Graeme J. Dougherty, PhD

Research Professor, Radiation Oncology

E-Mail Address: 
gdougherty@azcc.arizona.edu
Phone Number: 
(520) 626-9005
Fax: 
(520) 626-2032
Short Bio: 

Dr. Dougherty obtained both an Honours degree in Bacteriology/Immunology (First Class) and a PhD in Tumour Immunology from the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. Following graduation, he worked as a scientist at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London, England and in 1986 moved to Vancouver, Canada to join the Terry Fox Laboratory at the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre where he spent nine years, leaving as a senior scientist. During this time he also held an Associate Professorship position in the Department of Pathology, at the University of British Columbia obtaining tenure in 1996. Prior to joining the University of Arizona in 2004, Dr. Dougherty worked both as a Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology in the University of California, Los Angeles and as a Chief Scientific Officer of Angiogene Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a UK-based drug discovery and development company that he helped establish while in Vancouver.

Dr. Dougherty's research efforts are focused on the development of novel means of improving the efficacy of radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer. His current studies are concentrated on approaches designed to disrupt the blood supply upon which the survival and growth of a solid tumor depends. Strategies involving both small molecule drugs and molecular medicines are being explored. A major goal is to ensure that findings made in the laboratory are rapidly integrated into clinical practice, providing novel solutions for cancer treatment.

Research Information
Selected Publications: 
Hayes, G.M., Carpenito, C., Davis, P.D., Dougherty, S.T., Dirks, J.F. and Dougherty, G.J. (2002) Alternative splicing as a novel means of regulating the expression of therapeutic genes. Cancer Gene Therapy 9:133-141.
 
Carpenito, C., Davis, P.D., Dougherty, S.T., and Dougherty, G.J. (2002) Exploiting the differential production of angiogenic factors within the tumor microenvironment in the design of a novel vascular-targeted gene therapy-based approach to the treatment of cancer. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics 54:1473-1478.
 
Hayes, G., Chiu, R.K., Carpenito, C., Dougherty, S.T. and Dougherty, G.J. (2002) Identification of sequence motifs responsible for adhesive interactions between exon v10-containing CD44 isoforms. J. Biol. Chem. 277:50529-50534.
 
Davis, P.D., Dougherty, G.J., Blakey, D.C., Galbraith, S.M., Tozer, G.M., Holder, A.L., Naylor, M.A., Nolan, J., Stratford, M.R., Chaplin, D.J. and Hill, S.A. (2002) ZD6126: A novel vascular-targeting agent that causes selective destruction of tumor vasculature. Cancer Res. 62:7247-7253.
 
Hayes, G.M., Dougherty, S.T., Davis, P.D. and Dougherty, G.J. (2004) Molecular mechanisms regulating the tumor targeting potential of splice-activated gene expression. Cancer Gene Therapy 11(12):797-807.
 
Dougherty, S.T., Davis, P.D. and Dougherty, G.J. (2004) Vascular targeted cancer gene therapy. Expert Opinion in Biologic Therapy 4(12):1911-1920.
 
Dougherty, G.J., Davis, P.D., and Dougherty, S.T. (2006) Development of vascular targeted cancer gene therapy. In: Vascular Targeted Therapies in Oncology, Siemman, D. (Ed). Chapter 14, p 247-259, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York.
 
Chaplin, D.J., Dougherty, G.J. and Siemman, D. (2007) Vascular disrupting agents. In: Antiangiogenic Cancer Therapy, Davis, D.W. Herbst, R.S. and Abbruzzese, J.L. (Eds) p329-364, Taylor & Frances CRC Press.
 
Dougherty, G.J. and Dougherty, S.T. (2009) Exploiting the tumor microenvironment in the development of targeted cancer gene therapy. Cancer Gene Therapy 16(3):279-290.
 
Dougherty, S.T., Walker, S., Davis, P.D. and Dougherty, G.J. (2009) "The novel vascular disrupting agent ANG501 induces cell cycle arrest and enhances endothelial cell sensitivity to radiation." Cancer Growth & Metastasis 2:1-10.

Dougherty, G.J. and Chaplin, D.J. (2009) Development of vascular disrupting agents. In: Vascular Targeting Therapy for Cancer, Meyer, T. (Ed.) Springer-Verlag, New York (In Press).
Professional Information
Professional Affiliations: 
  • Member, Radiation Research Society
  • Member Editorial Board, Cancer Growth and Metastasis
  • Member & Chairman, National Cancer Institute of Canada Panel A (Immunology)
  • Member, California Cancer Research Program Grant Panel
  • Member National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, DDK-D Subcommittee
  • Chairman, NIH Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) on Cancer Gene Therapy
  • Member Site Visit Team, Leukemia Research Fund (UK) TCR Gene Therapy Programme Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, UCL, London
  • Member Site Visit Team, NIAIDS Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation (CMCR) UCLA-CBRP U19 Program
Academic Information
Fellowship: 
Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, England
Doctorate: 
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
Undergraduate School: 
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland