James Cleary

Dr. James Cleary is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a Clinical Investigator in the Department of Medical Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He specializes in gastrointestinal cancers and serves as Co-Director of Clinical Trials in the Center for Gastrointestinal Oncology. He is also the clinical liaison for gastrointestinal malignancies in the Early Drug Development Center and the Center for Immunotherapy at Dana-Farber.

His research centers on developing novel therapeutic strategies for gastrointestinal malignancies, with a focus on DNA damage repair (DDR) deficiencies in pancreatic cancer. He leads a phase 2 trial of the PARP inhibitor Niraparib in DDR-deficient pancreatic cancer and co-leads a Stand Up To Cancer/Lustgarten Foundation grant investigating DNA repair inhibitors in organoid and PDX models.

Dr. Cleary's recent publications highlight advancements in targeted therapy for pancreatic and biliary cancers, including resistance mechanisms to IDH inhibitors, FGFR2 alterations, and MUC5AC-targeted approaches. His work bridges clinical trials and translational research to improve patient outcomes.

Scientific Awards:

• Award for patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Teaching award at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Cleary mentors trainees and collaborates extensively on clinical and translational research. He is principal investigator on multiple clinical trials and leads a major collaborative grant focused on preclinical modeling to inform clinical trial design. His work is supported by Stand Up To Cancer and the Lustgarten Foundation.

He is actively involved in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams at Dana-Farber, including basic scientists and oncologists, to accelerate therapeutic development for pancreatic and related cancers.