Himisha Beltran
About Himisha Beltran
Dr. Beltran’s research will help define the genetic basis of a rare and aggressive form of prostate cancer called neuroendocrine (small cell) prostate cancer (NEPC). Patients diagnosed with NEPC often have Gleason 9 or 10 types and an average survival of less than two years. These men are often under 50 years old at diagnosis as well. It is currently unclear how this type of prostate cancer is initiated, and why it so often resists standard therapies for advanced prostate cancer. The characteristics of NEPC clones are very different from the more common prostate cancer type: adenocarcinoma. Determining the genetic differences specific to NEPC should enable the development of new biomarkers and targeted therapy for this exceptionally aggressive form of the disease.
Award
The 2010 LeFrak Family – PCF Young Investigator Award
Himisha Beltran, MD
Weill Cornell Medical College – New York, NY
Co-Mentor
David Nanus, MD, Medical Director of the Genitourinary Oncology Program and Chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Co-Mentor
Mark Rubin, MD, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Director of Translational Research Laboratory Services, and Vice Chairman for Experimental Pathology at Weill Cornell Medical College.