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Research and Clinical Interests

Our laboratory is investigating novel therapies targeting the type I MAGE proteins MAGE-A3 and CT7 in multiple myeloma, the second most common hematologic cancer. We are developing vaccine immunotherapy targeting these proteins for clinical trials in the near future, and mechanistic studies to understand their pathogenic role in cell cycle dysregulation and survival. Our goal is to identify novel therapeutic targets that impact these functions in multiple myeloma.

Selected Publications

Niesvizky R, Jayabalan DS, Christos PJ, Furst JR, Naib T, Ely S, Jalbrzikowski J, Pearse RN, Zafar F, Pekle K, Larow A, Lent R, Mark T, Cho HJ, Shore T, Tepler J, Harpel J, Schuster MW, Mathew S, Leonard JP, Mazumdar M, Chen-Kiang S, Coleman M. BiRD (Biaxin® clarithromycin]/ Revlimid® [lenalidomide]/ dexamethasone) combination therapy results in high complete- and overall-response rates in treatment-naive symptomatic multiple myeloma. Blood. 2008 Feb 1;111(3):1101-9. Epub 2007 Nov 7. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17989313. doi: 10.1182/blood-2007-05-090258.

Cho HJ, Caballero OL, Gnjatic S, Andrade VC, Colleoni GW, Vettore AL, Outtz HH, Fortunato S, Altorki N, Ferrera CA, Chua R, Jungbluth AA, Chen YT, Old LJ, Simpson AJ. Physical interaction of two cancer-testis antigens, MAGE-C1 (CT7) and NY-ESO-1 (CT6). Cancer Immun. 2006 Dec 1;6:12-9. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17137291.

Baughn LB, Di Liberto M, Wu K, Toogood PL, Louie T, Gottschalk R, Niesvizky R, Cho H, Ely S, Moore MA, Chen-Kiang S. A novel orally active small molecule potently induces G1 arrest in primary myeloma cells and prevents tumor growth by specific inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6. Cancer Res. 2006 Aug 1;66(15):7661-7. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 16885367.

Ely S, Di Liberto M, Niesvizky R, Baughn LB, Cho HJ, Hatada EN, Knowles DM, Lane J, Chen-Kiang S. Mutually exclusive cyclin-dependent kinase 4/cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 6/cyclin D2 pairing inactivates retinoblastoma protein and promotes cell cycle dysregulation in multiple myeloma. Cancer Res. 2005 Dec 15;65(24):11345-53. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 16357141.

Jungbluth AA, Ely S, DiLiberto M, Niesvizky R, Williamson B, Frosina D, Chen YT, Bhardwaj N, Chen-Kiang S, Old LJ, Cho HJ. The cancer-testis antigens CT7 (MAGE-C1) and MAGE-A3/6 are commonly expressed in multiple myeloma and correlate with plasma-cell proliferation. Blood. 2005 Jul 1;106(1):167-74. Epub 2005 Mar 10. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 15761016. doi: 10.1182/blood-2004-12-4931.

Wiestner A, Cho HJ, Asch AS, Michelis MA, Zeller JA, Peerschke EI, Weksler BB, Schechter GP. Rituximab in the treatment of acquired factor VIII inhibitors. Blood. 2002 Nov 1;100(9):3426-8. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 12384448. doi: 10.1182/blood-2002-03-0765.

Cho HJ, Hayashi T, Datta SK, Takabayashi K, Van Uden JH, Horner A, Corr M, Raz E. IFN-alpha beta promote priming of antigen-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes by immunostimulatory DNA-based vaccines. J Immunol. 2002 May 15;168(10):4907-13. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11994440.

Cho HJ, Takabayashi K, Cheng PM, Nguyen MD, Corr M, Tuck S, Raz E. Immunostimulatory DNA-based vaccines induce cytotoxic lymphocyte activity by a T-helper cell-independent mechanism. Nat Biotechnol. 2000 May;18(5):509-14. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 10802617. doi: 10.1038/75365.

Horner AA, Ronaghy A, Cheng PM, Nguyen MD, Cho HJ, Broide D, Raz E. Immunostimulatory DNA is a potent mucosal adjuvant. Cell Immunol. 1998 Nov 25;190(1):77-82. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 9826449. doi: 10.1006/cimm.1998.1400.

Ruan J, Xie Q, Hutchinson N, Cho H, Wolfe GC, Nathan C. Inducible nitric oxide synthase requires both the canonical calmodulin-binding domain and additional sequences in order to bind calmodulin and produce nitric oxide in the absence of free Ca2+. J Biol Chem. 1996 Sep 13;271(37):22679-86. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 8798440.

Cho HJ, Martin E, Xie QW, Sassa S, Nathan C. Inducible nitric oxide synthase: identification of amino acid residues essential for dimerization and binding of tetrahydrobiopterin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995 Dec 5;92(25):11514-8. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 8524794. PMCID: PMC40432.

Maciejewski JP, Selleri C, Sato T, Cho HJ, Keefer LK, Nathan CF, Young NS. Nitric oxide suppression of human hematopoiesis in vitro. Contribution to inhibitory action of interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. J Clin Invest. 1995 Aug;96(2):1085-92. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 7543491. doi: 10.1172/JCI118094. PMCID: PMC185297.

Xie QW, Cho HJ, Kashiwabara Y, Baum M, Weidner JR, Elliston K, Mumford R, Nathan C. Carboxyl terminus of inducible nitric oxide synthase: Contribution to NADPH binding and enzymatic activity. J Biol Chem. 1994 Nov 11;269(45):28500-5. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 7525576.

Cho HJ, Xie QW, Calaycay J, Mumford RA, Swiderek KM, Lee TD, Nathan C. Calmodulin is a subunit of nitric oxide synthase from macrophages. J Exp Med. 1992 Aug 1;176(2):599-604. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 1380065. PMCID: PMC2119310.

Xie QW, Cho HJ, Calaycay J, Mumford RA, Swiderek KM, Lee TD, Ding A, Troso T, Nathan C. Cloning and characterization of inducible nitric oxide synthase from mouse macrophages. Science. 1992 Apr 10;256(5054):225-8. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 1373522.

Organizational Associations

American Society of Hematology; American Society of Clinical Oncology; America Association for Cancer Research

Selected Awards

Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging, Research Resident Fellow, UC San Diego Medical Center, 1998 to 2000.
Malvin P. Sevin Fellowship, Division of Hematology/ Medical Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical Center, 2001.
Cancer Research Institute Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, 2001 (declined).
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Postdoctoral Fellowship for Physicians, 2001 to 2004.
Scholarship in Clinical Research, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (declined), 2006.
The Howard Temin Award (K01), The National Cancer Institute, 2006.