George Coukos, M.D., Ph.D.

Address:
Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Pennsylvania Medical Center
1209 Biomedical Research Building II/III
421 Curie Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6142

Phone: 215-662-3316
Fax: 215-573-7627
E-Mail: gcks@mail.med.upenn.edu

Current Position:

Assistant Professor
Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Director, Gynecologic Oncology Laboratory
Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health

Leader, Translational Research in Gynecologic Malignancies

The Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute

Education:

M.D. (Magna Cum Laude), University of Modena School of Medicine,
Modena, Italy, 1987
Ph.D., University of Patras School of Medicine, Patras, Greece, 1990

Past Positions:

Jan. 1988-June 1991, Residency, Obstetrics and Gynecology (Cum Laude), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital of the University of Modena, Modena, Italy
Jan. 1991-June 1993, Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship, Center for Research in Reproduction and Women's Health, University of Pennsylvania
June 1993-July 1994, Internship, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center
July 1994-June 1997, Residency, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center
July 1997- June 2000, Fellowship, Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center

Research Interests:

The current research interests of Dr. Coukos focus on understanding host-tumor interactions at a cellular and molecular level in ovarian cancer and other gynecologic malignancies. In particular, Dr. Coukos is interested in mechanisms regulating the trafficking and regulation of immune cell function within the tumor and mechanisms modulating tumor cell immunogenicity. State-of-the-art high-throughput analysis of tumors is carried out using laser capture microdissection followed by molecular profiling using cDNA arrays and protein arrays as well as conventional molecular biology techniques. These are combined with conventional cell culture work. In addition, a syngeneic model of epithelial ovarian cancer was recently generated in Dr. Coukos' lab and is used to study host-tumor interactions in vivo. The laboratory is also focused on the immune therapy and biological therapy of ovarian cancer and other gynecologic malignancies. We are exploring the application of dendritic cell-based vaccines as well as the use of recombinant oncolytic or replication-incompetent viruses encoding cytokines for intraperitoneal in situ vaccination of ovarian carcinoma.

 

Recent Representative Publications:

L. Zhang, J.R. Conejo-Garcia, D. Katsaros, M. Massobrio, E. Kang, P. Gimotty, G. Regnani, A. Makrigiannakis, K. Schlienger, H. Gray, M. Liebman, S.C. Rubin, G. Coukos. Intratumoral T cells, Recurrence and Survival in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 348:201-211, 2003.

L. Zhang, N. Yang, J-R. Conejo-Garcia, A. Mohamed-Hadley, F. Benencia, S.C. Rubin, D. Allman, G. Coukos. Generation of a Syngeneic Mouse Model to Study the Effects of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Ovarian Carcinoma. American Journal of Pathology, 161:2295-309, 2002.

A. Makrigiannakis, S. Kalantaridou, E. Zoumakis, G. Coukos, C. Coutifaris, K. Rice, A.N. Margioris, A. Gravanis, G. Chrousos. Corticotropin-releasing Hormone (CRH) Promotes Blastocyst Implantation and Early Maternal Tolerance. Nature Immunology, 2:1018-1024, 2001.

G. Coukos, S. C. Rubin. Gene Therapy of Ovarian Cancer. Oncology, 15:1197-1204, 2001.

G. Coukos, C.H. June. Advances in the Biotherapeutic Approaches to Ovarian Cancer. In “Ovarian Cancer” S.C. Rubin, G.P. Sutton (Eds.), 2nd ed., Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Pub., Philadelphia, pp.57-96, 2001

E.Y. Woo, C.S. Chu, T.J. Goletz, K Schlienger, H. Yeh, G. Coukos, S. C. Rubin, L.R. Kaiser, C.H. June. Regulatory CD4+ CD25+ T cells in tumors from patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer and late-stage ovarian cancer. Cancer Research, 61:4766-72 2001.

G. Coukos, A. Magrikianakis, E. Kang, L.R. Kaiser, S.M. Albelda, S.C. Rubin, K.L. Molnar-Kimber. Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus-1 Lacking ICP34.5- Induces p53-Independent Death and is Efficacious in Chemotherapy-Resistant Ovarian Cancer.Clinical Cancer Research, 6:3342-3353, 2000.

G. Coukos, A. Makrigiannakis, S. Montas, L.R. Kaiser, I. Benjamin, S.M. Albelda, S.C. Rubin, K.L. Molnar-Kimber. Multi-Attenuated Herpes Simplex Virus-1 Mutant G207 Exerts Cytotoxicity Against Epithelial Ovarian Cancer but not Normal Mesothelium, and is Suitable for Intraperitoneal Oncolytic Therapy. Cancer Gene Therapy,7:275-283, 2000.

G. Coukos, A. Makrigiannakis, E.H. Kang, D. Capparelli, I. Benjamin, L.R. Kaiser, S.C. Rubin, S.M. Albelda, K.L. Molnar-Kimber. Use of Carrier Cells to Deliver a Replication-Selective Herpes Simplex Virus-1 Mutant for the Intraperitoneal Therapy of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. Clinical Cancer Research, 5:1523-1537, 1999.

 

Search for abstracts and other papers by this author using the Public Medline database.