Frank McCormick

Frank McCormick, PhD, FRS is a Professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. He holds the David A. Wood Chair of Tumor Biology and Cancer Research and has led groundbreaking work in RAS-driven cancers. With a career spanning academia and industry, he previously held leadership roles at Cetus Corporation, Chiron Corporation, and founded Onyx Pharmaceuticals, where he pioneered the development of Sorafenib and ONYX-015.

• Education:
  • B.Sc. (1972), University of Birmingham, Biochemistry
  • Ph.D. (1975), University of Cambridge, Biochemistry

Research Interests: Dr. McCormick's work focuses on the molecular differences between normal and cancer cells, with an emphasis on RAS signaling pathways and therapeutic strategies. His research bridges structural biology, proteomics, and drug discovery to target oncogenic KRAS, NRAS, and related proteins in cancers like pancreatic, colorectal, and lung tumors.

Article Trends: His recent publications highlight advancements in RAS inhibition, including covalent and non-covalent inhibitors, structural dynamics of RAS-effector complexes, and proteomic assays for drug engagement. Key subfields encompass KRASG12C targeting, RAS-PI3K interactions, neurofibromin regulation, and RASopathies.

Scientific Awards:

• Fellow of the Royal Society (1996)
• AACR-G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award (2002)
• Shubitz Award (2005)
• National Academy of Science (2015)
• Luminary Award in GI Cancer (2018)

Grants & Leadership: Current grants include NIH/NCI projects on SOS1 inhibition (2020-2025) and RAS-PI3Kα interactions (2020-2023). He served as President of the American Association for Cancer Research (2012-2013) and leads the Frederick National Lab's Ras-targeting initiative.