I am a board-certified medical oncologist focused on the development of novel molecular targeted agents, with a special emphasis in breast cancer. In my clinical practice I care for women with all stages of breast cancer, and I serve as the Physician-in-Chief at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
I have devoted over 20 years of my career to the development of therapies against the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and the closely related HER2 receptor. In the field of anti-HER2 therapies, I was the lead investigator in the first publication that demonstrated clinical activity of the anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin® ) in patients with advanced HER2 over expressing breast cancer. I continue to lead state-of-the-art world-wide clinical trials with trastuzumab including in the neo-adjuvant and adjuvant setting. In the laboratory , I reported the synergy between paclitaxel and trastuzumab that lead to the registration clinical trial. We have also been able to identify a number of mechanisms of resistance to anti-HER2 agents. Some of them including p95HER2 and hyper-activation of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway are therapeutic targets themselves and we are exploring them. Our latest work includes the clinical development of novel anti-HER2 antibodies such as pertuzumab (Perjeta) that have shown to improve the disease free survival and the overall survival in the first line setting. I am currently the principal investigator of the adjuvant clinical trial with pertuzumab. In addition I led the early clinical trials and the pivotal study that lead to the approval of everolimus (Affinitor) in the treatment of patients with hormone receptor positive breast cancer.
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Before returning to Memorial Sloan Kettering, I led the Vall d´Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, Spain, a comprehensive cancer center with a large multidisciplinary research program including the largest phase I program for new cancer therapies in Europe. Thereafter I moved to the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to become Chief of the Hematology/Oncology Division and Associate Director of the Massachusetts General Cancer Center. At Massachusetts General, I focused on implementation of strategic plans promoting growth of patient volume and an unparalleled expansion of the phase I program including the creation of a new state of the art facility
As Physician-in-Chief at Memorial Sloan Kettering, I oversee the clinical component of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. My responsibilities include the management of patient care delivery in Memorial Hospital as well as at Memorial Sloan Kettering’s clinics and regional sites. I am also focused on implementing the clinical strategic planning and in charge of enhancing Memorial Sloan Kettering’s clinical and translational research.
