David C. Lyden, MD, PhD

These bone marrow cells are often resistant to radiation therapy and may make tumor cells resistant to treatment as well. We'd like to use this information to learn how to overcome treatment resistance and reduce the risk of brain tumor recurrence. It would also be beneficial to learn how to measure these bone marrow cells in patients during treatment to see if we can pinpoint early evidence of cancer progression.

In addition to patient care and research, I teach fellows, residents, medical students, graduate students, and MD/PhD students in the Tri-Institutional MD/PhD Program, which includes The Rockefeller University. I have won several awards for my work, including the 2006 Presidential Distinction Award from President Cavago Silva of the Portuguese Republic. I was selected to be an investigator with the Champalimaud Foundation, the first foundation focused on the prevention and treatment of metastatic disease in Lisbon, Portugal.

My colleagues and I have published our work in major scientific journals such as Nature, Cell, and Science. I am also the lead editor of a major textbook called Cancer Metastasis: Biologic Basis and Therapeutics, the first textbook dedicated to research on metastasis and the treatment of metastatic disease. I also serve on the board of the Tumor Microenvironment Steering Committee and the Metastasis Steering Committee of the American Association of Cancer Research.

I'd like the results of my research to be used to personalize medicine for each patient to make it more effective with fewer side effects. Each child cured makes everything I do worthwhile.