The Bennett Family Distinguished Lecture Series 2016

Dr. Owen witte

Spatial Systems Biology of Cancer

Owen Witte received his undergraduate degree from Cornell and his MD from Stanford University. He completed postdoctoral research at MIT then joined the faculty at UCLA where he presently is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics where he holds the President's Chair in Developmental Immunology, and of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is the Director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. He has made significant contributions to the understanding of human leukemias, immune disorders, and epithelial cancer stem cells. His work includes the discovery of tyrosine kinase activity for the ABL gene and the demonstration of the BCR-ABL oncoproteins in human leukemias. This has had practical impact in leading to the development of kinase targeted therapy as an effective treatment for these leukemias and other cancers. His work also lead to the co-discovery of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) which is required for normal B-lymphocyte development, and when mutated leads to X-linked agammaglobulinemia, a form of immune deficiency. New inhibitors for BTK are entering clinical practice for the treatment of certain lymphomas and leukemias. Recent work has concentrated on defining the stem cells for epithelial cancers of the prostate and other organ sites to help define new types of therapy for these diseases. His work utilizes advanced whole body imaging techniques like Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to monitor cancer growth and cellular immune functions. Dr. Witte is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine. He has received recognition for his research including the Milken Foundation Award in Basic Cancer Research, the Rosenthal Award of the American Association for Cancer Research, the Dameshek Prize of the American Society of Hematology, the Alpert Foundation Prize, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s de Villiers International Achievement Award, the UCLA Faculty Research Lecture,the Nakahara Memorial Lecture Prize and the AACR G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award. He currently serves on several editorial and advisory boards. Dr. Witte previously served on the Board of Directors for the American Association for Cancer Research. He was recently re-appointed for his 2nd term by President Obama to the President’s Cancer Panel.