Cancers Treated:
Specializing In:
Cellular immunotherapy in genitourinary cancers Novel therapies in bladder cancer Drug resistance in advanced prostate cancer Immunooncology approaches in metastatic kidney cancerResearch Interests:
Immunooncology and drug development in genitourinary cancersAbout Dharmesh Gopalakrishnan
Biography:
I am a board-certified medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of genitourinary malignancies, including those of the bladder, prostate, and kidney. My interest in genitourinary cancers crystallized during medical oncology and hematology fellowship training at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. After receiving my medical degree from the Government Medical College in Kozhikode, India, I completed internal medicine residencies at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India, and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH. My research interests include drug development and novel immuno-oncologic approaches, with current focus on leveraging cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of refractory genitourinary cancers. I am currently the principal investigator at Roswell Park for multiple clinical trials in bladder and upper urinary tract cancers.
Positions
- Assistant Professor of Oncology
- Department of Medicine, Genitourinary
- Hematology/Medical Oncology Fellowship Associate Program Director
Background
Education and Training:
- 2000-2006, University of Calicut, Kozhikode, India
Residency:
- 2012-2015 - Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH
- 2007-2010 - Internal Medicine - Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
Fellowship:
- 2018-2021 - Hematology and Medical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY
Board Certification:
- Medical Oncology
- Hematology
Professional Memberships:
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Association for Cancer Research
- Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer
- European Society of Medical Oncology
Professional Experience:
- 2010-2011 - Senior Resident - Hematology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
- 2015-2018 - Clinical Assistant Professor - Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH,
Honors & Awards:
- 2021 - Dr. Gerald L. Logue Memorial Award
- 2021 - Thomas Frawley Research Fellowship Award, University at Buffalo
- 2021 - Conquer Cancer Foundation Merit Award, ASCO Annual Meeting
- 2020 - Nominee to NCCN Fellows’ Program: New Horizons in Quality Cancer Care
- 2019-2021 - Administrative Fellow for Medical Oncology and Hematology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute,
- 2019-2020 - Nominee to Resident Committee, University at Buffalo
- 2015 - Second Place, Medical Jeopardy, American College of Physicians, National Meeting
- 2014 - Gold Medal, Medical Jeopardy, American College of Physicians, Ohio Chapter
- 2013-2014 - Cleveland Clinic Educational Foundation Recognition for Excellence in Teaching
- 2006 - First rank, National PGIMER residency entrance examination, India
Clinical Trials
Publications
Gopalakrishnan D, Jain RK, Herbst L, Sikorski M, Mandava S, Azabdaftari G, Xu B, LeVea C, Robillard K, Ernstoff MS, George S. Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced exuberant tumor inflammation with accelerated clinical deterioration in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Front Oncol. 2021 Apr 29;11:679177
Gopalakrishnan D, Elsayed AS, Hussein AA, Jing Z, Li Q, Wagner AA, Aboumohamed A, Roupret M, Balbay D, Wijburg C, Stockle M, Dasgupta P, Khan MS, Wiklund P, Hosseini A, Peabody J, Shigemura K, Trump D, Guru KA, Chatta G. Impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on survival and recurrence patterns after robot-assisted radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Results from the International Robotic Cystectomy Consortium. Int J Urol. 2021 Dec 19. doi: 10.1111/iju.14749.
Gopalakrishnan D, Koshkin VS, Ornstein MC, Papatsoris A, Grivas P. Immune checkpoint inhibitors in urothelial cancer: recent updates and future outlook. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2018 Jun 5;14:1019-1040. doi: 10.2147/TCRM.S158753. PMID: 29892196; PMCID: PMC5993034.
Agarwal N, Pal SK, Hahn AW, Nussenzveig RH, Pond GR, Gupta SV, Wang J, Bilen MA, Naik G, Ghatalia P, Hoimes CJ, Gopalakrishnan D, Barata PC, Drakaki A, Faltas BM, Kiedrowski LA, Lanman RB, Nagy RJ, Vogelzang NJ, Boucher KM, Vaishampayan UN, Sonpavde G, Grivas P. Characterization of metastatic urothelial carcinoma via comprehensive genomic profiling of circulating tumor DNA. Cancer. 2018 May 15;124(10):2115-2124. doi: 10.1002/cncr.31314. Epub 2018 Mar 8. PMID: 29517810; PMCID: PMC6857169.
Gopalakrishnan D, Kirk J, Davis J, George S, Levine EG, Beumer JH, Appleman LJ, Tang D, and Chatta GS. A phase Ib trial of enzalutamide with venetoclax in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) - Trial in Progress. J Clin Onc 2020 38:15_suppl.