UCLA
Los Angeles, California, United States
Dr. David Nathanson is an Associate Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at UCLA. He received his Ph.D. from UCLA under Dr. Paul Mischel whereby he discovered a “hide and seek” resistance mechanism in which oncogenes located on extrachromosomal DNA can be dynamically eliminated in response to environmental pressures (e.g., drug) to maintain tumor growth. Dr. Nathanson conducted his post-doctoral work studying tumor metabolism and molecular imaging with Dr. Caius Radu, leading to the development of a new therapeutic approach and clinical drug candidates to target DNA metabolism in cancer. This work also led to the founding of Trethera corporation, a clinical stage biotechnology company. His current laboratory investigates the dynamic interplay between specific molecular alterations and critical functional processes (e.g., metabolism, apoptosis) in glioblastoma with the goal of developing new drugs and therapeutic strategies to exploit these functional vulnerabilities for improved patient outcomes. Dr. Nathanson is a former Scholar in Oncologic Molecular Imaging Fellow, recipient of the Ruth Kirschstein National Research Service Award by the NIH, and recipient of the STOP Cancer Award and the Johnny Mercer Foundation Award for brain tumor research.
