Research Interests:
- Small molecule inhibitors of cell cycle regulated kinases as therapeutic targets
- Developing personalized approaches to sequencing chemotherapeutic agents for patients with refractory leukemias
Biography
I have more than 20 years' experience in the field of hematologic malignancies. In August 2020, I joined Cellectis, Inc. as Senior Vice President of Clinical Sciences, where I was responsible for Cellectis’ clinical leadership, including the clinical development strategy of the company’s immune-oncology UCART (allogeneic CAR T-cell) product candidates. In September 2022, I was appointed Cellectis’ Chief Medical Officer and oversaw clinical research and development of Cellectis’ UCART clinical trial programs.
Prior to joining Cellectis, I was Executive Medical Director, Program Lead, Global Clinical Research and Development at Celgene/Bristol-Myers Squibb and was responsible for the oversight and management of several of Celgene’s sponsored programs in the hematology therapeutic area including global lead of the enasidenib program that resulted in FDA approval for relapsed AML patients with IDH2 mutations.
Before joining Celgene, I spent more than 16 years as a physician-scientist specializing in hematologic malignancies in academia at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Columbia University Medical Center, where I was a member of the adult Leukemia Service and Experimental Therapeutics Center at both institutions. At Columbia University, from 2013 – 2018, I also served as the Director of Research for the Hematologic Malignancies.
I have been involved in various initiatives, including mentoring undergraduate students in the laboratory during the summer months and guiding them toward successful careers in science and medicine. I also provided direct supervision and mentorship both in the clinic and the laboratory to medical students, interns, residents, and fellows at Columbia University, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Positions
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Senior Vice President, Clinical Research
- Professor of Oncology
- Associate Director, Clinical Investigation
- Department of Medicine
Background
Education and Training
- 1997 - MD - The University of Chicago, Chicago IL
- 1994 - PhD - Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago IL
- 1987 - MA and BA - Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Residency
- 1997 - 1999 - Internal Medicine - The Osler Medical Service, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Fellowship
- 1999 - 2002 - Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Board Certification
- American Board of Internal Medicine - Medical Oncology
Professional Memberships
- 2024-Present - American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy
- 2002-Present - American Association for Cancer Research
- 2002-Present - American Society of Clinical Oncology
- 2002-Present - American Society of Hematology
- 2018-Present - European Hematology Association
Honors & Awards
- 2011- 777 (Cdc7 inhibitor) chosen for and funded by the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP)
- 2003-2005 - Recipient of the General Motors Cancer Research Scholars Award
- 2002 - Recipient of the AACR Anna D. Barker Fellowship in Basic Cancer Research.
- 2000 - Fellowship to attend the AACR workshop on Molecular Biology in Clinical Oncology, Aspen, CO
- 1997 - The Franklin McLean Medical Student Research Award, The University of Chicago
- 1996-1997 - The Francis L. Lederer Foundation M.D.-Ph.D. Scholar, The University of Chicago
- 1988-1996 - NIH M.D.-Ph.D. fellowship in Growth and Development, The University of Chicago
- 1986-1987 - Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research Grant
- 1985-1987 - Washington University Windeggar Scholar
- 1983-1987 - James L. and Nellie M. Westlake Scholar
Publications
DiNardo CD, Schuh AC, Stein EM, Montesinos P, Wei AH, de Botton S, Zeidan AM, Fathi AT, Kantarjian HM, Bennett JM, Frattini MG, Martin-Regueira P, Lersch F, Gong J, Hasan M, Vyas P, Döhner H. Enasidenib plus azacitidine versus azacitidine alone in patients with newly diagnosed, mutant-IDH2 acute myeloid leukaemia (AG221-AML-005): a single-arm, phase 1b and randomised, phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2021 Nov;22(11):1597-1608. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00494-0. Epub 2021 Oct 18.PMID: 34672961
Jones MJK, Gelot C, Munk S, Koren A, Kawasoe Y, George KA, Santos RE, Olsen JV, McCarroll SA, Frattini MG, Takahashi TS, Jallepalli PV. Human DDK rescues stalled forks and counteracts checkpoint inhibition at unfired origins to complete DNA replication. Mol Cell. 2021 Feb 4;81(3):426- 441.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.01.004.PMID: 33545059
Stein EM, Fathi AT, DiNardo CD, Pollyea DA, Roboz GJ, Collins R, Sekeres MA, Stone RM, Attar EC, Frattini MG, Tosolini A, Xu Q, See WL, MacBeth KJ, de Botton S, Tallman MS, Kantarjian HM. Enasidenib in patients with mutant IDH2 myelodysplastic syndromes: a phase 1 subgroup analysis of the multicenter, AG221-C-001 trial. Lancet Haematol. 2020 Apr;7(4):e309-e319. doi: 10.1016/S2352- 3026(19)30284-4. Epub 2020 Mar 5.PMID: 32145771
Menolfi, D., Jiang, W., Lee, B.J., Moiseeva, T., Shao, Z., Estes, V., Frattini, M.G., Bakkenist, C.J., Zha, S. Kinase-dead ATR differs from ATR loss by limiting the dynamic exchange of ATR and RPA. Nat Commun. 2018 Dec 17; 9(1): 5351.
DiNardo CD, Pratz KW, Letai A, Jonas BA, Wei AH, Thirman M, Arellano M, Frattini MG, Kantarjian H, Popovic R, Chyla B, Xu T, Dunbar M, Agarwal SK, Humerickhouse R, Mabry M, Potluri J, Konopleva M, Pollyea DA. Safety and preliminary efficacy of venetoclax with decitabine or azacitidine in elderly patients with previously untreated acute myeloid leukaemia: a non-randomised, open-label, phase 1b study. Lancet Oncol. 2018 Feb; 19(2):216-228