Dan Theodorescu MD, PhD

Dr. Dan Theodorescu, MD, Ph.D., is the director of the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. From 2010 until 2018, he was the director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center and a distinguished university professor. Dr. Theodorescu is known for his work on the molecular mechanisms underlying bladder cancer and tools that determine drug response as well as the discovery of new drugs for cancer. Examples include the discovery of genes that regulate tumor growth and metastasis (RhoGDI2, AGL, GON4L), novel biomarkers (DNA/NGS, RNA, and proteomic), and concepts for precision therapeutic approaches such as the COXEN principle, which is being tested in national (SWOG) clinical trials. He also conceptualized the approach and then led the discovery and development of a "first in class" RalGTPase inhibitor as a new therapeutic in cancer. This drug was awarded a U.S. patent and is in commercial development. His laboratory is funded by grants from the NIH-NCI. Dr. Theodorescu has published over 300 articles including articles in Nature, Science, Cancer Cell, PNAS, and JCI.