Newswise — LOS ANGELES (April 16, 2024) -- Bin Zheng, PhD, a specialist in targeted therapies and immunotherapy, has joined Cedars-Sinai Cancer as director of Melanoma Research in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Zheng will work with Cedars-Sinai surgical and medical oncology leadership to develop and lead a comprehensive translational and basic science research program for melanoma.
“Dr. Zheng’s expertise in melanoma research and focus on translating his findings into personalized and targeted immunotherapies will strengthen our knowledge around prevention, diagnosis and treatment of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer,” said Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and the PHASE ONE Foundation Distinguished Chair. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Zheng on our team and look forward to continued progress for patients with melanoma.”
Zheng’s research focuses on the metabolism of melanoma cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment—the cells and tissues surrounding a tumor. The tumor microenvironment has been implicated in resistance mechanisms to current immunotherapies, including checkpoint inhibitors, which use a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. He also is working to enrich current understanding of resistance to today’s targeted therapies.
“Melanoma is a difficult cancer to treat, and collaborating with my peers to improve survival through better treatments is my goal,” Zheng said. “We’ve made a lot of progress in targeted immunotherapies over the last decade. There are still many challenges, but we’ve made important scientific discoveries that could translate into new therapies for melanoma patients.”
Zheng earned his PhD in molecular pathology from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He served as assistant professor of Dermatology, Pathology and Cell Biology at the Institute for Cancer Genetics at Columbia University and as associate professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School before joining Cedars-Sinai Cancer.
“We have made significant contributions to patient survival through our Cutaneous Malignancies Disease Research Group and Early Phase Developmental Therapy Program,” said Omid Hamid, MD, co-director of the Cutaneous Malignancies Disease Research Group at Cedars-Sinai Cancer and chief of Translational Research and Immuno-Oncology at The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate. “We are eager to collaborate with Dr. Zheng to use critical data from his basic research through trials to improve patient outcomes, and to test innovative new therapies that could save lives.”
Mark Faries, MD, surgical director of the Melanoma Program in Cedars-Sinai Cancer, said survival rates for melanoma continue to improve because of investigators like Zheng.
“Our team looks forward to translating Dr. Zheng’s promising discoveries into more advanced and effective treatment options for patients with melanoma,” said Faries, co-director of the Melanoma Program and head of Surgical Oncology at The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute. “It’s an exciting time in melanoma research, and Dr. Zheng’s presence positions us well to capitalize on leading-edge advances and pursue exciting new discoveries.”
Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: What You Need to Know About Melanoma
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