Dean Tang

PhD

Research Interests:

Stem cell development Cancer stem cells Cancer cell heterogeneity Prostate cancer Non-coding RNAs and Epigenetics Experimental therapeutics

About Dean Tang

Biography:

Dean Tang, PhD, was trained as a Pathologist and is currently Professor & Chair in Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. I am also the Co-Leader of the CCSG Developmental Therapeutics (DT) Program and Chair of the Experimental Therapeutics (ET) Graduate Program. I also hold the George Decker Endowed Chair in Developmental Therapeutics. My Master of Science research (1986-1989), conducted in Dr. Hong-Shen Tian’s laboratory in Wuhan University School of Medicine (China), focused on establishing lung cancer metastasis models. To continue my research on cancer metastasis, I pursued my PhD Thesis Research in Dr. Kenneth V. Honn’s lab at Wayne State University (WSU, Detroit, MI, USA) in 1989 to study the roles of integrin receptors and eicosanoids in mediating and regulating tumor cell – extracellular matrix interactions, and tumor cell invasion and dissemination. I obtained my PhD in Cancer Biology in May of 1994.


In 1998, I was awarded a Burroughs-Wellcome Hitchings-Elion post-doctoral fellowship to study oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) development in Dr. Martin Raff’s lab in Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory for Molecular & Cellular Biology (LMCB) of University College London (UCL, UK). I returned to the U.S in June of 2000 to join as a faculty in Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis at the University of Texas M.D Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) till end of May in 2016, when I was recruited to Roswell Park as the Chair of Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics.


For the past 20 years (since 2002), my colleagues and I have been applying the knowledge of normal stem cell biology to elucidate the fundamental biological principles that govern the generation of tumor cell heterogeneity via cancer stem cells (CSCs) and of cancer cell plasticity via epigenetic mechanisms. By focusing on prostate cancer (PCa), the lab has characterized the biological and tumorigenic properties and identified novel molecular regulators of prostate CSCs (PCSCs). Our recent work on PCa cell AR heterogeneity has been translated into a phase I/IIb clinical trial (NCT03751436; Chatta, PI) that treats mCRPC patients with a combination of enzalutamide and the FDA-approved BCL-2 specific inhibitor Venetoclax.

Positions

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Professor of Oncology
  • George Decker Endowed Chair in Developmental Therapeutics
  • Chair, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics
  • Co-Leader, CCSG Developmental Therapeutics Program
  • Director, Experimental Therapeutics PhD Track

Background

Education and Training:

  • 1994 - PhD - Cancer Biology - Wayne State University Medical School, Detroit, MI
  • 1986-1989 - MS - Cancer Biology - Wuhan University School of Medicine, Wuhan, China

Residency:

  • Oncological Pathology - Wuhan, China

Fellowship:

  • 1998-2000 – Postdoctoral Fellow – MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, London

Professional Experience:

  • 2016 - present - Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY
  • 2000-2016 - Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas M.D Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Honors & Awards:

  • 2021 - George Decker Endowed Chair in Developmental Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • 2021 - Co-organizer, the Keystone eSymposia, ‘Stem Cells and Cancer’
  • 2016 - Fellow of AAAS (American Association of Advancement of Science)
  • 2014 - The Spandidos Publications Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement
  • 2013 - Keynote Speaker, “Cancer Stem Cells: The Mechanisms of Radioresistance and Biomarker Discover Symposium,” Dresden, Germany
  • 2012 - Sanofi - Cell Research Outstanding Review Paper Award
  • 2007 - The Robert M. Chamberlain Distinguished Mentor Award, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
  • 2003-2007 - American Cancer Society (ACS) Research Scholar
  • 1998-2002 - Burroughs Wellcome Fund Hitchings-Elion Award

Research

Research Overview:

Our lab research aims to elucidate the fundamental biological principles that govern the generation of tumor cell heterogeneity via cancer stem cells (CSCs) and cancer cell plasticity via epigenetic mechanisms, and to take our newly gained knowledge to translate to the clinic. By focusing on prostate cancer (PCa), we have characterized the biological and tumorigenic properties and identified novel molecular regulators of prostate cancer stem cells (PCSCs). We have recently shown that PCa cell heterogeneity, especially heterogeneity in AR expression, has a great impact on PCa cell response to clinical therapies. This line of research has been translated to a phase I/IIb clinical trial (NCT03751436; Chatta, PI) that treats mCRPC patients with a combination of enzalutamide and the only FDA-approved BCL-2 specific inhibitor venetoclax. The lab has several inter-connected research projects.

1. Investigate normal prostate epithelial cell heterogeneity & hierarchy and PCa cell(s)-of-origin
2. Elucidate PCa cell heterogeneity and plasticity: Roles in therapy resistance, relapse & metastasis
3. Uncover molecular regulators and therapeutic targets of PCSCs and CRPC
4. Dissect PCa cell heterogeneity and immunity & PCa cell coevolution with the TME
5. Develop novel therapeutics and therapeutic combinations to tackle PCa heterogeneity and plasticity

 

Pharmacology and Therapeutics Lab Members:

  • Rahul Kumar
  • Jason Kirk
  • Amanda Tracz
  • Wen (Jess) Li
  • Anmbreen Jamroze
  • Xiaozhuo(Dalton) Liu
  • Ruifang(Nancy) Liu
  • Moyi Wang
  • Shan Wu
  • Emily Dougherty

Featured on Cancer Talk


Publications

Full Publications list on PubMed

Representative Publications: