Demetrios Spandidos

Last updated

Demetrios A. Spandidos
Δημήτριος Σπαντίδος
Demetrios A. Spandidos.jpg
Born (1947-04-13) 13 April 1947 (age 77)
Agios Konstantinos, Sparta, Greece
NationalityGreek
CitizenshipGreek
Alma mater Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, McGill University, University of Glasgow
SpousePanayota D. Krempeniou
ChildrenTwo
Scientific career
FieldsMolecular oncology, Virology, Genetics, Cancer therapeutics, COVID
Institutions University of Crete
Thesis Genetics and transcription of reovirus  (1976)
Website www.demetriosspandidos.com

Demetrios A. Spandidos is a Greek virologist and cancer researcher. He is an emeritus professor at the University of Crete where he was professor of virology from 1989 till 2015. He is also the founder of Spandidos Publications and the editor-in-chief of all eight of its journals.

Contents

Education

Spandidos received his bachelor's degree from the University of Thessaloniki in 1971, his PhD from McGill University in 1976, and a DSc from the University of Glasgow in 1989. [1]

Career

From 1976 to 1978, Spandidos worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, working in the laboratory of Louis Siminovitch. [2]

In 1978, Spandidos gave a presentation to a Dana Farber Cancer Institute seminar. In this presentation, Spandidos claimed to have proven that oncogenes were the root cause of all cancers. Robert Weinberg, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was in the audience when Spandidos gave this talk, and later recalled that he had devised what he called "exactly the same" strategy to identify oncogenes in human tumors not long before Spandidos' talk. [3] Spandidos had published these findings in Cell a month prior to Weinberg having his idea, which, like Spandidos' paper, related to transfectable oncogenes. [4]

Spandidos was forced to end his position at the University of Toronto in Siminovitch's laboratory due to accusations of fraud. Two postdocs in Siminovitch lab were unable to reproduce Spandidos' findings, and Spandidos did not present the raw data proving that he was innocent. However, Siminovitch did not initiate an independent investigation and the accusations have never been officially confirmed. [4]

From 1978 to 1979, Spandidos was an assistant professor at the Hellenic Anticancer Institute in Athens, Greece. From 1979 to 1989, Spandidos worked at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, where he studied the Ras oncogene. [5]

Previous and Present Positions

2021

THE CANCER STORY - THE DISCOVERY OF CELLULAR ONCOGENES - Published by Spandidos Publications October 2021 [6]

2022

Demetrios Spandidos is elected this year as a new member of Academia Europaea. [7]

Spandidos Publications

In 1992, Spandidos established Spandidos Publications, a publisher of scientific journals. It currently publishes twelve journals: International Journal of Molecular Medicine , International Journal of Oncology , Molecular Medicine Reports, Oncology Reports , Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, Oncology Letters , Biomedical Reports, Molecular and Clinical Oncology, World Academy of Sciences Journal, International Journal of Functional Nutrition, International Journal of Epigenetics and Medicine International Journal. Spandidos is the editor-in-chief of all of them. [8]

Honours and awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre</span> Specialised cancer care centre in Glasgow, Scotland

The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre is a specialised cancer care centre in Glasgow, Scotland. Until recently it had facilities in Gartnavel General Hospital, the Western Infirmary and Glasgow Royal Infirmary. As part of the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Acute Services Review, the centre is being centralised within new facilities at the Gartnavel General Hospital site.

Rakesh K. Jain is the Andrew Werk Cook Professor of Tumor Biology director of the E. L. Steele Laboratories at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Harvard Medical School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon McVie</span> British oncologist and cancer researcher (1945–2021)

John Gordon McVie was an international authority on the treatment and research of cancer. He wrote over 350 peer-reviewed articles, editorials and books. McVie was born in Glasgow, Scotland and died of non-Hodgkin lymphona and COVID-19 in Bristol, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harald zur Hausen</span> German virologist (1936–2023)

Harald zur Hausen NAS EASA APS was a German virologist. He carried out research on cervical cancer and discovered the role of papilloma viruses in cervical cancer, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008. He was chairman of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edison Liu</span>

Edison T. Liu is an American chemist who is the former president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory, and the former director of its NCI-designated Cancer Center (2012-2021). Before joining The Jackson Laboratory, he was the founding executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), chairman of the board of the Health Sciences Authority, and president of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) (2007-2013). As the executive director of the GIS, he brought the institution to international prominence as one of the most productive genomics institutions in the world.

<i>Clinical Cancer Research</i> Academic journal

Clinical Cancer Research is a peer-reviewed medical journal on oncology, including the cellular and molecular characterization, prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of human cancer, medical and hematological oncology, radiation therapy, pediatric oncology, pathology, surgical oncology, and clinical genetics. The applications of the disciplines of pharmacology, immunology, cell biology, and molecular genetics to intervention in human cancer are also included. One of the main interests of Clinical Cancer Research is on clinical trials that evaluate new treatments together with research on pharmacology and molecular alterations or biomarkers that predict response or resistance to treatment. Another priority for Clinical Cancer Research is laboratory and animal studies of new drugs as well as molecule-targeted agents with the potential to lead to clinical trials, and studies of targetable mechanisms of oncogenesis, progression of the malignant phenotype, and metastatic disease. The journal is published by the American Association for Cancer Research.

<i>International Journal of Oncology</i> Monthly medical journal

The International Journal of Oncology is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal of oncology, published by Spandidos Publications. It was established in 1992 and the editor-in-chief is Demetrios A. Spandidos. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2020 impact factor of 5.650.

Barry Austin Gusterson is an Emeritus Professor of Pathology at the University of Glasgow. He was previously Professor of Pathology and Head of the Section of Molecular Pathology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, and Founding Director of the Toby Robins Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre. In 2000-2010 he was Professor of Pathology in Glasgow and was the project lead responsible for building the Wolfson Wohl Cancer Centre. He is known for his research on EGFR in head and neck cancer, and HER2 in breast cancer and breast development.

Simon N. Powell is a British cancer researcher and radiation oncologist residing in New York City.

Clement Adebamowo is a Nigerian medical researcher and academic. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Adebamowo is currently Director For Global Health Cancer Research, and a professor of Epidemiology & Public Health, at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He is known for his work in cancer epidemiology, nutrition epidemiology, and research ethics, particularly in low resource and under-served in Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Workman (scientist)</span> British oncologist (born 1952)

Paul Workman is a British scientist noted for his work on the discovery and development of pharmaceutical agents in the field of oncology. He is President and CEO of The Institute of Cancer Research In London.

Giorgio Stassi is an Italian scientist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George C. Prendergast</span> American biomedical scientist

George C. Prendergast is an American biomedical scientist. His research has focused on cancer pathobiology and immunology. Since 2004, he has been the president and CEO of Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a cancer-focused research center in the U.S. He is also the co-director of the Program in Cancer Cell Biology & Signaling at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University.

Janet S Butel is the Chairman and Distinguished Service Professor in the molecular virology and microbiology department at Baylor College of Medicine. Her area of expertise is on polyomavirus pathogenesis of infections and disease. She has more than 120 publications on PubMed. She also has 6 publications in Nature, which is considered one of the most prestigious science journals. She is a member of 9 different organizations and has 13 honors and awards.

Oncology Letters is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of oncology. It was established in 2010 and is published by Spandidos Publications. The editor-in-chief is Demetrios Spandidos. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2022 impact factor of 3.11, ranking it 97th out of 211 journals in the category "Oncology".

Karen Beemon is an American molecular biologist and professor of biology at Johns Hopkins University known for her research on RNA viruses and viral oncogenesis.

Margaret Frame is a British biologist. She is the Professor of Cancer Biology and Science Director of Cancer Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh. She is also Director of MRC Institute of Genetics & Molecular Medicine. She has made seminal contributions to understanding mechanisms of cell adhesion and motility. She previously served as deputy-director of the Beatson Institute in Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Marais</span> Cancer researcher

Richard Malcolm Marais a British researcher who is Director of the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Manchester Institute and Professor of Molecular Oncology at the University of Manchester.

Richard B. Gaynor is an American physician specializing in hematology-oncology, educator, drug developer, and business executive. He served as an Associate Professor of Medicine at UCLA School of Medicine for nearly a decade, and subsequently as an endowed Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry in 2002. His research on NF-κB, IκB kinase, and other mechanisms regulating viral and cellular gene expression has been covered in leading subject reviews. He has been a top executive at several pharmaceutical companies, with respect to the development and clinical testing of novel anticancer drugs and cell therapies. For over a decade and a half, he worked at Eli Lilly and Company, where he became the Senior Vice President of Oncology Clinical Development and Medical Affairs in 2013. Gaynor was President of R&D at Neon Therapeutics from 2016 to 2020, when he became the President of BioNTech US, both pharmaceutical companies headquartered in Cambridge, MA. His honors include being elected a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians.

References

  1. "Spandidos Lab Home Page". University of Crete.
  2. Spandidos, Demetrios A. (November 2004). "The Cancer Story" (PDF). Cancer Biology and Therapy. 3 (11): 1184–1186. doi: 10.4161/cbt.3.11.1260 . PMID   15539942.
  3. Warsh, David (7 October 1996). "Nobel Contender Called Out On Strikes Not Even His Own". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  4. 1 2 Angier, Natalie (2014). Natural Obsessions: Striving to Unlock the Deepest Secrets of the Cancer Cell. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 79. ISBN   9780544358348.
  5. 1 2 Spandidos, Demetrios A. (November 2021). "EDITORIAL of the International Journal of Oncology for 30 years of progress (1992-2021)". International Journal of Oncology. 59 (1): 3221–3225. doi: 10.4161/cbt.3.11.1260 . PMC   8237083 . PMID   33982788.
  6. Spandidos, Demetrios (2021). THE CANCER STORY - THE DISCOVERY OF CELLULAR ONCOGENES. Spandidos Publications. p. 183. ISBN   9789609899949.
  7. "Academia Europaea Official Website".
  8. "About Spandidos Publications". Spandidos Publications. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  9. Bonavida, Benjamin (July 2017). "In Honor of Professor Demetrios A. Spandidos". Critical Reviews in Oncogenesis . 22 (3–4): 3–4. doi: 10.1615/CritRevOncog.2018025394 .
  10. Zaravinos, Apostolos (July 2017). "Preface: Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor Genes in Cancer: Honoring of Professor Demetrios A. Spandidos". Critical Reviews in Oncogenesis . 22 (3–4): 3–4 vii–x. doi: 10.1615/CritRevOncog.2018025390 .
  11. Mammas, Ioannis (October 2019). "Clinical Virology research and medical education in Greece: An interview with Demetrios A. Spandidos, Professor of Clinical Virology at the University of Crete in Greece". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. 18 (4): 3221–3225. doi: 10.3892/etm.2019.7946 . PMC   6766560 . PMID   31588212.
  12. Spandidos, Demetrios (July 2021). "EDITORIAL of the International Journal of Oncology for 30 years of progress (1992-2021)". International Journal of Oncology . 59 (1): 3221–3225. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2021.5216 . PMC   8237083 . PMID   33982788.
  13. "Academia Europaea Official Website".