David J VanderWeele

David J VanderWeele is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, specializing in Hematology and Oncology. His work focuses on precision medicine, clinical trials in metastatic cancer, and genomic profiling of prostate, bladder, and urothelial cancers. He leads several active clinical trials evaluating novel therapies, including immunotherapy combinations, targeted drug regimens, and molecularly guided treatments.

Research Interests: His research emphasizes molecular mechanisms of treatment resistance in prostate cancer, the role of genomic heterogeneity in therapeutic outcomes, and the application of advanced imaging (e.g., PSMA-PET, FDG-PET) for guiding personalized treatment strategies. He also explores the integration of immunotherapies like checkpoint inhibitors and antibody-drug conjugates into standard oncology protocols.

Clinical Trials: Key trials include evaluating nivolumab/relatlimab in bladder cancer, FOR46 (CD46-targeted ADC) in mCRPC, and the Metacure trial for oligometastatic prostate cancer. He has also contributed to trials examining PARP inhibitors in combination therapies and the impact of neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy on tumor response.

Focus Areas: Prostate cancer progression, metastasis biology, biomarker-driven therapy selection, and overcoming resistance through multi-agent regimens. His work spans translational research (e.g., circulating tumor cells) and clinical implementation of precision medicine strategies.