User:Hubertprentiss/Leonidas C. Platanias

Leonidas C. Platanias

Summary

Leonidas C. Platanias, MD, PhD, is the director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and the Jesse, Sara, Andrew, Abigail, Benjamin and Elizabeth Lurie Professor of Oncology.[1] He is internationally known for his research focused on cytokine signaling pathways in cancer cells, and for his contributions in developing therapies that target those pathways.[2]

Platanias is a professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, a professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and a medical oncologist who treats patients with leukemia and other blood cancers.

Education and Career

Born in Athens, Greece, Platanias earned his MD and Doctorate from the University of Patras Medical School in Greece. Platanias moved to the United States in 1984 to begin his research career at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. At that time, he worked as a post-doctoral fellow on the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of aplastic anemia, in the laboratory of Neal S. Young, Chief of the Hematology Branch at the NIH. In 1986 he moved to New York City for clinical training. He completed his residency in internal medicine at SUNY/State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center in 1989. He then moved to Chicago and went on to complete a fellowship in hematology-oncology at the University of Chicago Hospitals in 1992. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

After completing his fellowship training, Platanias joined the faculty of Loyola University of Chicago in 1992. In 1996, he moved to the University of Illinois at Chicago as Associate Professor of Medicine, where he ultimately became Professor and Chief of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Medicine. In 2002, he was recruited to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University as its first deputy director. [3]

In 2014, Platanias was named director of the Lurie Cancer Center, succeeding Steven T. Rosen, MD.[4] As the director, he provides oversight of the clinical operations and basic science research programs at the cancer center, including programs to translate basic and clinical research into personalized medicine.[5] In 2018, under Platanias’ leadership, the Lurie Cancer Center received the highest rating possible from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), an overall “exceptional,” on the competitive renewal of its Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) and the highest score in Lurie Cancer Center’s history.[6] Platanias oversees the cancer program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Lurie Cancer Center’s primary teaching affiliate and clinical home, which is ranked #8 in the nation, and recognized as the top cancer program in Illinois and Chicago by U.S. News & World Report in its 2020-2021 list of “Best Hospitals for Cancer.”[7]

Research

The Platanias laboratory focuses on the mechanisms of cytokine signaling in cancer, and the development of novel approaches to target such pathways for the treatment of leukemias and other malignancies. His laboratory has identified and defined several pathways engaged by cytokine receptors, and established their functions in key cellular and biological responses. Among his career honors, Dr. Platanias received the prestigious Seymour and Vivian Milstein Award for Excellence in Inteferon and Cytokine Research in 2013.[8] The Platanias lab has also defined several MAP kinase and mTOR-signaling networks that control initiation of mRNA translation in malignant cells, and has developed approaches to target key pathway elements for the treatment of malignancies. Platanias has published more than 330 papers, and his efforts have been continuously funded by the NCI for nearly 30 years.[9]  

Elected Professional Society Positions

·      Board of Directors, Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) – 2018 - 2021

·      Board of Directors, International Cytokine and Interferon Society (ICIS) – 2010 – 2015

·      President, International Cytokine and Interferon Society (ICIS) – 2010 – 2011

Editorial Boards

·      Clinical Cancer Research (2015 – present)

·      Journal of Biological Chemistry (2012 – 2017)

·      Journal of Biological Chemistry (2005 – 2010)

·      Leukemia and Lymphoma, Associate Editor (2007 – present)

·      Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research, Associate Editor (2006 – present)

Awards and Honors

·      UHVA Award for the Most Distinguished Greek-American in the Field of Medicine - 2014

·      Seymour and Vivian Milstein Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in the field of Interferon and Cytokine Research - 2013

·      American Cancer Society (ACS), Clinical Oncology Career Development Award - 1993

·      American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Young Investigator Award - 1993

·      International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research (ISICR), Merit Award - 1992

·      American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Fellow Award - 1991

Publications

1.  Platanias LC. Mechanisms of type-I- and type-II-interferon-mediated signalling. Nat Rev Immunol. 2005 May;5(5):375-86.

2. Platanias LC. Map kinase signaling pathways and hematologic malignancies. Blood. 2003 Jun 15;101(12):4667-79.

References

[1] Hirst, Ellen Jean (Oct. 1, 2014). Northwestern Names New Cancer Center Director. Chicago Tribune.

[2] Faculty Profile: Leonidas Platanias, MD, PhD. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

[3] Dunne, Nora (2018). Cancer Crusader. Northwestern Medicine Magazine

[4] Paul, Marla (2014). Platanias Appointed Director of Lurie Cancer Center. Northwestern Now

[5] Leadership. Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University

[6] Williams, Anna (Aug. 13, 2018). Exceptional Science at the Lurie Cancer Center. Feinberg School of Medicine

[7] Best Hospitals for Cancer. U.S. News & World Report 2020-2021

[8] Platanias to Receive 2013 Millstein Award. Northwestern Medicine

[9] Leonidas C. Platanias, MD, PhD. Association of American Institutes

External links

• Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University