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Dr. Steven M Albelda

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Dr. Steven M. Albelda received his medical degree with honors from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. When he was awarded his degree, he received the Dr. A.O.J. Kelley Prize, the Lawrence Saunders Prize and the Dr. Spencer Morris Prize. After receiving his Medical Degree, he completed his residency and fellowship at University of Pennsylvania Hospital. He is board-certified in critical care medicine, pulmonary medicine, and internal medicine. In 1985, he received the prestigious Physician-Scientist Award from the National Institutes of Health’s Lung Division, and as a result is an Adjunct Professor at the Wistar Institute.

Currently, Dr. Albelda is the William Maul Measey Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Associate Director of the Pulmonary Division, Director of Lung Research, and Co-Director of the Thoracic Oncology Laboratories. In the latter capacity, Dr. Albeda studies the molecular mechanisms of cell adhesion and inflammation, as well as on the development of new treatments for the treatment of mesothelioma and other thoracic cancers.

Much of his research focuses on gene therapy, immunotherapy and molecular biology. Dr. Albelda is conducting several clinical trials for mesothelioma patients. Some of the trials include:

  • Immunogene Therapy and the Interferon-Beta Gene
  • COX-2 Inhibitors and Anti-Tumor Immune
  • TGF-beta Inhibitors
  • Chemotherapeutic Drugs
  • Study of Macrophages in Tumor Development or Destruction

Additional trials involve the collection of blood samples, biopsy samples and other information pertinent for patients with lung cancer or mesothelioma. The samples will be used to determine the following:

  • Predicting the likelihood of recurring cancer after surgery using genomic predictors and immunohistochemical
  • Identification of genes that will assist in lung cancer diagnosis
  • How to identify mesothelioma and lung cancer with proteomics
  • Identification of genes that differentiate lung cancer from head and neck cancer

Another clinical project includes the use of animal models, such as mice, rats, and pigs to determine the effects of monoclonal antibodies against certain lung cancers. Oncologists are measuring the effects of anti-oxidant enzymes and oxidant enzymes in endothelial cells. The technique could be employed in lung transplantation, lung injury, and cardiopulmonary bypass.

Dr. Albelda has also published a number of articles in respected medical journals, including Clinical Cancer Research and Cancer Research.