Tumor Angiogenesis: From Molecular Mechanisms to Targeted Therapy

Francis Markland is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine. He obtained his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1964 and did his early training at UCLA. Dr. Markland has been characterizing snake venom proteins and examining their therapeutic potential. Most recently he and members of his laboratory have been studying the anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor properties of a protein purified from southern copperhead venom;this protein is now produced by recombinant technology.

Stephen Swenson is an Assistant Research Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of Hawaii in 1995. For his postgraduate training he joined the Markland laboratory working on the characterization and evaluation of direct acting thrombolytics enzymes from snake venom, currently in late stage clinical trials. Recently Dr. Swenson has been pursuing the development of an anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic agent based on snake venom disintegrins and disintegrin domains of human ADAM proteins.

Radu Minea is a Senior Research Associate in the Markland laboratory at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine. He obtained an MD degree from the Carol Davila School of Medicine in Bucharest, Romania in 1993 and did his residency in general surgery in Bucharest. He joined the Markland laboratory in 2002 and his current research involves the recombinant production of snake venom- and human ADAM-derived disintegrin-like anticancer agents.