We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Justin Lathia to the Board of Directors of the International Biomedical Research Alliance as an Alumni Director. Dr. Lathia leads a translational cancer stem cell research laboratory and is Vice Chair and Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Sciences at the Lerner Research Institute (LRI), part of the Cleveland Clinic, and also serves as the Director of Faculty Development for the LRI. Dr. Lathia is also the Scientific Director of the Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor & Neuro-Oncology Center at the Cleveland Clinic and the Melvin Burkhardt Endowed Chair in Neuro-Oncology Research. He is also the Reza Khatib MD Professor, Leader of the Brain Tumor Initiative, and Co-Leader of the Molecular Oncology Program at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Lathia is a native of central Pennsylvania and received a B.S. and M.S. from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA in 2003. While at Drexel, he developed targeted ultrasound contrast agents which are preferentially bound to newly formed vessels in breast cancer models. After graduation from Drexel, Dr. Lathia completed his Ph.D. as part of the NIH-Cambridge Graduate Partnership Program. His work focused on the role of cell adhesion molecules during the development of the nervous system in the labs of Mark Mattson, Ph.D. at the National Institute on Aging and Prof. Charles ffrench-Constant, FRCP, FMedSci, FRSE at the University of Cambridge. After completing his Ph.D. in 2008 he completed post-doctoral fellowships at Duke University and the Cleveland Clinic where he focused on the role of cell adhesion in regulating cancer stem cells in brain tumors. In 2012, Dr. Lathia moved to the Department of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Sciences as an independent investigator and the work in his lab focuses on how the stem cell state is regulated in advanced cancers. Projects in the Lathia laboratory involve understanding how cancer stem cells interact with their surrounding microenvironment as well as one another with the goal of identifying unique pathways for therapeutic development and a recent focus on sex differences in glioblastoma. Work in the Lathia laboratory has resulted in a Phase 1 clinical trial aimed at targeting myeloid-derived suppressor cells that interact with cancer stem cells to suppress the immune system in glioblastoma.
Dr. Lathia has co-authored over 210 publications and work in his lab is currently supported by multiple National Institutes of Health grants and foundation grants. Dr. Lathia also serves as a peer reviewer to over 150 journals, serves on the editorial board for Cell Reports, Cancer Research, and Neuro-Oncology, and has served on multiple grant review panels for the National Institutes of Health and private foundations. He recently served as a co-editor for a cancer stem cell textbook.
Dr. Lathia has consistently worked in the best interest of the Scholars Program, providing mentorship and attending Workshops. The Alliance is thrilled to welcome Dr. Lathia and is looking forward to his excellence and participation on our Board of Directors.