Control of Gene Expression

BIOGRAPHY

ACADEMIC POSITION:
Senior Investigator, Urologic Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute

EDUCATION:
Dr Neckers received his PhD from the University of Connecticut, completed postdoctoral training at the NIH, and joined the NCI in 1981. He became Chief of the Tumour Cell Biology Section, Medicine Branch, in 1988.

AWARDS:
Dr Neckers has been the recipient of several NIH Merit and NIH Inventor's Awards, as well as the recipient of the 2008 Donald S Coffey Award, presented by the Society for Basic Urologic Research.

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
An early proponent of translational research, Dr Neckers pioneered development of oligonucleotide-based therapeutic strategies. For the past 20 years, Dr Neckers has been investigating the role of chaperone proteins in signal transduction. His identification of benzoquinone ansamycins as specific antagonists of the chaperone Hsp90 uncovered the importance of this protein for the growth and survival of cancer cells and led directly to the first phase I clinical trial of an Hsp90 antagonist as an anticancer agent. Dr Neckers continues to examine the pivotal role of Hsp90 in cancer cell survival, and participates in the ongoing clinical development of Hsp90 inhibitors as novel anti-cancer agents.