Prof Ross Cagan
Biology of Therapeutics
Our laboratory focuses on the Biology of Therapeutics: understanding why drugs that work well in pre-clinical models too often fail in patients, and how to redesign both our models and our therapies to close that gap. We integrate Drosophila, mouse, and human organoid and assembloid systems with spatial genomics and medicinal chemistry to define how genetic complexity, tumour ecosystems, and whole body physiology shape therapeutic response. Our goal is to move beyond single-target inhibition toward network-based therapies that account for tumour genotype, microenvironment, and whole-body metabolism.
Biography
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Recent Publications
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Biography
Education and qualifications
- 1989–2003: Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr S. Lawrence Zipurski, UCLA, USA
- 1989: PhD, Developmental Neurobiology, Dr Donald Ready, Princeton University, USA
- 1982: B.A., Biology, University of Chicago, USA
Appointments
- 2020–present: Scientific Director, Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research
- 2020–present: Regius Professor of Precision Medicine, University of Glasgow
- 2013–2020: Founder and Director, Center for Personalized Cancer Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
- 2007–2020: Professor, Dept. of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
- 2005–2015: Co-founder, Board of Directors of Medros Inc., USA
- 1993–2007: Advanced from Assistant Professor to Full Professor, Washington University School of Medicine, USA
Current committee membership
- Board member, Athena Swan/VOICE Diversity Committee
- Member, School of Cancer Sciences: Fellowship & Career Development Committee
- Member, Beatson Senior Management Team
- External Advisory Board, University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center
- Scientific Advisory Board, Pershing Square Prize
- International Thyroid Oncology Group
- Editorial Board, Disease Models and Mechanisms
Honours and awards
- Regius Professorship of Precision Medicine
- Fellow of the Royal Society
- Dean’s Healthcare System Team Science Award 2017, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
- Salk Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow 1992
- American Cancer Society Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship 1992
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences/National Institutes of Health postdoctoral grant 1989
Recent Publications
2025
Cong B, Stamou E, Pennel K, Thakur T, McKenzie M, Matly A, Gilroy K, Shah H, Gopinath S, Edwards J, Cagan R. WNT signalling promotes NF-κB activation and drug resistance in KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer. EMBO Rep. 2025.
Cong B, Thakur T, Uribe AH, Stamou E, Gopinath S, Sansom O, Maddocks O, Cagan R. Colon cancer cells evade drug action by enhancing drug metabolism. Oncogene. 2025.
Badmos H, Cagan R. Modelling Cancer in Drosophila: Exploration to Personalised Medicine. Advances in experimental medicine and biology. 2025:247-257.
2024
Diaz JEL, Barcessat V, Bahamon C, Hecht C, Das TK, Cagan RL. Functional exploration of copy number alterations in a Drosophila model of triple-negative breast cancer. Dis Model Mech. 2024;17(7).
Cong B, Cagan RL. Cell competition and cancer from Drosophila to mammals. Oncogenesis. 2024(1):1.
2023
Cong B, Thakur T, Uribe AH, Stamou E, Gopinath S, Maddocks O, Cagan R. Colon Cancer Cells Evade Drug Action by Enhancing Drug Metabolism. bioRxiv. 2023:2023.2012.2021.572817.
Rhodes SD, McCormick F, Cagan RL, Bakker A, Staedtke V, Ly I, Steensma MR, Lee SY, Romo CG, Blakeley JO, Sarin KY. RAS Signaling Gone Awry in the Skin: The Complex Role of RAS in Cutaneous Neurofibroma Pathogenesis, Emerging Biological Insights. J Invest Dermatol. 2023;143:1358-1368.
Staedtke V, Topilko P, Le LQ, Grimes K, Largaespada DA, Cagan RL, Steensma MR, Stemmer-Rachamimov A, Blakeley JO, Rhodes SD, Ly I, Romo CG, Lee SY, Serra E. Existing and Developing Preclinical Models for Neurofibromatosis Type 1-Related Cutaneous Neurofibromas. J Invest Dermatol. 2023;143:1378-1387.
2022
Cagan R, Shokat K. Drugging the undruggable: Ross Cagan interviews Kevan Shokat. Dis Model Mech. 2022;15:dmm049468.
2021
Bangi E, Smibert P, Uzilov AV, Teague AG, Gopinath S, Antipin Y, Chen R, Hecht C, Gruszczynski N, Yon WJ, Malyshev D, Laspina D, Selkridge I, Wang H, Gomez J, Mascarenhas J, Moe AS, Lau CY, Taik P, Pandya C, Sung M, Kim S, Yum K, Sebra R, Donovan M, Misiukiewicz K, Ang C, Schadt EE, Posner MR, Cagan RL. A Drosophila platform identifies a novel, personalized therapy for a patient with adenoid cystic carcinoma. iScience. 2021;24(3):102212.
Das TK, Gatto J, Mirmira R, Hourizadeh E, Kaufman D, Gelb BD, Cagan R. Drosophila RASopathy models identify disease subtype differences and biomarkers of drug efficacy. iScience. 2021;24(4):102306.
Padash Barmchi M, Thomas M, Thatte JV, Vats A, Zhang B, Cagan RL, Banks L. Inhibition of kinase IKKβ suppresses cellular abnormalities induced by the human papillomavirus oncoprotein HPV 18E6. Sci Rep. 2021;11:1111.
Xiong Z, Jeon M, Allaway RJ, Kang J, Park D, Lee J, Jeon H, Ko M, Jiang H, Zheng M, Tan AC, Guo X, Dang KK, Tropsha A, Hecht C, Das TK, Carlson HA, Abagyan R, Guinney J, Schlessinger A, Cagan R. Crowdsourced identification of multi-target kinase inhibitors for RET- and TAU-based disease: The Multi-Targeting Drug DREAM Challenge. PLoS Comput Biol. 2021;17:e1009302.
Posner M, Cagan R. Interdisciplinary case study: from fly-to-bedside, translating basic research to the clinic. iScience. 24:102279.
2020
Hirabayashi S, Cagan R. Systemic Regulation of Local Cell Competition. Dev Cell. 2020;53:371-372.
2019
Bangi E, Ang C, Smibert P, Uzilov A, Teague A, Antipin Y, Chen R, Hecht C, Gruszczynski N, Yon W, Malyshev D, Laspina D, Selkridge I, Rainey H, Moe A, Lau CY, Taik P, Wilck E, Bhardwaj A, Sung M, Kim S, Yum K, Sebra R, Donovan M, Misiukiewicz K, Schadt E, Posner M, Cagan R. A Personalized Platform Identifies Trametinib Plus Zoledronate For A Patient With KRAS-Mutant Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Science Advances 2019;5(5):eaav6528.
Kuleshov MV, Diaz JEL, Flamholz ZN, Keenan AB, Lachmann A, Wojciechowicz ML, Cagan RL, Ma’ayan A. modEnrichr: a suite of gene set enrichment analysis tools for model organisms. Nucleic Acids Res. 2019 May 9. pii: gkz347.
Ung P, Sonoshita M, Scopton A, Dar A, Cagan R, Schlessinger A. Integrated computational and Drosophila cancer model platform captures previously unappreciated chemicals perturbing a kinase network. PLoS Comput Biol. 2019;15:e1006878.
Cagan RL, Zon LI, White RM. Modeling Cancer with Flies and Fish. Developmental Cell 2019;49(3):317-24.
2018
Das TK, Cagan RL. Non-mammalian models of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2018;25:T91-T104.
Das TK, Esernio J, Cagan R. Restraining Network Response to Targeted Cancer Therapies Improves Efficacy and Reduces Cellular Resistance. Cancer Research 2018;78:4344-59.
Sonoshita M, Scopton A, Ung P, Murray M, Silber L, Maldonado A, Real A, Schlessinger A, Cagan R, Dar A. A Whole Animal Platform to Advance A Clinical Kinase Inhibitor Into New Disease Space. Nature Chemical Biology 2018;14:291-98. (Co-first authors; co-corresponding authors.)
2017
Cagan R, Meyer P. Rethinking cancer: current challenges and opportunities in cancer. Dis Model Mech. 2017;10:349-52.
Das T, Cagan R. KIF5B-RET Oncoprotein Signals through a Multi-kinase Signaling Hub. Cell Reports 2017 Sep 5;20:2368-2383.
Schlessinger A, Abagyan R, Carlson HA, Dang KK, Guinney J, Cagan RL. Modeling Human Cancers in Drosophila Drug Community Challenge. Cell Chem Biol. 2017 Dec 21;24:1434-5.
Sonoshita M, Cagan R. Modeling Human Cancers in Drosophila. Curr Top Dev Biol. 2017;121:287-309.
2016
Bangi E, Murgia C, Teague A, Sansom O, Cagan R. Functional exploration of colorectal cancer genomes using Drosophila. Nature Communications 2016;7:13615.
Levine B, Cagan R. Drosophila Lung Cancer Models Identify Trametinib Plus Statin as a Candidate Therapeutic. Cell Reports 2016;14:1477-87.
Levinson S, Cagan R. Drosophila Cancer Models Identify Functional Differences between Ret Fusions. Cell Rep. 2016;16:3052-61.