Samuel D. Rabkin, PhD
- Lab fax: 617-643-3422
- Visit the Molecular Neurosurgery Research Lab
Research Investigator Profile
Affiliations
Samuel D. Rabkin, PhD
Associate Professor of Surgery, (Microbiology & Immunobiology) Harvard Medical School
Associate Virologist, Massachusetts General Hospital Principal Investigator, Molecular Neurosurgery Lab, Brain Tumor Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery
Research Description
Oncolytic herpes simplex virus (HSV) virotherapy is a novel stategy to treat cancer, converting a human pathogen into a therapeutic agent. Taking advantage of HSV biology, virus replication is selectively targeted to cancer cells. Current areas of interest include: the effect of virus mutations on oncolytic (replication-competent) HSV activity and host-virus interactions; strategies combining oncolytic HSV with cancer therapeutics and their mechanism-of-action; immunotherapeutic strategies utilizing oncolytic HSV; isolation and characterization of cancer stem cells, in particular glioblastoma stem cells, and their use as models to test experimental therapeutics; neurofibromatosis type 1 and therapy for tumors that arise in these patients, in particular malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors.
Research interests
Diseases studied
Use of herpes simplex virus (HSV) vectors for cancer therapy and gene delivery in the nervous sytem
Glioblastoma, neurofibromatosis, brain tumors
NCBI PubMed link
Fax number
E-mail address
Lab mailing address
617-643-3422
Richard B. Simches Research Center
CPZN-3-3800
Cambridge Street
Boston, MA 02114
Lab website
