Scientific Advisors & Principal Investigators
Scientific Advisors
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Dr. Daniel Haller
Dr. Daniel Haller, MD, FACP, is the Chair of the Clinical Scientific Advisory of Niiki Pharma. He is also currently Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, He was recently named to be the first holder of the Deenie Greitzer Endowed Chair in Gastrointestinal Oncology.
Dr. Haller specializes in gastrointestinal cancer, but has research interests in many different malignancies, having published more than 140 articles. Prior to becoming Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2001, Dr. Haller was Associate Editor of the Annals of Internal Medicine. He is currently a reviewer for several journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Cancer and the Journal of the American Medical Association.
He serves on the Clinical Trials Review Committee and the Cancer Clinical Investigations Review Committee for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He is also co-chair of the US NCI GI Intergroup, and was an external advisor to the French National Cancer Institute. He was recently elected to the presidency of the International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology. -
Dr. Lee Ellis
Dr. Lee Ellis, MD, FACP, is an internationally recognized surgical oncologist, researcher, and leader in the field of translational oncology. He holds several positions at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, including Professor of Surgery and Cancer Biology; Director, Metastasis Research Center; Director, Colorectal Cancer Translational Research Program; and Chair, Ad Interim, Department of Cancer Biology. Dr. Ellis is vice-chair of the NCI Colon Cancer Task Force and serves on 8 editorial boards, including Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Research and Clinical Cancer Research. Dr. Ellis has served in leadership roles in major cancer societies including ASCO, American Association for Cancer Research, and the Society for Surgical Oncology.
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Dr. Matthew Kulke
Dr. Matthew Kulke, MD, FACP, is a world expert in neuroendocrine (NET) tumors. He is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he leads the Carcinoid and Neuroendocrine Tumor Program. He has a leadership role in the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) Gastrointestinal Cancer Committee, chairs the NCI NET Task Force and NCCN NET guidelines committees, and serves on the executive committee of the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society. Dr. Kulke has chaired multiple global pivotal studies exploring new therapies for NET.
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Dr. Daniel Von Hoff
Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, MD, FACP, is the Senior Principal Investigator for Phase I-IIa clinical trials of NKP-1339 in United States. Dr. Von Hoff is also the Physician in Chief and Director of Translational Research at TGen (Translational Genomics Research Institute) in Phoenix, Arizona, Chief Scientific Officer for US Oncology and for Scottsdale Healthcare’s Clinical Research Institute. Dr. Von Hoff’s major interest is in the development of new anticancer agents, both in the clinic and in the laboratory. He and his colleagues are concentrating on the development of molecularly targeted therapies. Dr. Von Hoff has published more than 538 papers, 131 book chapters, and more than 933 abstracts. He was appointed to President Bush’s National Cancer Advisory Board in June 2004 – March 2010. He is also the past President of the American Association for Cancer Research (the world’s largest cancer research organization), a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a member and former board member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). ASCO is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians of all oncology subspecialties who care for people with cancer. In 2010, he was awarded David Karnofsky Memorial Award by ASCO for his outstanding achievements in cancer research and his impact on the treatment of patients with cancer. He is a founder of ILEX™ Oncology, Inc. (acquired by Genzyme). He is also the founder and the Editor Emeritus of Investigational New Drugs – The Journal of New Anticancer Agents, Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. Dr. Von Hoff and his colleagues were involved in early development of many anti-cancer agents used routinely, including: capecitabine, docetaxel, fludarabine, gemcitabine, irinotecan, lapatinib, mitoxantrone, nelarabine, paclitaxel, and others.
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Dr. Howard (Skip) Burris Jr. III
Dr. Howard Burris, MD, FACP is the Senior Principal Investigator for Phase I-IIa clinical trials of NKP-1339 in United States. He is also the Director of Drug Development for the Sarah Cannon Research Institute, and a member of Tennessee Oncology. He is board certified in Medical Oncology and Internal Medicine. Prior to Tennessee Oncology, he was at Brooks Army Medical Center and the University of Texas HSC in San Antonio. Dr. Burris is a West Point Graduate. He attended medical school at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and completed his residency and fellowship at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Burris specializes in drug development and oncology experimental therapeutics. Dr. Burris is a member of the ASCO Ethics, Clinical Practice and Program Committees. He is a board member of Gilda's Club and Past-President and Trustee for the Southern Association of Oncology and Editor of the Oncology Report. Dr. Burris has been involved in development of many anti-cancer agents used routinely, including: amptothecin, carboplatin, deoxycytidine, paclitaxel, topotecan, vinblastine, and others.
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Dr. George Sledge
Dr. George W. Sledge Jr. MD, FACP, is the Senior Principal Investigator for Phase I-IIa NKP-2235 trial. He was also the 2010-2011 President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world's largest and most prominent professional oncology organization. He is the Ballve-Lantero Professor of Oncology and Professor of Medicine, where he serves asthe co-director of the Indiana University Simon Cancer Center's breast program. Dr. Sledge specializes in the study and treatment of breast cancer, and his specific research focuses on molecular and tumor biology, growth factors and novel biologic therapies. He has chaired several nationwide clinical trials involving new therapies for breast cancer. Dr. Sledge was awarded the 2010 William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. He holds many honors including the Jill Rose Award -- Breast Cancer Research Foundation (2007) and the 2006 Komen Foundation Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction. He has been listed among "America's Top Doctors for Cancer." Dr. Sledge has served as a breast cancer committee leader with the Hoosier Oncology Group, and Chair of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. Dr. Sledge has published extensively in the area of breast cancer research, and has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal Clinical Breast Cancer.
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Dr. Elena (Gabi) Chiorean
Dr. Elena B. Chiorean, MD, FACP, is the Senior Principal Investigator for Phase I-IIa NKP-2235 trial. She is currently the Medical Director of the GI Oncology Program at Indiana University Simon Cancer Center, where she leads the Phase I Program. She is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Her research interests are clinical and translational research for colorectal, pancreatic, hepatobiliary and other gastrointestinal cancers and Phase I novel experimental therapeutics in solid tumors. She also serves as chair of the Hoosier Oncology Group Gastrointestinal Cancer Committee. Dr. Chiorean was awarded the 2008 Indiana University, Department of Medicine Outstanding Young Clinician Award and the 2006 Walther Cancer Institute Danielson Award for Clinical Research at Indiana University. She has also served as chair of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Committee. Additionally, Dr. Chiorean has served as principal investigator in numerous industry sponsored clinical trials and has published her findings in a number of prestigious peer reviewed journals.
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Professor Dr. Dr. Bernhard K. Keppler
Professor Bernhard K. Keppler discovered NKP-1339 and NKP-2235. He is the Dean of Faculty of Chemistry at University of Vienna (Austria), President of Austrian Association of University Professors, Head of the Research Platform "Translational Cancer Therapy Research" of the Medical University and University of Vienna, and Member of the Vienna board of trustees for innovative and interdisciplinary Cancer Research. He was the former Vice-Chairman of the Central European Society of Anticancer-Drug Research (CESAR). Professor Keppler is a world-renowned expert on bio-inorganic chemistry, coordination compounds and has dedicated his career to discovering several novel anti-cancer compounds. His findings have been published in over 450 research articles in peer-reviewed journals and several books. He is also on the editorial boards of several scientific journals including: Anticancer Research, Chemical Monthly, Bioinorganic Chemistry and Applications, Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry (2005- 2009) and Current Chemical Biology. He is the recipient of several prestigious scientific awards.