Kevin J. Cullen, M.D. Director, University of Maryland
Greenebaum Cancer Center
Professor of Medicine
Department:
University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center
UMGCC Research Program:
Experimental Therapeutics Program
Education/Training:
College Degree:
B.A., Cum Laude, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Medical Degree:
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Residency:
Beth Israel Medical Center, Boston, MA
Fellowship:
National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD
Certification:
Medical Oncology, Internal Medicine
Contact
Information:
Mailing Address:
University of Maryland
Greenebaum Cancer Center
22 South Greene Street
Baltimore, MD, 21201
Email:
kcullen@umm.edu
Phone:
410-328-5506
Fax:
410-328-8455
Research Interests:
Dr. Kevin Cullen's laboratory examines mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in head and neck cancer. Specifically, his group has demonstrated that specific biochemical markers, especially enzymes related to the glutathione pathway, are important predictors of response to cisplatin based chemotherapy in head and neck tumors and that those same markers also predict prognosis. Elevated cellular glutathione is associated with decreased formation of cisplatin/DNA adducts and resistance to that class of drugs. Recent work from his laboratory suggests that elevated expression of cellular proteins associated with drug resistance, such as bcl-2, may mediate cisplatin resistance via glutathione dependent pathways. Dr. Cullen is funded for this research through NCI and industrial collaborations.
Publications:
Salesiotis A, Soong R, Diasio RB, Frost A, Cullen KJ. Capecitabine induces rapid, sustained response in two patients with extensive oral verrucous carcinoma. Clin Can. Res 9(2):580-585, 2003.
Rudin CM, Yang Z, Schumaker L, VanderWeele DJ, Newkirk K, Egorin MJ, Zuhowski EG, Cullen KJ. Inhibition of glutathione synthesis reverses Bcl-2-mediated cisplatin resistance. Cancer Research 63(2):312-318, 2003.
Cullen KJ, Newkirk KA, Schumaker LM, Aldosari N, Rone JD, Haddad BR. Glutathione-S-Transferase p amplification is associated with cisplatin resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines and primary tumors. Cancer Research 63(23):8097-102, 2003.
Rait AS, Pirollo KF, Ulick D, Cullen K, Chang EH. HER-2-targeted antisense oligonucleotide results in sensitization of head and neck cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Ann NY Acad Sci 1002;78-89, 2003.
Yang Z, Schumaker L, Egorin M, Zuhowski E, Guo Z, Cullen KJ. Cisplatin Preferentially Binds Mitochondrial DNA and Voltage-Dependent Anion Channel Protein in the Mitochondrial Membrane of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Possible Role in Apoptosis. Clin Cancer Res 2006 Oct 1;12(19):5817-25.
Cullen KJ, Yang Z, Schumaker L, Guo Z. Mitochondria as a critical target of the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin in head and neck cancer. J Bioenerg Biomembr. 2007 Feb;39(1):43-50. Review.
Posner MR, Hershock DM, Blajman CR, Mickiewicz E, Winquist E, Gorbounova V, Tjulandin S, Shin DM, Cullen K, Ervin TJ, Murphy BA, Raez LE, Cohen RB, Spaulding M, Tishler RB, Roth B, Viroglio Rdel C, Venkatesan V, Romanov I, Agarwala S, Harter KW, Dugan M, Cmelak A, Markoe AM, Read PW, Steinbrenner L, Colevas AD, Norris CM Jr, Haddad RI; TAX 324 Study Group. Cisplatin and fluorouracil alone or with docetaxel in head and neck cancer. N Engl J Med. 2007 Oct 25;357(17):1705-15.
Schumaker L, Nikitakis N, Goloubeva O, Tan M, Taylor R, Cullen KJ. Elevated expression of glutathione S-transferase pi and p53 confers poor prognosis in head and neck cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy but not radiotherapy alone. Clin Cancer Res. 2008 Sep 15;14(18):5877-83.
Posner MR, Norris CM, Wirth LJ, Shin DM, Cullen KJ, Winquist EW, Blajman CR, Mickiewicz EA, Frenette GP, Plinar LF, Cohen RB, Steinbrenner LM, Freue JM, Gorbunova VA, Tjulandin SA, Raez LE, Adkins DR, Tishler RB, Roessner MR, Haddad RI; for the TAX 324 Study Group. Sequential therapy for the locally advanced larynx and hypopharynx cancer subgroup in TAX 324: survival, surgery, and organ preservation. Ann Oncol. 2009 Jan 29.
Settle K, Taylor R, Wolf J, Kwok Y, Cullen K, Carter K, Ord R, Zimrin A, Strome S, Suntharalingam M. Race impacts outcome in stage III/IV squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck after concurrent chemoradiation therapy. Cancer. 2009 Feb 10.
Scheper MA, Badros A, Chaisuparat R, Cullen KJ, Meiller TF. Effect of zoledronic acid on oral fibroblasts and epithelial cells: a potential mechanism of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis. Br J Haematol. 2009 Mar;144(5):667-76.
