Trever Bivona

Trever Bivona, MD, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. He is a physician-scientist and cancer biologist whose research focuses on signal transduction, tumor evolution, and drug resistance in lung cancer.

Dr. Bivona earned his MD and PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from New York University School of Medicine, completed residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard, and pursued postdoctoral training in Medical Oncology and Cancer Biology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

His research program investigates the molecular mechanisms of oncogenic signaling, particularly through receptor tyrosine kinases (EGFR, ALK) and RAS GTPase pathways. A key recent discovery involves the role of membraneless cytoplasmic biomolecular condensates in driving oncogenic signaling and resistance. His work aims to understand tumor initiation, evolution, and therapeutic resistance to improve cancer therapy and patient outcomes.

His recent publications highlight trends in cancer resistance mechanisms, tumor evolution, biomolecular condensates, and rational combination therapies. These works appear in high-impact journals such as Nature, Cancer Discovery, and Cell, reflecting a strong focus on translational and mechanistic cancer biology.

Dr. Bivona has received significant recognition, including:

• NIH Director’s New Innovator Award
• Elected Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation

He is actively involved in major research initiatives as Principal Investigator of the NIH/NCI U54 Bay Area Drug Resistance and Sensitivity Center and as a Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Senior Investigator. His work includes advising on therapeutic strategies and securing substantial NIH funding for projects on RAS signaling, NF-κB inhibition, polytherapy optimization, and resistance mechanisms.

Dr. Bivona leads the Bivona Lab at UCSF, a research team dedicated to understanding the molecular basis of cancer signaling and resistance, with a strong emphasis on translating findings into clinical applications for lung cancer patients.