Overview of translation oncology

Dr Andrea Sartore-Bianchi is head of Clinical Molecular Oncology at the Department of Hematology & Oncology, Niguarda Cancer Center, Milano, Italy. He completed his medical degree at the University of Pavia in 1999, and undertook specialist training at IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo. After completing his doctoral studies, he conducted preclinical research at the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Cancer Therapeutics in the Department of Medicine at Brown University, Rhode Island, USA. Dr Sartore-Bianchi’s main clinical and research interests include the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, particularly colorectal carcinomas, focusing on biomarkers of sensitivity/resistance to molecular-targeted therapies and on the epidermal growth factor receptor signal transduction pathway. He is principal and co-investigator in Phase I-II-III clinical trials for gastrointestinal malignancies, and first author of research articles in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research and PLoS One. Currently, he is adjunct Professor for the School of Specialization in Oncology and Pharmacology at the University of Milano. He has been listed among the top 30 authors of primary research papers on cancer.

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).