The overall goal of Dr. Heymach’s clinical, translational, and laboratory research is to advance the development of targeted agents, particularly angiogenesis inhibitors, for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other solid tumors. Dr. Heymach received his B.A. magna cum laude in chemistry from Harvard, and his M.D. and Ph.D. (Neuroscience) from Stanford Medical School in 1998. He received his medical oncology training Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Center Institute and Harvard Medical School, where he completed his medical oncology training Dr. Bruce Johnson, and his postdoctoral training with Dr. Judah Folkman at Children’s Hospital Boston. He was recruited to M.D. Anderson in 2005.
His research efforts are focused on three areas: 1) the development of blood-based and proteomic markers to measure the biological activity of these agents and predict therapeutic response; 2) the molecular mechanisms that determine response or resistance to a given angiogenesis inhibitor; and 3) evaluation of the clinical efficacy of these agents rationally designed combination regimens. He has made significant contributions to the development and clinical translation of novel blood-based biomarkers such as circulating endothelial cells for VEGF pathway inhibitor effects, from the original murine studies to their utilization in several recent phase I and II trials, including a randomized phase II study in NSCLC of ZD6474. This trial showed prolonged progression-free survival and was brought forward into an ongoing phase III trial.
Dr. Heymach has received a number of prestigious awards and grants, including an ASCO Career Development Award and Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award. He has investigated potential mechanisms of resistance to targeted agents, in murine models.
Selected publications:
Heymach JV, Johnson BE, Prager D, Csada E, Roubec J, Pešek M, Špásová I, Belani CP, Bodrogi I, Gadgee S, Kennedy SJ, Hou J, Herbst RS. Vandetanib (ZD6474) plus docetaxel in patients with previously treated non-small cell lung cancer: results of a randomized, placebo-controlled phase I/II study. J Clin Oncol, 25 (27), 4270 (2007).
Norden-Zfoni A, Desai J, Manola J, Beaudry P, Force J, Maki R, Folkman J, Bello C, Baum C, DePrimo SE, Shalinsky DR, Demetri GD, Heymach JV. Blood-based biomarkers of SU11248 activity and clinical outcome in patients with metastatic imatinib-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Clin Can Res 13(9):2643-50, 2007.
Lippman, S. M., and Heymach, J. V. The convergent development of molecular-targeted drugs for cancer treatment and prevention. Clin Cancer Res 13:4035-41, 2007.
Heymach JV, Desai J, Manola J, Davis DW, McConkey DJ, Harmon D, Ryan DP, Goss G, Quigley T, Van den Abbeele AD, Silverman SG, Connors S, Folkman J, Fletcher CD, Demetri GD. Phase II study of the antiangiogenic agent SU5416 in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcomas. Clin Cancer Res 10:5732-40, 9/2004.
Beaudry P, Force J, Naumov GN, Wang A, Baker CH, Ryan A, Soker S, Johnson BE, Folkman J, Heymach JV. Differential effects of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 inhibitor ZD6474 on circulating endothelial progenitors and mature circulating endothelial cells: implications for use as a surrogate marker of antiangiogenic activity. Clin Cancer Res 11:3514-22, 5/2005.
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