Charles M. Rudin

Charles M. Rudin is a Professor and Chief of the Thoracic Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He serves as Deputy Director of the Cancer Center and Co-Director of the Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research. Dr. Rudin also holds the Sylvia Hassenfeld Chair in Lung Cancer Research and serves on the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Advisors while leading the NCI Small Cell Lung Cancer Research Consortium.

• MD, PhD, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
• Residency and Fellowship, University of Chicago Medical Center

Dr. Rudin's research focuses on identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities in lung cancer, with particular emphasis on small cell lung cancer. His lab explores the immune microenvironment of lung cancers, uses CRISPR screening to identify selective vulnerabilities, and maintains a large library of patient-derived xenograft models. They employ single cell technologies to understand tumor heterogeneity and plasticity, which contribute to drug resistance and metastasis.

Recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on lineage plasticity, neuroendocrine transformation mechanisms, and identifying subtype-specific vulnerabilities. His work integrates preclinical models with clinical trials to develop novel therapeutic approaches targeting mechanisms like SMARCA4 loss, DLL3 expression, and epigenetic regulation in lung cancer.

• NCI Outstanding Investigator Award
• IASLC Lifetime Achievement Award (Paul Bunn Award)
• NCI Directors Service Award
• Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctor (2025, 2024, 2023)
• Association of American Physicians

As Principal Investigator of the NCI Small Cell Lung Cancer Research Consortium, Dr. Rudin oversees a major national research initiative. His laboratory has trained numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who have gone on to prominent positions in academia and industry. The lab actively collaborates with clinical teams to translate discoveries into multiple ongoing clinical trials testing novel therapeutic approaches for lung cancer patients.

The Rudin Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering is a multidisciplinary team comprising graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research technicians, and clinical collaborators. They work closely with the Molecular Pharmacology Program and the Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research to translate basic discoveries into clinical applications, with current projects focusing on lineage plasticity, SMARCA4 loss, DLL3 targeting, metastasis regulation, and combinatorial therapeutics.