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Attending Urologist
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Bernard and Josephine Chaus Professor of Urological Oncology
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Director, Laboratory Of Urological Oncology
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Professor of Urology
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Bander, Neil Harrison
 (212) 746-5493  (212) 746-8941
Director, Urological Oncology Research
Dr. Bander completed his fellowship training in clinical urological oncology under Willet F. Whitmore, Jr. and an NIH Immunology Training Fellowship in the laboratory of Lloyd Old, both at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in 1983. Since coming to NYPH-Weill Cornell, he has focused on clinical urological oncology and the area of cancer immunology and immunotherapy. He has directed both a substantial basic science and translational clinical research program.
Dr. Bander initially concentrated in the area of kidney cancer where he developed the world's largest panel of monoclonal antibodies to normal kidney and kidney cancer-related antigens. His studies defined the antigenic phenotype of normal and neoplastic kidney cells and further elucidated the histogenesis of renal cancer. By demonstrating that both normal proximal tubular cells and renal cancers could be routinely established in tissue culture, and in autologous combinations (from the same patient), he established renal cancer as an unparalleled model system for in vitro study of solid tumors. He defined multiple subsets of renal cancer, at the molecular level, long before it was recognized that there were multiple subtypes of renal cancer, before it was recognized that these subtypes had distinct clinical behaviors and long before molecular profiling of cancers came into vogue. His efforts led to the first clinical trials of monoclonal antibodies in renal cancer, a notoriously treatment ?refractory cancer. Dr. Bander had the foresight to realize the potential of this approach which has, in the past few years, established itself as perhaps the single most successful 'new' biotechnology for treating benign and malignant diseases. The efforts of Dr Bander and his colleagues have succeeded in demonstrating that an antibody, "G250", is capable of specifically targeting primary and metastatic renal cancer sites in patients better than any other agent reported before or since. Their publication, in 1993, became a prototype of how antibodies should be evaluated in early clinical trials, and this paper has been selected by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and reprinted as a 'classic' paper in the field. The G250 antibody continues in clinical development and is now in multi-center trials in the US, Europe and Australia.
In the early to mid '90s, Dr. Bander sought to translate the successful proof of principle targeting he and his colleagues had achieved in renal cancer to the field of prostate cancer. His group took advantage of the fact that an ideal target antigen, prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), had already been identified. Prior to the efforts of Dr. Bander's group, however, the only antibody available to PSMA was significantly compromised as it targeted a site on PSMA that was on the interior of the cell membrane. The intracellular location of the antigenic determinant prevented the earlier antibody (7E11) from binding to living cells. Dr. Bander's group developed the first series of monoclonal antibodies to PSMA that recognized determinants on the external part of the molecule, and these became the first antibodies that could bind viable PSMA-expressing cells. His group, using these antibodies, became the first to show that PSMA was widely expressed, not just by prostate cancer cells but by tumor vascular, but not normal vascular, endothelium. Other groups have now confirmed this finding and have shown that 95% of all malignancies express PSMA on their blood supply. Furthermore, Dr. Bander's group was the firstt to show that after antibody binding to PSMA, the antibody-PSMA complex is rapidly internalized into the cell. These novel findings by Dr. Bander's research group have substantial implications. They indicate the potential of these antibodies to treat not just prostate cancer but virtually any type of solid tumor. Further, they indicate the potential to use the antibody to target, not just radioisotopes, but to target highly potent drugs that will be selectively internalized by the cancer cells or their blood supply where the drug will specifically exert its effect, without causing toxicity to normal cells. Dr Bander's group has already shown, in animal models, the substantial potency of such a treatment approach.
Lastly, Dr. Bander's group has already begun the process of translating these basic findings to patients. He has demonstrated, in a trial nearing conclusion, that the mouse version of the prototype antibody targets extremely well to disseminated tumor sites. His group, in collaboration with others, has also succeeded in humanizing the antibody and preparing clinical grade humanized antibody for upcoming trials. His plan is to evaluate multiple versions of the humanized antibody (unmodified, isotope-labeled and drug-conjugated) in both prostate and non-prostate cancer patients. Two of these 3 trials are already approved and anticipated to begin by mid-2000.
In conclusion, Dr. Bander exemplifies the role of both a clinical uro-oncologist and a translational scientist. He has used, for a period of 20 years, his laboratory expertise to develop clinical reagents from which have developed clinical efforts that are unique in urological oncology. He has met with much early success and developing data would indicate the real possibility of a major advance in the treatment of cancer derived from his efforts
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