J. Silvio Gutkind, PhD
Associate Director, Basic Science
Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology
J. Silvio Gutkind, PhD, accepted the PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) Research & Hope Award for Academic Research for his pioneering work on the potent oncogenic activity of G proteins and GPCR, which led to novel strategies for treating and preventing several types of cancer in September of 2015, a week after he began at Moores Cancer Center.
Dr. Gutkind received his PhD in pharmacy and biochemistry from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and trained as a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He then joined the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) as chief of the Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Branch where he led a national and international effort addressing oral and head and neck malignancies until his recent recruitment to Moores Cancer Center. Dr. Gutkind's research team studies the molecular basis of cancer, with emphasis on basic mechanisms of signal transduction and cell growth control and their dysregulation in cancer, with emphasis on oral squamous cell carcinogenesis, AIDS-malignancies, and uveal and cutaneous melanoma. The goal of his research program is to exploit the emerging information on dysregulated signaling circuitries and individual genomic and molecular alterations to identify new mechanism-based precision therapies to prevent and treat cancer. In particular, Dr. Gutkind has recently led a multi-institutional effort aimed at exploring the biochemical consequences and clinical benefits of treating newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients with mTOR inhibitors. As part of a multidisciplinary team at Moores Cancer Center, he is now investigating the effectiveness and mechanism of action of PI3K/mTOR inhibitors for oral cancer prevention and treatment, both as single agents and as part of novel co-targeting strategies, and he is co-leading with Dr. Scott M. Lippman, Director, Moores Cancer Center, a new precision prevention medicine trial in oral premalignancy.
Dr. Gutkind has published more than 400 original studies in prestigious journals, and has organized and co-organized multiple national and international meetings and symposia on signal transduction and oral cancer research. He has been a member of many editorial boards of scientific journals and national and international advisory committees, and has supervised and mentored numerous graduate students, research fellows, and tenure-track investigators, many of whom are now playing leadership roles in institutions in the U.S. and abroad.
Contact Information
J. Silvio Gutkind, PhD
Phone: 858-534-5980
E-mail: sgutkind@ucsd.edu
Executive Assistant: Raluca Ciochina
Phone: 858-246-2087
E-mail: rciochina@ucsd.edu