David Gius, MD, PhD, a breast cancer and radiation researcher, has joined the Mays Cancer Center, home to The University of Texas Health San Antonio MD Anderson. He was recruited to the Mays Cancer Center from the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University with a $6 million senior investigator recruitment grant, awarded in August by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
Mays Cancer Center Executive Director, Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP, said: “Dr. Gius brings an extraordinary track record as an innovative physician-scientist and cancer researcher. As our new Associate Cancer Center Director for Translational Research, he will help move scientific discoveries from the laboratory bench to the bedside.”
David Gius, MD, PhD
Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP
Ideal Environment
Dr. Gius studies the cellular processes that govern aging, cellular metabolism, and cancer. He has developed several mouse models to study these health issues in breast cancer and other types of human malignancies.
“The Mays Cancer Center brings a great opportunity for me to continue treating breast and lung cancer patients, training the next generation of oncologists and cancer researchers, and exploring the mechanisms that regulate the processes of aging, cellular energy production, and the causes of cancer and tumor cell resistance. I am looking forward to working in both the Mays Cancer Center and the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies. They are the ideal combination of academic and scientific environments to expand my research and explore potential therapeutic interventions for the treatment and advancement of cancer,” said Dr. Gius, Professor of Radiation Oncology.
He brought four researchers with him to the Mays Cancer Center and, in addition to the $6 million grant, three National Cancer Institute grants totaling approximately $4 million. Dr. Gius has developed eight genetically modified mouse models to study human breast, prostate, and liver tumors.
“Through our research, we hope to eventually be able to help medical practitioners identify patients who are more likely to respond to therapy, predict the duration of drug response, and explain acquired drug resistance,” he said.
