Biography

I have been a clinical Investigator for the past 35 years, I have also have been involved in translational research for at least the past 25 years. I have had a research laboratory for that period of time, I have receive NIH, CDC HRSA and private foundation funding for my clinical investigations but, never been funded for my laboratory work by this agencies, most of my laboratory research has been funded by philanthropic support either by individuals or private foundations.
The areas of my greatest interest from the clinical point of view are related to Stem Cell Transplantation in the development of conditioning regimens, pharmacokinetics and stem cell biology. I have developed conditioning regimens for autologous transplantation in Neuroblastoma and study the Pharmacokinetics of high dose Thio-Tepa or Busulfan containing regimens.
In the laboratory I have had several projects related to: a) Minimal residual disease (MRD) using molecular technologies such as the WT1 gene expression in acute and chronic Leukemia’s and solid tumors, The Tyrosine Hydroxylase (TH) gene expression in Neuroblastoma, and the use of chimerism correlation with MRD in predicting relapses post-transplantation. b) Neural Stem Cell differentiation using adult hematopoietic stem cells, umbilical cord blood. c) The detection of tumor stem cells in collected peripheral blood from patients with Neuroblastoma identifying tumor initiating cells (TICs), trough long term culture and CD133 positive selection to identify this cells and to prove their potential for the initiation of tumors in mice, which will translate in the post-transplant management of MRD of patients with High-Risk Neuroblastoma. d) Other projects have had impact in the processing of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation.
All this research activities were done initially in the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) and lately on the Children’s Oncology Group (COG). In recent years I have develop a great interest in Chronic Graft vs. Host Disease and develop new therapeutic approaches and understanding the physiopathology. I have been able to generate >130 publications and over 200 abstracts and presentations at national and international meetings.
Besides these academic activities I have been the Division Head of the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Director for the Center of Cancer and Blood Disorders at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago where I have been also involved in committee work and teaching.

I believe that my carrier has been successful but, not as much as I would have liked to be because of lack of protected time for the development of Grant applications since my clinical responsibilities have taken the majority of my time by developing a large transplant program at Children’s Memorial Hospital and now at the Ann & Robert H Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, then becoming the Division Head of a large Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine which would have make my carrier more productive and satisfying.