Benjamin Purow, MD

Benjamin Purow, MD is a neuro-oncologist physician-scientist whose laboratory is dedicated to finding new ways to treat glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and lethal brain tumor, in addition to other cancers. We are particularly interested in identifying and leveraging new targets and immunotherapeutic approaches. In this vein we were the first to show the Notch pathway to be a potential therapeutic target in GBM, and we have also reported microRNAs with tumor-suppressive functions that regulate critical signaling pathways such as EGFR, Akt, and Notch. Our microRNA studies have also suggested promising new targets in GBM, in particular diacylglycerol kinase-alpha (DGKα) and its product phosphatidic acid; we are now targeting this pathway alone and in combination with other therapies for GBM. We are not only seeking to develop new GBM targets and therapies, but also working to better direct existing therapies and agents to subgroups/phenotypes of brain tumors. More recently, we have designed and begun testing of novel immunotherapeutic approaches for GBM and other cancers, with particular focus on enhancing macrophage and microglia activity against GBM.