David Tuveson
Professor
Roy J. Zuckerberg Professor of Cancer Research
Cancer Center Director
M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1994
dtuveson@cshl.edu | 516-367-5246
Pancreatic cancer is an extremely lethal malignancy. On average, patients who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer succumb to the disease within 6 months. Research is the only way to defeat pancreatic cancer. My lab is making progress toward finding a cure by detecting the disease earlier and designing novel therapeutic approaches.
David Tuveson’s laboratory uses murine and human models of pancreatic cancer to explore the fundamental biology of malignancy and thereby identify new diagnostic and treatment strategies. The lab’s approaches run the gamut from designing new model systems of disease to developing new therapeutic and diagnostic approaches for rapid evaluation in preclinical and clinical settings. The lab’s studies make use of organoid cultures—three-dimensional cultures of normal or cancerous epithelia—as ex vivo models to probe cancer biology. Current projects in the lab explore changes in redox metabolism associated with pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis, dissect signaling by the Ras oncogene, discover new biomarkers of early pancreas cancer, and identify mechanisms of cross-talk between pancreatic cancer cells and the tumor stroma. Novel treatment approaches suggested by these studies are then tested by performing therapeutic experiments in mouse models. To dissect molecular changes associated with pancreatic tumorigenesis, the Tuveson lab has generated a large collection of human patient-derived organoid models. By measuring the therapeutic sensitivities of patient-derived organoids, the lab is working to identify novel strategies to treat patients as well as markers of therapeutic response. The Tuveson Laboratory maintains strong links to clinical research, and the ultimate goal is confirmation of preclinical findings in early-phase trials. Collectively, the lab’s bench-to-bedside approach is codified as the “Cancer Therapeutics Initiative,” and this initiative will provide these same approaches to the entire CSHL cancer community.
Dr. Tuveson serves as Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cancer Center and the Chief Scientist for the Lustgarten Foundation.
CSHL announces AACR Cancer Centers Alliance
September 18, 2023
The new initiative, led by CSHL Professor David Tuveson, seeks to unite the nation’s NCI-designated cancer centers to help save more patients’ lives.
This killer protein causes pancreatic cancer
April 26, 2023
CSHL researchers have found that high levels of a protein called SRSF1 can cause pancreatitis and jumpstart tumor development.
CSHL professors on the cutting edge of scientific research
November 21, 2022
Four CSHL researchers were ranked among the world’s most cited in 2022.
David Tuveson wins 2022 Luminary Award
November 17, 2022
The award, presented on World Pancreatic Cancer Day, honors Tuveson for his efforts to find a cure and improve patients’ lives.
Targeting cancer’s Achilles heel
November 4, 2022
Biden’s Cancer Moonshot aims to cut annual deaths in half. CSHL scientists have the goal in their sights.
David Tuveson elected to National Academy of Medicine
October 17, 2022
Tuveson was recognized for his pioneering cancer organoid research that led to the development of the first mouse models for pancreatic cancer.
How organoids can guide pancreatic cancer therapy
July 20, 2022
CSHL researchers have found mini-versions of patient tumors, called organoids, can help optimize chemotherapy before tumor-removal surgery.
Lab meets clinic: Building on foundational research
December 15, 2021
The future depends on investments in scientific advancement, including expanding the Laboratory’s research visions and shoring up its infrastructure.
CSHL receives 2021 NCI grant of $4.5 million
October 1, 2021
The National Cancer Institute renewed its Basic Laboratory Cancer Center grant for CSHL, marking 34 years of our continued progress in cancer research.
Mestag, co-founded by CSHL prof, named leading new biotech
September 27, 2021
Fierce Biotech named Mestag Therapeutics, co-founded by CSHL Professor David Tuveson, a 2021 “Fierce 15” leader in the biotech and pharma business.
Selected Publications
Suppression of tumor-associated neutrophils by lorlatinib attenuates pancreatic cancer growth and improves treatment with immune checkpoint blockade.
7 Jun 2021 | Nature Communications | 12(1):3414
Nielsen, Sebastian, Strøbech, Jan, Horton, Edward, Jackstadt, Rene, Laitala, Anu, Bravo, Marina, Maltese, Giorgia, Jensen, Adina, Reuten, Raphael, Rafaeva, Maria, Karim, Saadia, Hwang, Chang-Il, Arnes, Luis, Tuveson, David, Sansom, Owen, Morton, Jennifer, Erler, Janine
Oncogenic KRAS engages an RSK1/NF1 pathway to inhibit wild-type RAS signaling in pancreatic cancer.
25 May 2021 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA | 118(21):e2016904118
Cheng, Derek, Oni, Tobiloba, Thalappillil, Jennifer, Park, Youngkyu, Ting, Hsiu-Chi, Alagesan, Brinda, Prasad, Nadia, Addison, Kenneth, Rivera, Keith, Pappin, Darryl, Van Aelst, Linda, Tuveson, David
Inhibition of Hedgehog Signaling Alters Fibroblast Composition in Pancreatic Cancer.
1 Apr 2021 | Clinical Cancer Research | 27(7):2023-2037
Steele, Nina, Biffi, Giulia, Kemp, Samantha, Zhang, Yaqing, Drouillard, Donovan, Syu, LiJyun, Hao, Yuan, Oni, Tobiloba, Brosnan, Erin, Elyada, Ela, Doshi, Abhishek, Hansma, Christa, Espinoza, Carlos, Abbas, Ahmed, The, Stephanie, Irizarry-Negron, Valerie, Halbrook, Christopher, Franks, Nicole, Hoffman, Megan, Brown, Kristee, Carpenter, Eileen, Nwosu, Zeribe, Johnson, Craig, Lima, Fatima, Anderson, Michelle, Park, Youngkyu, Crawford, Howard, Lyssiotis, Costas, Frankel, Timothy, Rao, Arvind, Bednar, Filip, Dlugosz, Andrzej, Preall, Jonathan, Tuveson, David, Allen, Benjamin, Pasca di Magliano, Marina
Fighting the Sixth Decade of the Cancer War with Better Cancer Models.
Apr 2021 | Cancer Discovery | 11(4):801-804
Tuveson, David
Diversity and Biology of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts.
1 Jan 2021 | Physiological Reviews | 101(1):147-176
Biffi, Giulia, Tuveson, David
All Publications
Myo-differentiation reporter screen reveals NF-Y as an activator of PAX3-FOXO1 in rhabdomyosarcoma
5 Sep 2023 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA | 120(36):e2303859120
Sroka, Martyna, Skopelitis, Damianos, Vermunt, Marit, Preall, Jonathan, El Demerdash, Osama, de Almeida, Larissa, Chang, Kenneth, Utama, Raditya, Gryder, Berkley, Caligiuri, Giuseppina, Ren, Diqiu, Nalbant, Benan, Milazzo, Joseph, Tuveson, David, Dobin, Alexander, Hiebert, Scott, Stengel, Kristy, Mantovani, Roberto, Khan, Javed, Kohli, Rahul, Shi, Junwei, Blobel, Gerd, Vakoc, Christopher
ICGC ARGO precision medicine: genomic profiling-informed prediction of immunotherapy response in two patients with metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Aug 2023 | The Lancet Oncology | 24(8):851-853
Nocini, Riccardo, Tondulli, Luca, D'Ambrosio, Consuelo, Luchini, Claudio, Biankin, Andrew, Casolino, Raffaella, Scarpa, Aldo, Icgc-Argo, Milella, Michele, Lawlor, Rita
Splicing Factor SRSF1 Promotes Pancreatitis and KRASG12D-Mediated Pancreatic Cancer
7 Jul 2023 | Cancer Discovery | 13(7):1678-1695
Wan, Ledong, Lin, Kuan-Ting, Rahman, Mohammad, Ishigami, Yuma, Wang, Zhikai, Jensen, Mads, Wilkinson, John, Park, Youngkyu, Tuveson, David, Krainer, Adrian
A TEAD2-Driven Endothelial-Like Program Shapes Basal-Like Differentiation and Metastasis of Pancreatic Cancer.
Jul 2023 | Gastroenterology | 165(1):133-148.e17
Yoo, Hye-Been, Moon, Jin, Kim, Hwa-Ryeon, Lee, Hee, Miyabayashi, Koji, Park, Chan, Ge, Sabrina, Zhang, Amy, Tae, Yoo, Sub, Yujin, Park, Hyun-Woo, Gee, Heon, Notta, Faiyaz, Tuveson, David, Bang, Seungmin, Kim, Mi-Young, Roe, Jae-Seok
Inhibition of mitochondrial metabolism by (-)-jerantinine A: synthesis and biological studies in triple-negative breast cancer cells.
26 Apr 2023 | MedChemComm | 14(4):710-714
Gialelis, Timothy, Wang, Zifei, Homer, Joshua, Yang, Wen-Hsuan, Chung, Taemoon, Hu, Qingting, Smedley, Christopher, Pawar, Nitin, Upadhyay, Nitinkumar, Tuveson, David, Lyons, Scott, Lukey, Michael, Moses, John