Sven De Vos, MD, PhD

As the Director of the UCLA Lymphoma program, Dr. Sven De Vos' role is to provide a clinical trial portfolio covering the most promising novel agents and clinical trial concepts. The program has been very successful, and with more than 30 current trials, it makes cutting-edge novel treatments available to UCLA patients. In addition, through the affiliated TRIO-US clinical trial network, the program reaches out to more than 20 oncology offices, enabling their participation in UCLA investigator initiated or company-sponsored clinical trials.

As the Chair of the JCCC Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), De Vos reorganized the board and ensure safe conduct of investigator initiated clinical cancer-related trials conducted by UCLA investigators.

The goal of De Vos' research laboratory activities is to identify novel targets and therapeutic approaches for the treatment of lymphomas. Specifically, they are investigating the role of pim kinases in lymphomagenesis and as therapeutic targets. In addition, they have developed lentiviruses that are pseudotyped with Sindbis E2 - single chain antibody (SCA) fusions or membrane-anchored SCAs for CD20 or CD30 targeted therapies in lymphomas. De Vos has the expertise, leadership, and motivation necessary to successfully carry out these two major projects. He has a broad background in translational oncology with a Ph.D. in experimental pathology, experience running a successful laboratory, and clinical expertise exemplified by being the principal investigator on many clinical trials, including investigator initiated studies. De Vos laid the groundwork for both projects, assembled two teams of collaborators, acquired funding, and lead his teams to reach important benchmarks on both projects which have been presented at national meetings. De Vos has a track record of translating basic science to clinical trial investigations and the pim kinase projects already has led to a first in human phase 1 study of a novel pim kinase inhibitor.

De Vos' laboratory provided more than 60 lymphoma cell lines to the UCLA Slamon TORL laboratory. Through that laboratory they test a wide spectrum of novel preclinical and clinical agents provided by pharmaceutical companies for anti-tumor activity. By correlating responses with molecular/genetic markers they are able to generate novel clinical trial concepts that are tested via investigator initialed trials at UCLA/TRIO-US.

Forero-Torres A, de Vos S, Pohlman BL, Pashkevich M, Cronier DM, Dang NH, Carpenter SP, Allan BW, Nelson JG, Slapak CA, Smith MR, Link BK, Wooldridge JE, Ganjoo KN. Results of a phase 1 study of AME-133v (LY2469298), an Fc-engineered humanized monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody, in Fc-gamma-RIIIa-genotyped patients with previously treated follicular lymphoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2012 Mar 1;18(5):1395-403. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-11-0850. Epub 2012 Jan 5.

Clark MC, Pang M, Hsu DK, Liu FT, de Vos S, Gascoyne RD, Said J, Baum LG. Galectin-3 binds to CD45 on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cells to regulate susceptibility to cell death. Blood. 2012 Nov 29;120(23):4635-44. doi: 10.1182/blood-2012-06-438234. Epub 2012 Oct 12.

Younes A, Gopal AK, Smith SE, Ansell SM, Rosenblatt JD, Savage KJ, Ramchandren R, Bartlett NL, Cheson BD, de Vos S, Forero-Torres A, Moskowitz CH, Connors JM, Engert A, Larsen EK, Kennedy DA, Sievers EL, Chen R. Results of a pivotal phase II study of brentuximab vedotin for patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma. J Clin Oncol. 2012 Jun 20;30(18):2183-9. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2011.38.0410. Epub 2012 Mar 26.

Coiffier B, Osmanov EA, Hong X, Scheliga A, Mayer J, Offner F, Rule S, Teixeira A, Walewski J, de Vos S, Crump M, Shpilberg O, Esseltine DL, Zhu E, Enny C, Theocharous P, van de Velde H, Elsayed YA, Zinzani PL; LYM-3001 study investigators. Bortezomib plus rituximab versus rituximab alone in patients with relapsed, rituximab-naive or rituximab-sensitive, follicular lymphoma: a randomised phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2011 Aug;12(8):773-84. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(11)70150-4. Epub 2011 Jul 1.

Burington B, Yue P, Shi X, Advani R, Lau JT, Tan J, Stinson S, Stinson J, Januario T, de Vos S, Ansell S, Forero-Torres A, Fedorowicz G, Yang TT, Elkins K, Du C, Mohan S, Yu N, Modrusan Z, Seshagiri S, Yu SF, Pandita A, Koeppen H, French D, Polson AG, Offringa R, Whiting N, Ebens A, Dornan D. CD40 pathway activation status predicts response to CD40 therapy in diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Sci Transl Med. 2011 Mar 16;3(74):74ra22. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3001620.