Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 330 Brookline Ave; KS-134
Boston, MA 02215
Advanced Degree And Training Info:
Year
Institution
Area or Rank
1989
Yale School of Medicine
Medicine
1989
Columbia Presbyterian Hospital
Internal Medicine Residen
1992
Columbia Presbyterian Hospital
Chief Medical Resident
1993
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Hematology/Oncology Fello
1994
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Chief Fellow
1994
Rockefeller University
Research Associate
Research Team Listing
No team members listed
Areas of Interest:
Cancer & Hematologic
Immunology, Transplantation
Major Research Theme:
The focus of my research efforts has been in the field of dendritic cell cancer vaccines. We have developed a model in which tumor cells are fused to immune stimulating dendritic cells and then used to induce an anti-tumor response. After publishing work in pre-clinical models, I have filed an IND to study this vaccine in patients with cancer and have conducted several trials using a vaccine this is being produced in our stem cell/ immunotherapy facility. Trials and pre-clinical work is ongoing. As director of the Hematological Malignancy and Bone Marrow Transplant Program, I am also conducting research in post-transplant immune recovery and in several areas of clinical research in hematological malignancies and transplant.
Vasir, Baldev, Wu Zekui, Crawford Keith, Rosenblatt J, Lenahan C, Bissonnette A, Kufe D, Avigan D. Fusions of Dendritic Cells with Breast Carcinoma Stimulate the Expansion of Regulatory T cells While Concomitant Exposure to IL-12, CpG ODN, and anti-CD3/CD28 Promotes the Expansion of Activated Tumor Reactive Cells. Journal of Immunology; 2008 July 1;181:808-821
Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2005 May;5(5):703-15
Ito K, Bernardi R, Morotti A, Matsuoka S, Saglio G, Ikeda Y, Rosenblatt J, Avigan D, Teruya-Feldstein J, Pandolfi, P. PML targeting eradicates quiescent leukaemia-initiating cells. Nature, 2008 June 19;453(7198);1072-107
Avigan D, Vasir B, George D, Oh W, Atkins M, McDermott D, Kantoff P, Figlin R, Vasconcelles M, Xu Y, Kufe D, Bukowski R. Phase I/II Study of Vaccination with Electrofused Allogeneic Dendritic Cells/Autologous Tumor-derived Cells in Patients with Stage IV Renal Cell Carcinoma. J Immunother (1997). 2007 Oct;30(7):749-61.
Vasir B, Borges V, Wu Z, Grosman D, Rosenblatt J, Irie M, Anderson K, Kufe D, Avigan D. Fusion of dendritic cells with multiple myeloma cells results in maturation and enhanced antigen presentation. Br J Haematol. 2005 Jun;129(5):687-700
Avigan D, Vasir B, Gong J, Borges V, Wu Z, Uhl L, Atkins M, Mier J, McDermott D, Smith T, Giallambardo N, Stone C, Schadt K, Dolgoff J, Tetreault JC, Villarroel M, Kufe D. Fusion cell vaccination of patients with metastatic breast and renal cancer induces immunological and clinical responses. Clin Cancer Res. 2004 Jul 15;10(14):4699-708.
External Recognition:
• ECOG Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplant Committee
• Project Leader Renal Spore, Skin Spore
• Invited speaker, “Dendritic cell/Tumor fusion vaccines”, International Symposium On Cancer Vaccines, Washington, DC, 2006
• Invited speaker, “Dendritic cell/Multiple Myeloma Fusion vaccines”, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Translational Research Meeting, San Diego, 2006
• Invited speaker, “Dendritic Cell/Tumor Fusions for Patients with Multiple Myeloma”, Keystone Conference American Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation/International Bone Marrow Transplantation Registry Conference, 2007
• Oral presentation, “Phase I Study of Vaccination with DC/Myeloma Fusions”, American Society of Hematology, 2007
• Oral presentation, “Vaccination with DC/Myeloma Fusions in Conjunction with Stem Cell Transplantation”, American Society of Hematology, 2007
• Invited speaker, “Targeted Therapy for AML”, Virginia Beach Oncology, 2007
• Visiting Professor and Invited Speaker, “Dendritic Cell Cancer Vaccine from the Bench to the Bedside”, Case Western Reserve Medical Center, 2007
• Oral presentation, “Vaccination with DC/Myeloma Fusions in Conjunction with Stem Cell Transplantation”, American Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation, 2008
• Best of American Society of Oncology: Review of Leukemia/Myeloproliferative Disease/Myelodysplasia, Boston MA, 2008
Major Collaborative Activities:
Member of Immunology, Transplant, and Leukemia Program at Harvard Cancer Center
Cancer Vaccine Program: Laboratory work and collaboration with Dr. Donald Kufe, DFCI
