معرفی
Julian Simon is an Associate Professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center with joint appointments in the Translational Science and Therapeutics Division and the Cancer Prevention Program (Public Health Sciences Division). He holds an Affiliate Associate Professor position at the University of Washington. His research develops small-molecule therapeutics targeting cancer and drug-induced hearing loss through interdisciplinary chemical biology approaches.
Education:
- B.A. in Chemistry, Wesleyan University (1983)
- Ph.D. in Chemistry, Columbia University (1991)
- Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard University (1994)
Dr. Simon's lab employs phenotypic screening of compound libraries to identify mechanistic probes for biological processes, with major projects focused on preventing cisplatin/aminoglycoside-induced ototoxicity and developing sirtuin inhibitors for lymphoma. His team uses zebrafish models, chemical synthesis, and target identification to optimize lead compounds like ORC-13661 for clinical translation.
Recent publications reveal two dominant research trajectories: hearing loss protection through hair cell death inhibitors (2015, 2008) and sirtuin-targeted cancer therapeutics (2014, 2006), demonstrating consistent focus on translational drug discovery from phenotypic screens to mechanistic validation.
Scientific Awards:
- Silverman Award, Wesleyan University (1982-1983)
- National Institute of Health Post-Doctoral fellowship (1991-1994)
- Glaxo Fellow, Harvard University (1994-1995)
- Faculty Fellow, Harvard University (1994-1996)
Dr. Simon mentors extensive trainee cohorts including current postdocs Smitha Sripathy and Alyssa Webster, plus 27 alumni. He serves on NIH study sections (Drug Discovery and Molecular Therapeutics charter member/vicer-chair 2012-2017) and co-directs Fred Hutch's Summer Undergraduate Research Program, demonstrating significant institutional leadership in cancer research training.
The Simon Lab operates within Fred Hutch's collaborative ecosystem, maintaining active partnerships with Ed Rubel's hearing research group and Dave Raible's zebrafish lab at the University of Washington, while advancing preclinical candidates toward human trials through NIAID/NIDCD collaborations.
