Mayo Clinic
Rochester, United States
Dr. Evanthia Galanis is a Professor of Oncology and Sandra J. Schulze Professor of Novel Therapeutics at the Mayo Clinic where she has served as the Chair of the Department of Molecular Medicine and leader of the Virus and Gene Therapy Program of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. She currently serves as the Mayo Clinic Executive Dean of Development. Dr. Galanis’ laboratory research focuses on the development and optimization of novel virotherapy and immunovirotherapy approaches in the treatment of cancer. A significant impetus for her research has been the translation of laboratory advances into clinical trials of novel therapeutics for cancer patients. She has served as principal investigator in multiple phase I/II cancer gene therapy and virotherapy trials and has pioneered the clinical testing of oncolytic measles virus derivatives or oncolytic virus infected adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells in patients with solid tumors, including recurrent glioma. Dr. Galanis has also served as principal investigator in multiple cooperative group [NCCTG, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (Alliance)] trials testing novel therapeutics in brain tumors. Since 2012, she is the Chair of the Brain Tumor Committee of the cooperative group Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology; in this capacity she has led the development of a broad clinical trial portfolio, including innovative trial designs, launching of the first individualized medicine neurooncology trials and implementation of standardized MRI protocols in cooperative group trials. In addition, she serves as Co-chair of NCI’s Glioblastoma Working Group, a consultant for FDA’s CBER and she is a voting member of the National Cancer Institute’s Brain Malignancies Steering Committee.