John Blenis

John Blenis is a Professor of Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medicine, where he leads the Blenis Laboratory as the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Professor in Cancer Research. He serves as Associate Director for Basic Science at the Meyer Cancer Center and Graduate Program Director for the Department of Pharmacology. His work bridges cellular signaling, metabolism, and cancer biology through collaborations with New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Tri-Institutional programs (Weill Cornell Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Rockefeller University).

• Current research focuses on mTORC1 signaling, cancer metabolism, and drug resistance mechanisms
• Key affiliations: Meyer Cancer Center, Tri-Institutional PhD programs in Chemical Biology and MD-PhD

His lab investigates how cancer cells exploit metabolic pathways (e.g., mTOR, Ras/ERK, PI3K/Akt) and environmental cues to drive tumorigenesis. They employ advanced technologies in cell-based and mouse models to identify therapeutic targets, with clinical translation supported by collaborations. Recent work explores aging-associated metabolites like methylmalonic acid in metastatic progression and dietary influences on signaling networks.

Scientific awards include the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Professorship in Cancer Research. The lab's publication trends highlight mTORC1's role in mRNA processing, lysosome function, and metabolic vulnerabilities, with applications in drug combination strategies and oncometabolite biology. Retracted papers and corrections indicate rigorous scientific validation practices.