Breast Cancer Research and Treatment - Introducing New Editorial Team Members
We are pleased to welcome our new Editor-in-Chief and Editors at Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.
Editor-in-Chief:
Professor Aditya Bardia is currently the Program Director of Breast Oncology and Director of Translational Research Integration at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Bardia is an internationally renowned breast oncologist known for his pioneering clinical and translational research in cancer therapeutics, particularly antibody drug conjugates.
Dr. Bardia led the development of sacituzumab govitecan, the first ADC approved for patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer, as well as others including trastuzumab deruxtecan and datapotamab deruxtecan. Dr. Bardia also led the clinical development of elacestrant, the first oral SERD approved for patients with metastatic HR+ positive breast cancer. In translational collaboration with various labs, identified role of ESR1 mutations in mediating endocrine resistance, RB1 mutations in mediating CDK 4/6i resistance and TOP1 mutations in mediating ADC resistance. Besides cutting-edge research, Dr. Bardia is highly regarded among peers as an excellent mentor and strong advocate for academic trainees and junior faculty members. Dr. Bardia has received several awards including outstanding award for research excellence at Mayo Clinic, Young Investigator Award from ASCO, Distinguished researcher award from MASCO, and Douglas Family Foundation prize for excellence in oncology research.
“My vision is to accelerate the growth of BCRT as the premier “To-go” journal in breast oncology with an author and reader-centric view, says Dr. Bardia, “(I) look forward to building a collaborative and engaged team aligned with the core mission and values of the academic journal.”
Newly appointed Editors:
Dr. Yara Abdou is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina and the Director of the Breast Cancer Clinical Trials Program at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. She specializes in the treatment of early-stage and metastatic breast cancer, with a focus on developing novel therapies and investigating biomarkers of disease recurrence and treatment response. A significant part of her work is dedicated to understanding and addressing racial disparities, with the goal of improving clinical outcomes for minority women with breast cancer. She has been recognized with several prestigious awards for her contributions to diversity and inclusion in breast cancer research, including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the METAvivor Health Disparities Research Award, the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Award, and the ASCO Conquer Cancer Career Development Award for Diversity and Inclusion. She has authored several original research publications and has been an invited speaker at national and international conferences. As a clinician and researcher, Dr. Abdou is committed to advancing treatment strategies for breast cancer patients while minimizing suffering and improving quality of life.
Dr. Virginia Kaklamani is a professor of medicine in the division of hematology/oncology at UT Health San Antonio and is the leader of the Breast Cancer Program at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Kaklamani completed her medical training with honors at the University of Athens and her residency in internal medicine at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Boston. She completed her fellowship in hematology/oncology at Northwestern University. She also received a master of science degree in clinical investigation from Northwestern University. She was head of the Translational Breast Cancer Program at Northwestern University and co-director of Northwestern's cancer genetics program. Her research interests include studying high-risk families and identifying genetic mutations that are associated with an increased risk for breast, colon and prostate cancer. She has identified several genetic mutations related to obesity that increase the risk of breast cancer. Dr. Kaklamani is a clinical investigator with expertise in designing clinical trials with targeted agents
Dr. Rita Mukhtar, Associate Professor of Surgery, is a breast surgical oncologist at the University of California, San Francisco where she leads clinical and translational research funded by the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Mukhtar's research program is focused on invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), the second most common type of breast cancer and includes work on surgical outcomes, imaging ILC, and predictors of response to therapy. She leads a prospective study focused on liquid biopsies for treatment monitoring in ILC, an understudied and disease with unique treatment challenges. Dr. Mukhtar collaborates with a multidisciplinary team from The Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center to advance ILC research and innovate targeted treatment strategies that improve patient lives and outcomes.
Dr. Adetunji T. Toriola, Professor of Surgery in the Division of Public Health Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, a William H. Danforth Washington University Physician-Scientist Scholar. He co-leads the cancer prevention control program at Siteman Cancer Center. Dr. Toriola investigates ways to reduce the risk of premenopausal breast cancer and also colorectal cancer. He is a principal investigator on two grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – one funds research to understand the molecular basis of breast density and the mechanisms by which dense breasts increase the risk of breast cancer; the other, a MERIT Award, supports a phase 2 clinical trial evaluating whether targeting a signaling pathway can reduce breast density and levels of biomarkers known to increase breast cancer risk. Additionally, Dr. Toriola is a collaborator on a major multicenter study funded by NIH. Dr. Toriola was recognized for his achievements in breast cancer prevention with the 2022 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research.