expression of growth promoting genes, thereby promoting normal and malignant growth. His recent studies have addressed the role of mutant G proteins and G protein coupled receptors in cancer initiation, with emphasis on ocular melanoma, colon and skin cancer, and AIDS-malignancies. His multidisciplinary team has also made outstanding contributions to the study of the aberrant signaling circuitries driving head and neck cancer progression, including the seminal finding that most head and neck cancer lesions display persistent activation of the PI3K–AKT–mTOR pathway. His team is now exploiting the emerging information for the development of novel mechanism-based anti-cancer therapies. In particular, Dr. Gutkind is currently leading a multi-institutional effort aimed at exploring the clinical benefits of treating new...
Source: PHRMA - Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Source Type: news