Center of Excellence in Brain Tumor Research and Therapeutic Development (est. 2019)
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor. Unfortunately, GBM uniformly becomes resistant to treatment. Research from this Center of Excellence seeks to overcome the therapeutic resistance commonly associated with GBM by targeting elements of the tumor microenvironment that enable cancer cells to grow and spread.
Justin Lathia, PhD
Director
Lerner Research Institute - Cardiovascular & Metabolic Sciences
Center of Excellence in Epilepsy and its Comorbidities (est. 2019)
Epilepsy is a neurological condition that is associated with major cognitive and psychiatric comorbidities, increased risk of death and billions in annual healthcare costs. While there are antiepileptic drugs on the market and surgical therapies available, current diagnostic techniques make it difficult to discern which patients will be sensitive or resistant to these treatments. This Center of Excellence aims to identify genetic and other biomarkers that can guide epilepsy treatment.
Center of Excellence in Innate Inflammatory Targets for Therapeutic Intervention in Alzheimer's Disease (est. 2019)
Nearly six million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia. Researchers have made significant advances in identifying and understanding pathological hallmarks of the disease, as well as factors that increase disease risk, including genetics. This new Center of Excellence will investigate the role variants of the APOE and TREM2 genes play in Alzheimer’s-associated inflammation and potential therapeutic targets.
Center of Excellence in Gynecologic Cancer Research (est. 2018)
Gynecologic cancers, including endometrial and ovarian cancers, are a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. The ability of gynecologic tumors to adapt to and evade treatment is a major factor contributing to the poor outcomes and survival that many patients face. This Center of Excellence aims to develop strategies to overcome this lethal resistance.
Ofer Reizes, PhD
Director
Lerner Research Institute - Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Peter G. Rose, MD
Director
OBGYN & Women's Health Institute - Obstetrics and Gynecology
Justin D. Lathia, PhD
Lerner Research Institute - Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Neurological Institute - Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center
Center of Excellence in Lymphoid Malignancies Research (est. 2018)
This Center of Excellence seeks to uncover the mechanisms that drive resistance to treatments for blood cancers, specifically lymphocyte cancers like lymphoma and certain types of leukemia. The center will support projects to investigate the molecular mechanisms that underlie therapeutic resistance and disease relapse, develop novel cellular immunotherapies and analyze physiological outcomes of novel therapies using patient samples.
Neetu Gupta, PhD
Director
Lerner Research Institute - Inflammation & Immunity
Pediatric Institute - Pediatric Hematology Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Alexandru Almasan, PhD
Lerner Research Institute - Cancer Biology
Taussig Cancer Institute - Radiation Oncology
Eric D. Hsi, MD
Robert J. Tomsich Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Institute - Laboratory Medicine and Pathology,
Taussig Cancer Institute - Translational Hematology and Oncology Research
Matt E. Kalaycio, MD
Taussig Cancer Institute - Hematology and Medical Oncology
Lerner Research Institute - Cancer Biology
Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute - Transplantation Center
Daniel J. Lindner, MD, PhD
Taussig Cancer Institute - Translational Hematology and Oncology Research
Lerner Research Institute - Cancer Biology
Center of Excellence in Cardiovascular Translational Functional Genomics (est. 2017)
While many patients have familial cardiovascular conditions, genetic testing is not always used effectively in the clinical setting. This Center of Excellence aims to identify and address clinical gaps that could enhance personalized care. The team plans to accomplish this by expanding whole genome or exome sequencing for patients, using patient-derived cells to discover new disease mechanisms and providing personalized drug library screening. Studies will focus on arrhythmias, heart failure, and aortic, vascular or valve diseases.
Linda Graham, MD
Lerner Research Institute -Department of Biomedical Engineering
Center of Excellence in Ex-Vivo Liver Perfusion Research (est. 2017)
Ex-vivo organ perfusion (EVOP), pioneered at Cleveland Clinic, is rapidly emerging as a potentially superior preservation technology over cold storage in clinical transportation. To date, 10 patients have received successful transplants using EVOP. The goal of this Center of Excellence is to advance basic and clinical liver preservation research and establish the world’s first clinical “organ ICU.” Since liver transplantation remains the only chance of a cure for end-stage liver disease, improving transplant organ quality is critical for caring for these patients and will help close the gap between patient need and available organs.
Center of Excellence in Liver Tumor Research (est. 2017)
Current treatments for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer, do not work for all patients and only offer a modest benefit. This Center of Excellence team focuses on obesity-driven HCC. The diverse group of experts has developed a biorepository of patient-derived tissues, which will be used for testing investigational drugs in preclinical models. Several novel therapeutic targets have already been identified and drug discovery efforts continue.
Center of Excellence in Precision Radiotherapy Research (est. 2017)
More than 50 percent of patients with cancer receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment. However, radiation is still delivered in a “one size fits all” manner. The goal of this Center of Excellence is to bring radiotherapy into the era of personalized medicine by identifying genetic markers of radiotherapy resistance and uncovering how heterogeneity within tumors affects radiotherapy efficacy. The long-term goal is to develop novel, individualized therapeutic strategies to increase the cure rate for lung cancer.
Center of Excellence in Translational Therapies for Post-Stroke Rehabilitation (est. 2017)
The main goal of this Center of Excellence is to identify and evaluate new approaches to enhance stroke recovery for patients with motor and cognitive deficits by bridging the divide between preclinical research and clinical trials. Projects include developing a novel preclinical model of ischemic stroke and applying functional MRI to characterize brain changes, improving measures of post-stroke clinical assessment, and combining brain stimulation with directed rehabilitation.
Jay Alberts, PhD
Lerner Research Institute -Department of Biomedical Engineering,Concussion Center
Center of Excellence in Cancer Thrombosis Research (est. 2016)
Cancer-associated thrombosis (blood clot formation) occurs in approximately one-fifth of all cancer patients and remains the second leading cause of death in hospitalized and ambulatory cases. Research suggests that several forms of cancer as well as some cancer treatments, such as certain types of chemotherapies, increase the risk of blood clots, which cause death by blocking or obstructing blood flow in the body and preventing vital organs from receiving oxygen and nutrients. The goal of this Center of Excellence is to better define thrombus development in patients with cancer, test the efficacy of novel therapies, develop new preclinical models, and create and expand biorepositories to provide a valuable resource to researchers across Cleveland Clinic.
Keith McCrae, MD
Director
Lerner Research Institute - Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Taussig Cancer Institute - Hematology and Oncology
Thomas McIntyre, PhD
Heart and Vascular Institute (Miller Family) - Cardiovascular Medicine
Lerner Research Institute - Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Center of Excellence in Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia Research (est. 2016)
Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a type of cancer that occurs when the blood contains an abnormally high amount of white blood cells. Affecting approximately three in 100,000 Americans each year, CMML is a rare disease that generally affects older adults and is found in more men than women. Currently, the cause of CMML remains unknown and treatment options are limited. This Center of Excellence aims to improve the management of CMML and develop curative therapies for the disease. Initial projects further examine recently discovered mutations that are found in more than 80 percent of CMML patients. These projects are exploring therapeutic options, including developing targeted gene therapies and novel epigenetic therapies.
Jaroslaw Maciejewski, MD, PhD
Director
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute - Laboratory Medicine
Taussig Cancer Institute - Hematology and Oncology; Translational Hematology and Oncology Research
Yogen Saunthararajah, MD
Taussig Cancer Institute - Hematology and Oncology; Translational Hematology and Oncology Research
Mikkael Sekeres, MD, MS
Taussig Cancer Institute - Hematology and Oncology; Translational Hematology and Oncology Research
Center of Excellence in Colon Cancer Metastasis Research (est. 2016)
With awareness increasing and colonoscopy widely available, colorectal cancer can be a preventable disease. However, for the 20-30 percent of patients who develop metastatic disease, the discovery of new treatment options is critical. In patients whose colon cancer has spread (most often to the liver), current treatments extend life by, at most, less than two years.
To help combat this problem, this Center of Excellence harnesses expertise from research and clinical areas of Cleveland Clinic to understand the causes of colon cancer metastasis and to improve prevention, treatment and, ultimately, patient outcomes. The center is undertaking several projects, including examining colon cancer’s cellular microenvironment, reversing the effects of angiogenesis and understanding how genetic changes may make colon cancer cells more aggressive in some individuals and how those changes may be reversed.
Emina Huang, MD
Director
Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute - Colorectal Surgery
Lerner Research Institute - Department of Cancer Biology
Paul Fox, PhD
Heart and Vascular Institute (Miller Family) - Cardiovascular Medicine
Lerner Research Institute - Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Matthew Kalady, MD
Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute - Colorectal Surgery
Lerner Research Institute - Department of Cancer Biology
Medicine Institute - Center for Geriatric Medicine Taussig Cancer Institute
Christiano Quintini, MD
Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute - General Surgery; Transplantation Center
Lerner Research Institute - Immunology
Angela Ting, PhD
Lerner Research Institute - Genomic Medicine Institute
Taussig Cancer Institute
Center of Excellence in Prostate Cancer Research (est. 2015)
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in American men with about 1 in 7 men being diagnosed during in his lifetime. The majority of men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from the disease. However, those who do (nearly 30,000 each year) develop aggressive tumors that grow and spread rapidly, sometimes even after radical surgery to remove all cancerous tissue. The goal of this Center of Excellence is to better understand lethal prostate cancer in order to identify treatments that will improve patient care and survival.
Nima Sharifi, MD
Director
Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute - Urology
Lerner Research Institute - Cancer Biology
Taussig Cancer Institute-Hematology and Oncology
Eric Klein, MD
Director
Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute - Urology
Lerner Research Institute - Cancer Biology
Taussig Cancer Institute-Hematology and Oncology
Jorge Garcia, MD
Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute - Urology
Taussig Cancer Institute - Hematology and Oncology
Andrei Purysko, MD
Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute - Urology Taussig Cancer
Institute - Hematology and Oncology
Robert Silverman, PhD
Lerner Research Institute - Cancer Biology
Taussig Cancer Institute-Hematology and Oncology
Angela Ting, PhD
Lerner Research Institute - Genomic Medicine Institute
Taussig Cancer Institute
Center of Excellence in Pulmonary Vascular Disease Research (est. 2015)
Pulmonary vascular diseases (PVD) are a diverse group of heart and lung disorders made up of overlapping syndromes that commonly present as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The goal of this Center of Excellence is to better understand the mechanisms of vascular dysfunction that lead to PVD, including the various forms of PAH, and to develop new targets and strategies for individualized therapies. To achieve this goal, the center’s clinical and basic investigators are engaging in four distinct yet synergistic projects: 1) identifying mechanisms of abnormal cell proliferation, 2) examining the role of thrombosis in the development of PAH, 3) studying the role of nitric oxide deficiency in PAH, and 4) testing two existing drugs to restore lost cellular function due to a genetic mutation related to PAH.
Raed Dweik, MD
Director
Lerner Research Institute - Pathobiology
Professional Staff Affairs - Conflict of Interest
Respiratory Institute - Critical Care Medicine; Pulmonary Medicine
Nicholas Smedira, PhD
Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute - Transplantation Center
Heart and Vascular Institute (Miller Family) - Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Adriano Tonelli, MD
Lerner Research Institute - Pathobiology
Respiratory Institute - Critical Care Medicine; Pulmonary Medicine