Robert H. Vonderheide
John H. Glick Abramson Cancer Center Professor
Attending Physician, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Investigator, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute
Member, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Director, Abramson Cancer Center , University of Pennsylvania
Director, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute , University of Pennsylvania
Vice Dean, Cancer Programs, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Vice President, Cancer Programs , University of Pennsylvania Health System
Department: Medicine
Contact information
12 South Pavilion
3400 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
3400 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 215-662-3929
Fax: 215-573-2652
Lab: 215-746-2846
Fax: 215-573-2652
Lab: 215-746-2846
Email:
rhv@upenn.edu
rhv@upenn.edu
Graduate Group Affiliations
Publications
Education
BSc (Chemical Engineering)
University of Notre Dame, 1985.
DPhil (Immunology)
Oxford University, 1989.
MD
Harvard Medical School, 1993.
BSc (Chemical Engineering)
University of Notre Dame, 1985.
DPhil (Immunology)
Oxford University, 1989.
MD
Harvard Medical School, 1993.
Links
Search PubMed for articles
Hematology Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylania School of Medicine
Cell and Molecular Biology graduate group, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Search PubMed for articles
Hematology Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylania School of Medicine
Cell and Molecular Biology graduate group, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Post-Graduate Training
Intern in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1993-1994.
Resident, Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1994-1996.
Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 1996-1999.
Intern in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1993-1994.
Resident, Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1994-1996.
Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 1996-1999.
Certifications
American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine), 1996.
American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology), 2000.
American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology), Recertification 2010-2021 (extra year due to pandemic), 2010.
American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology), Recertification 2021-2031, 2021.
Permanent linkAmerican Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine), 1996.
American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology), 2000.
American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology), Recertification 2010-2021 (extra year due to pandemic), 2010.
American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology), Recertification 2021-2031, 2021.
Description of Research Expertise
RESEARCH INTERESTSThe Vonderheide laboratory combines efforts in both basic research and clinical investigation to advance the understanding of tumor immunology and to develop novel immunotherapies for cancer. The chief hypothesis is that successful approaches in tumor immunotherapy will need to (a) optimize target antigens with regard to clinical applicability and risk of antigen loss, (b) repair host immuno-incompetence in antigen presentation and T cell function, and (c) circumvent immuno-suppressive factors of the tumor and tumor microenvironment.
RESEARCH DETAILS
Dr. Vonderheide’s basic research includes deciphering the immunobiology of novel genetically engineered mouse models of cancer, including the regulation of immune surveillance and the tumor microenvironment by CD40 and other pathways, and with a focus on pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma. His translational work tests novel approaches such as vaccines, antibodies, and adoptive T cells for the treatment of patients with melanoma, pancreatic cancer and other cancers. He has studied ‘universal’ tumor antigens, immune effects of radiation, and immune modulatory pathways involving CD40, GM-CSF, PD-1, CTLA-4, and CD25. Publications include those in high-impact journals such as Nature, Science, Cell, and the New England Journal of Medicine.
LABORATORY PERSONNEL
Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil
Director, Abramson Cancer Center; John H. Glick MD Abramson Cancer Center's Professor
Nune Markosyan, MD, PhD, Laboratory Director
Katelyn Byrne, PhD, Instructor in Medicine
Mark Diamond, MD, PhD, Instructor in Medicine
Adham Bear, MD, PhD, Clinical Fellow
Alex Morrison, MD, TRM Student
Bereket Gebregziabher, undergraduate student
Austin Huffman, Graduate Student (PhD, Immunology)
Jeffrey Lin, Graduate Student (MD/PhD)
Andrew Rech, Post-doctoral Scholar (MD/PhD)
Lee Richman, Graduate Student (MD/PhD)
Mary Beth McAndrew, Administrator, 215-662-3929; mcandrem@upenn.edu
Description of Clinical Expertise
Medical Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, in particular ImmunotherapySelected Publications
Bear AS, Blanchard T, Cesare J, Ford MJ, Richman LP, Xu C, Baroja ML, McCuaig S, Costeas C, Gabunia K, Scholler J, Posey AD Jr, O'Hara MH, Smole A, Powell DJ Jr, Garcia BA, Vonderheide RH*, Linette GP*, Carreno BM*. : Biochemical and functional characterization of mutant KRAS epitopes validates this oncoprotein for immunological targeting. Nat Commun. 12, 2021.Macedo R, Pasin C, Ganetsky A, Harle D, Wang XK, Belay K, Richman LP, Huffman AP, Vonderheide RH, Yates AJ, Porter DL, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Reshef R. : Vitamin D deficiency after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation promotes T-cell activation and is inversely associated with an EZH2-ID3 signature. . S2666-6367(21)01260-4 2021.
Vonderheide RH, Kraynyak KA, Shields AF, McRee AJ, Johnson JM, Sun W, Chintakuntlawar AV, Pawlicki J, Sylvester AJ, McMullan T, Samuels R, Kim JJ, Weiner D, Boyer JD, Morrow MP, Humeau L, Skolnik JM.: Phase 1 study of safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the human telomerase (hTERT)-encoded DNA plasmids INO-1400 and INO01401 with or without IL-12 DNA plasmid IND-9012 in adult patients with solid tumors. J Immunother Cancer 2021.
Diamond MS, Lin JH, Vonderheide, RH. : Site-dependent immune escape of highly antigenic tumors without immunoediting. Cancer Immunol Res. 9: 877-890, 2021.
Leukocyte Heterogeneity in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Phenotypic and Spatial Features Associated with Clinical Outcome. : Liudahl SM, Betts CB, Sivagnanam S, Morales-Oyarvide V, DaSilva A, Yua.n C, Hwang S, Grossblatt-Wait A, Leis KR, Larson W, Lavoie MB, Robinson P, Costa Ad, Vayrynen SA, Clancy TE, Robinson DA, Link J, Keith D, Horton W, Tempero MA, Vonderheide RH, Jaffee EM, Sheppard B, Goecks J, Sears RC, Park BS, Mori M, Nowak JA, Wolpin BM, Coussens LM. Cancer Discovery 11: 2014-2031, 2021.
Reiss KA, Mick R, O’Hara MH, Teitelbaum U, Karasic TB, Schneider C, Cowden S, Southwell T, Romeo J, Izqur N, Hannan ZM, Tondon R, Nathanson K, Vonderheide RH, Wattenberg MM, Beatty G, Domchek SM. : Phase II Study of Maintenance Rucaparib in Patients With Platinum-Sensitive Advanced Pancreatic Cancer and a Pathogenic Germline or Somatic Variant in BRCA1, BRCA2, or PALB2. J Clin Oncol 39: 2497-2505, 2021.
Bange EM, Han NA, Wileyto P, Kim JY, Gouma S, Robinson J, Greenplate AR, Hwee MA, Porterfield Fl, Owoyemi O, Naik K, Zheng C Galantino M, Weisman AR, Ittner CAG, Kugler EM, Baxter AE, Oniyide O, Agyekum, RS, Dunn TG, Jones TK, Giannini HM, Weirick ME, McAllister CM, Babady NE, Kumar A, Widman AJ, DeWolf S, Boutemine SR, Roberts C, Budzik KR, Tollet S, Wright C, Perloff T, Sun L, Mathew D, Giles JR, Oldridge DA, Wu JE, Alanio C, Adamski S, Garfall AL, Vella LA, Kerr SJ, Cohen JV, Oyer RA, Massa R, Maillard IP, Maxwell KN, Reilly JP, Maslak PG, Vonderheide RH, Wolchok JD, Hensley SE, Wherry EJ, Meyer NJ, DeMichele AM, Vardhana SA, Mamtani R, Huang AC.: CD8 + T cells contribute to survival in patients with COVID-19 and hematologic cancer. Nat Med. 27: 1280-1289, 2021.
Byrne KT, Betts CB, Mick R, Sivagnanam S, Bajor DL, Laheru DA, Chiorean EG, O’Hara MH, Liudahl SM, Newcomb CW, Alanio C, Ferreira AP, Park BS, Ohtani T, Huffman A, Vayrynen SA, Costa AD, Kaiser JC, Lacroix AM, Redlinger C, Stern M, Nowak JA, Wherry EJ, Cheever MA, Wolpin BM, Furth EE, Jaffee EM, Coussens LM, Vonderheide RH.: Neoadjuvant selicrelumab, an agonist CD40 antibody, induces changes in the tumor microenvironment in patients with resectable pancreatic cancer. Clin. Cancer Res. 27: 4574-4586, 2021.
Sun L, Surya S, Goodman NG, Le AN, Kelly G, Olutosin O, Desai H, Zheng C, DeLuca S, Good ML, Hussain J, Jeffries SD, Kry YR, Kugler EM, Mansour M, Ndicu J, Osei-Akoto A, Prior T, Pundock SL, Varughese LA, Weaver J, Doucette A, Dudek S, Verma SS, Gouma S, Weirick MD, McAllister CM, Bange E, Gabriel P, Ritchie M, Rader DJ, Vonderheide RH, Schuchter LM, Verma A, Maillard I, Mamtani R, Hensley SE, Gross R, Wileyto EP, Huang AC, Maxwell KN, DeMichele A.: SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity and Seroconversion in Patients Undergoing Active Cancer-Directed Therapy. JCO Oncol Pract. 2021.
Yang F, He Z, Duan H, Zhang D, Li J, Yang H, Dorsey JF, Zou W, Nabavizadeh SA, Bagley SJ, Abdullah K, Brem S, Zhang L, Xu X, Byrne KT, Vonderheide RH, Gong Y, Fan Y. : Synergistic immunotherapy of glioblastoma by dual targeting of IL-6 and CD40. Nat Commun. 12, 2021.