Alejandro Sweet-Cordero

Alejandro Sweet-Cordero, MD is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. His research focuses on identifying novel therapeutic approaches for cancer, particularly targeting genetic mutations and signaling networks in cancer cells and their microenvironment. He leads a multidisciplinary team using functional genomics, patient-derived xenograft models, and next-generation sequencing to study lung cancer and pediatric sarcomas.

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts in Biology, Stanford University (1989)
• Bachelor of Science in Anthropology, Stanford University (1989)
• Doctor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (1995)

Research Interests:

Dr. Sweet-Cordero's work spans basic discovery to preclinical target development. In lung cancer, his lab investigates KRAS-driven oncogenesis, tumor-propagating cells (cancer stem cells), and tumor-stroma interactions. In sarcomas, they study osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma metastasis, leveraging genomic analysis and patient-derived models. Notable contributions include identifying EWSAT1 as a lncRNA critical to Ewing sarcoma pathogenesis and discovering WT1 loss as a synthetic vulnerability in KRAS-driven NSCLC.

Grants & Funding:

• NIH R01CA225103 (2018-2023): Development of novel protein-based therapeutics for lung cancer
• NIH R01CA211657 (2017-2022): Role of long non-coding RNAs in sarcoma pathogenesis
• NIH U01CA199216 (2015-2019): Protein interaction networks and combinatorial screens targeting KRAS-driven cancer

Labs/Teams: His lab collaborates with the UCSF-Benioff Children's Hospitals and UC Santa Cruz Genome Institute on genomic-driven precision oncology. They maintain a large patient-derived xenograft repository and utilize advanced techniques like single-cell sequencing and CRISPR screens.