Dr. Albert B. Deisseroth recently joined the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in La Jolla as its president and CEO.
Deisseroth arrived in July from the Yale University School of Medicine, where he was director of the genetic therapy program, chief of the medical oncology and associate director for clinical research of the Yale Cancer Center.
He also is the president of the International Society for Gene Therapy. He was formerly chairman of the Department of Hematology at the Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, chief of hematology/oncology at UC San Francisco’s VA Medical Center, and head of the experimental hematology section (pediatric oncology branch) of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md.
“With Deisseroth’s national reputation in the field of cancer research, the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center will undoubtedly raise the level of already significant research that is being done in the community,” said Michael W. Murphy, president and CEO of Sharp HealthCare, which is affiliated with the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.
Through its affiliation with Sharp, the cancer center’s clinical oncology research program provides new treatments, preventative measures and diagnostic techniques to cancer patients in the county. Sharp HealthCare’s oncologists refer patients for enrollment in trials that are testing experimental therapeutics for breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer.
Deisseroth said two new clinical trials are being developed. The first is a new gene therapy program for replacing proteins in the bloodstream, and the other is a vaccine that involves custom antibodies to bind with lymphoma cells by recognizing their unique markers.
With these new cancer treatments under development, a treatment can be created as a “key fitting into a lock,” specifically targeting a type of cancer, said Deisseroth.
“Doctors can make these predictions and dramatically improve to optimize the therapies for cancer patients,” Deisseroth said. “And with the science and technology, we can now create the specific structure for the best type of treatment.”
Deisseroth said the cancer center has developed its reputation as a leading cancer research institution, which is one of the reasons why he was attracted to San Diego.
The cancer center developed a strategic five-year plan, which includes a massive fund-raising effort, building new laboratories and recruiting distinguished scientists to San Diego, according to Deisseroth.
He replaces the cancer center’s founding CEO, Dr. Ivor Royston, who left to assume full-time duties at Forward Ventures, a life sciences and health care venture capital fund.
“The idea is to continue to build on the success of the past 10 years under Roytson’s leadership,” Deisseroth said. “We have the responsibility to help each other and millions of people all over the world.”
And Deissorth believes San Diego will be the area for the groundbreaking research.
“The wonderful part of San Diego is that it has many hospitals, biotech companies, research institutions and a medical school, which make it one of most intensively developed biotech research areas in the nation,” said Deisseroth. “The people in this city all band together as one giant intellect.”
