Overview of translation oncology

Andrea Sartore-Bianchi is the Director of the Division of Clinical Research and Innovation at Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda in Milano, Italy, and Associate Professor of Oncology at the University of Milano. He received his MD and postgraduate degree in Oncology at the University of Pavia, Italy, and subsequently conducted preclinical research at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.

His main clinical and research interests include precision oncology and the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, particularly colorectal carcinomas, focusing on biomarkers of sensitivity/resistance to targeted therapies. He is principal and co-investigator in Phase I-III clinical trials for solid tumours and carried out initial studies paving the way for the use of RAS and Her2 as tumor tissue/ctDNA biomarkers in colorectal cancer. He has published 200 peer-reviewed articles in various medical journals with a H-index of 62 (Scopus).

Dr. Shubham Pant is a Professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal (GI) Medical Oncology with a joint appointment in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics (Phase I Center) at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Pant is recognised as an international expert in GI cancers with an emphasis on pancreatic and biliary cancers and Phase 1 trials.

Dr. Pant's research focuses on novel immunotherapeutic approaches and targeted therapies in GI cancers, including devising novel ways to target the KRAS mutation. He has been the lead/co-lead of several global practice-changing studies, including 'Zanidatamab for HER2-amplified, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancer (HERIZON-BTC-01): a multicenter, single-arm, phase 2b study'; 'Adagrasib in advanced solid tumors harboring a KRASG12C mutation' and 'Erdafitinib in patients with advanced solid tumors with FGFR alterations (RAGNAR): an international, single-arm, phase 2 study'; amongst others. He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has published in high-impact journals, including The Lancet, Lancet Oncology, and Journal of Clinical Oncology. He is frequently invited to present his research at national and international meetings. He collaborates on numerous grants, including R01 and SPORE grants funded by the National Institute of Health. Dr. Pant serves on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pancreas Task Force and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's (PanCan) Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. He also helped draft the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Guidelines, which provide evidence-based recommendations for physicians. He is also the editor of the book Pancreatic Cancer: Current Therapeutics and Future Directions (Publisher: Springer).