Molecular Pharmacology Program

The Alex Kentsis Lab

Alex Kentsis, MD, PhD

Associate Professor

We study the biology of cancers that affect children and young adults ranging from embryonal tumors in infants, leukemias and brain tumors in children, and sarcomas in young adults. Scientists in our group use inter-disciplinary experimental tools as they work to understand the fundamental causes of cancer and to develop definitive therapies for their control. Detailed information about our research is available at http://alexkentsis.net.

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Featured News

In the Lab

Research Shows How Common Feature of Blood Cancers Can Be Targeted

Friday, February 5, 2021

Research points to the role of a protein called MYB, which has long been known to play a role in cancer.

In the Lab

Cancer biologist and pediatric oncologist Alex Kentsis

Analyzing Urine Can Guide the Treatment of Childhood Kidney Tumors

Thursday, August 8, 2019

A protein detected in the urine of children with Wilms’ tumor led to the development of a test to improve diagnosis and treatment.

In the News

Year in Review: The Science and Technology that Shaped Cancer Care in 2017

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

As 2017 draws to a close, take a look back at the scientific discoveries that deepened our understanding of cancer in the past year.

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Publications

Jubierre L, Rodriguez Fos, Planas-Felix, Lewis, Cameron, Demarest, Nabila, Zhao, Bergin, Reed, Yamada, Socci, Hayes, Rabadan, Torrents, Kruer, Toth, Kentsis A. A transposase-derived gene required for human brain development. bioRxiv.

Bigot Y, Yamada M, Mueller H, Morell V, Alves S, Lecomte T, Kentsis A. Analysis of DNA transposition by DNA transposases in human cells. bioRxiv.

Kazansky Y, Cameron D, Demarest P, Zaffaroni N, Arrighetti N, Zuco V, Kuwahara Y, Qu R, de Stanchina E, Dela Cruz F, Kung A, Gounder M, Kentsis A. Overcoming clinical resistance to EZH2 inhibition using rational epigenetic combination therapy. bioRxiv.

Kwok N, Aretz Z, Takao S, Ser Z, Cifani P, Kentsis A. Integrative proteogenomics using ProteomeGenerator2. bioRxiv.

Keller R, Yamada M, Cameron D, Suzuki H, Sanghrajka R, Vaynshteyn J, Gerwin J, Maura F, Hooper W, Shah M, Robine N, Demarest P, Bayin SN, Jubierre L, Reed C, Taylor MD, Joyner AL, Raju PG, Kentsis A. Childhood cancer mutagenesis caused by a domesticated DNA transposase. bioRxiv.

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People

Alex Kentsis, MD, PhD

Associate Professor

Cancer biologist and pediatric oncologist Alex Kentsis leads research in the functional proteomics and molecular pharmacology of refractory childhood cancers.
MD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
PhD, New York University

[email protected]: Email Address
1-646-888-2593: Office Phone
View physician profile: Physician profile

Members

Anna Antonova

Graduate Student

Gabriella Casalena
Scientific Research Manager

Luz Jubierre Zapater, PhD — Luz Jubierre Zapater
Research Fellow

Katarzyna Kulej

Scientific Research Lead

Jack Ralls

Graduate Student

Stephanie Tingue
Administrative Assistant

Lab Affiliations

Achievements

Louise and Allston Boyer Award for Clinical Research
Terry Ann Krulwich Physician-Scientist Alumni Award
Pershing Square Sohn Prize
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar Award
Josie Robertson Investigator (2013-2018)

St. Baldrick’s Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award
Elected Member of American Society for Clinical Investigation
Society for Pediatric Research Young Investigator Award
Rita Allen Foundation Scholar Award
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Clinical Investigator Award
American Society of Hematology Scholar Award
Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award for Medical Scientists
Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Residency in Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
MD, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and New York University
AB, SM, University of Chicago

Open Positions

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Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Alex Kentsis discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

Blueprint Medicines
Provision of Services
Day One Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Provision of Services

Novartis
Provision of Services
Rgenta Therapeutics Inc.
Ownership / Equity Interests; Provision of Services

The information published here is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2021 through disclosure submission in spring 2022). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].

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