BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
NAME
POSITION TITLE
William Gillies McKenna
Professor
Head of Department of Oncology
Director of CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, and include postdoctoral training.)
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY
DEGREE
(if applicable)
YEAR(s)
FIELD OF STUDY
B.Sc.
Ph.D.
M.D.
1972
1981
1981
Zoology
Cell Biology
Medicine
A. Positions and Honours
Positions and Employment
1981-1982
1982-1985
1985-1987
1985-1987
1987-1991
1991-1995
1995-2005
2005-present
2005
2010
Intern in Medicine, Osler Medical Service, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Medical Staff Fellow, Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Senior Investigator, Radiation Oncology Branch, NCI, NIH
Assistant Professor of Radiology, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Uniformed
Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,
Philadelphia, PA
Henry K. Pancoast Associate Professor and Chairman, Department of Radiation Oncology,
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Henry K. Pancoast Professor and Chairman, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Professor of Radiation Oncology and Biology, University of Oxford, England
Director of CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, University of Oxford, England
Head of Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, England
Other Experience and Professional Memberships
1999 - 2003
1985 - present
1987 - present
1990 - 2005
1987 - present
2001 - present
1991 - 2005
2005 – 2007
AACR- Faculty-Methods in Clinical Cancer Research
American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
American Radium Society
American Society of Clinical Oncology
Radiation Research Society
European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
Society of Chairmen of Academic of Radiation Onc. Programs
Academic Clinical Oncology and Radiobiology Research Network (ACORRN)
Honours
1972
1973
1981
1988
1988
1991
1992
1996
1997
1997
1999
2001
First Class Honours, Zoology, University of Edinburgh
Gunning Medal for Undergraduate Research, University of Edinburgh
Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
American Cancer Society Clinical Oncology Career Development Award
Radiological Society of North America Research and Education Fund Scholar
American Cancer Society Faculty Research Award
M.A. (Honoris Causa) University of Pennsylvania
Board of Scientific Advisors, National Cancer Institute
Fellow, Philadelphia College of Physicians
Raymond Bush Lecture, Ontario Cancer Institute
The Best Doctors in America
President, Radiation Research Society
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2002
2005
2006
2006
2007
2008
2011
2013
2013
2014
2014
Honorary Member, European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
Association for Radiation Research Weiss Medal
Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences
Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists
Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine
Fellow of the Institute of Biology
The Royal College of Radiologists George Edelstyn Lecture UKRO medal
The Royal College of Radiologists RCR & BIR Frank Ellis Lecture medal
Röntgen Medal
The Royal College of Radiologists David Skeggs Lecture medal
The Royal College of Radiologists Gold Medal
B. Selected peer-reviewed publications (in chronological order)
(Publications selected from 136 peer-reviewed publications)
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15.
Gupta AK, McKenna WG, Weber CN, Feldman MD, Goldsmith JD, Mick R, Machtay M, Rosenthal DI, Bakanauskas
VJ, Cerniglia GJ, Bernhard EJ, Weber RS, Muschel RJ: Local recurrence in head and neck cancer: relationship to
radiation resistance and signal transduction. Clin Cancer Res 8:885-892, 2002.
Chaudry MA, Chodosh LA, McKenna WG, Muschel RJ: Gene expression profiling of HeLa cells in G1 or G2 phases.
Oncogene 21:1934-1942, 2002.
Hahn SM, Bernhard EJ, Regine W, Mohiuddin M, Haller DG, Stevenson JP, Smith D, Pramanik B, Tepper J, DeLaney
TF, Kiel KD, Morrison B, Deutsch P, Muschel RJ, McKenna WG: A Phase I trial of the farnesyltransferase inhibitor L778,123 and radiotherapy for locally advanced lung and head and neck cancer. Clin Cancer Res 8:1065-1072, 2002.
Gupta AK, Cerniglia GJ, Mick R, Ahmed MS, Bakanauska VJ, Muschel RJ, McKenna WG: Radiation sensitization of
human cancer cells in vivo by inhibiting the activity of PI3K using LY294002. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 56:846-853,
2003.
Chaudrhy MA, Chodosh LA, McKenna WG, Muschel RJ: Gene expression profile of human cells irradiated in G1 and
G2 phases of cell cycle. Cancer Lett 195:221-233, 2003.
Kao GD, McKenna WG, Guenther MG, Muschel RJ, Lazar MA, Yen TJ: Histone deacetylase 4 interacts with 53BP1 to
mediate the DNA damage response. J Cell Biol 160:1017-1027, 2003.
Kim IA, Fernandes AT, Wu J, Gupta A, Muschel RJ, McKenna WG, Bernhard EJ: Selective inhibition of RAS signaling
pathway increases the radiosensitivity in the wild type head & neck squamous cancer cell line with EGFR overexpression.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 57:S354, 2003.
Lee I, Glickson JD, Dewhirst MW, Leeper DB, Burd R, Poptani H, Nadal L, McKenna WG, Biaglow JE: Effect of mild
hyperglycemia +/- meta-iodo-benzylguanidine on the radiation response of R3230 Ac tumors. Adv Exp Med Biol
530:177-186, 2003.
Li B, Chang CM, Yuan M, McKenna WG, Shu HK: Resistance to small molecule inhibitors of epidermal growth factor
receptor in malignant gliomas. Cancer Res 63:7443-7450, 2003.
Brunner TB, Gupta AK, Shi Y, Hahn SM, Muschel RJ, McKenna WG, Bernhard EJ: Farnesyltransferase inhibitors as
radiation sensitizers. Int J Radiat Biol 79:569-576, 2003.
Bernhard EJ, Gupta AK, Cohen-Jonathan E, Muschel RJ, Hahn SM, McKenna WG: Inhibiting signal transduction as an
approach to radiosensitizing tumor cells. In Oncogene-Directed Therapies, J Rak, ed. Humana Press, New Jersey, 2003,
pp 409-432.
Bernhard EJ, Gupta AK, Hahn SM, Muschel RJ, McKenna WG: Ras signaling and its inhibition with farnesyltransferase
inhibitors: effects on radiation resistance and the tumor microenvironment. In Modification of Radiation Response:
Cytokines, Growth Factors, and Other Biological Targets, C Neider, L Milas, KK Ang, eds. Springer-Verlag, Berlin,
2003, pp. 259-271.
Martin NE, Brunner TB, Kiel KD, DeLaney TF, Regine WF, Mohiuddin M, Rosato EF, Haller DG, Stevenson JP, Smith
D, Pramanik B, Tepper J, Tanaka WK, Morrison B, Deutsch P, Gupta AK, Muschel RJ, McKenna WG, Berhard EJ, Hahn
SM: A Phase I trial of the dual farnesyltransferase and geranylgeranyltransferase inhibitor L-778,123 and radiotherapy for
locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Clin Cancer Res 10:5447-5454, 2004.
Gupta AK, Soto DE, Feldman MD, Goldsmith JD, Mick R, Hahn SM, Machtay M, Muschel RJ, McKenna WG: Signaling
pathways in NSCLC as a predictor of outcome and response to therapy. Lung 182:151-162, 2004.
Fei P, Wang W, Kim SH, Wang S, Burns TF, Sax JK, Buzzai M, Dicker DT, McKenna WG, Bernhard EJ, El-Diery WS:
Bnip3L is induced by p53 under hypoxia, and its knockdown promotes tumor growth. Cancer Cell 6:597-609, 2004.
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Finnberg N, Gruber JJ, Fei P, Rudolph D, Bric A, Kim SH, Burns TF, Ajuha H, Page R, Wu GS, Chen Y, McKenna WG,
Berhard E, Lowe S, Mak T, El-Deiry WS: DR5 knockout mice are compromised in radiation-induced apoptosis. Mol
Cell Biol 25:2000-2013, 2005.
Cengel KA, McKenna WG. Molecular targets for altering radiosensitivity: lessons from Ras as a pre-clinical and clinical
model. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 55(2):103-116, 2005.
Kim IA, Bae SS, Fernandes A, Wu J, Muschel RJ, McKenna WG, Birnbaum MJ, Bernhard EJ. Selective inhibition of
Ras, phosphoinositide 3 kinase, and Akt isoforms increases the radiosensitivity of human carcinoma cell lines. Cancer
Res 65(17):7902-7910, 2005.
Gupta AK, Cerniglia GJ, Mick R, McKenna WG, Muschel RJ. HIV protease inhibitors block Akt signaling and
radiosensitize tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. Cancer Res 65(18):8256-65, 2005.
Brunner TB, Cengel KA, Hahn SM, Wu J, Fraker DL, McKenna WG, Bernhard EJ. Pancreatic cancer cell radiation
survival and prenyltransferase inhibition: the role of K-Ras. Cancer Res 65(18):8433-8441, 2005.
Cengel, KA, R Voong, C Sanjay, L Maggiorella, TB Brunner, E Stanbridge, WG McKenna, GD Kao and EJ Bernhard.
2007. Oncogenic K-Ras signals through EGFR and wild type H-Ras to promote radiation survival in pancreatic and
colorectal carcinoma cells. Neoplasia 9:341-348
Cordes N, Frick S, Brunner TB, Pilarsky C, Grutmann R, Sipos B, Kloppel G, McKenna WG, Bernhard EJ. Human
pancreatic tumor cells are sensitized to ionizing radiation by knockdown of caveolin-1. Oncogene. 2007 Apr 30.
Prevo, R, Deutsch, E, Sampson, O, Diplexcito, J, Cengel, K, Harper, J, O'Neill, P, McKenna, WG, Patel, S, and Bernhard,
EJ (2008). Class I PI3 kinase inhibition by the pyridinylfuranopyrimidine inhibitor PI-103 enhances tumor
radiosensitivity. Cancer Res, 68(14):5915-23.
Quayum N, Muschel RJ, Im JH, Balathasan L, Koch CJ, Patel S, McKenna WG, Bernhard EJ. Tumor vascular changes
mediated by inhibition of oncogenic signaling. Cancer Res. 2009 Aug 1;69(15):6347-54. Epub 2009 Jul 21.
Parsons JL, Tait PS, Finch D, Dianov II, Edelmann MJ, Khoronenkova SV, Kessler BM, Sharma RA, McKenna WG,
Dianov GL.Ibiquitin ligase ARF-BP1/Mule modulates base excision repair. EMBO J. 2009 Oct 21;28(20):3207-15.
Epub 2009 Aug 27.
Yang J, Parons J, Nicolay NH, Caporali S, Harrington CF, Singh R, Finch D, D’Atri S, Farmer PB, Johnston PG,
McKenna WG, Dianov G, Sharma RA. Cells deficient in the base excision repair protein, DNA polymerase beta, are
hypersensitive to oxaliplatin chemotherapy. Oncogene. 2009 Oct 19 (Epub ahead of print )
Al-Assar O, Muschel RJ, Mantoni TS, McKenna WG, Brunner TB. Radiation response of cancer stem-like cells from
established human cell lines after sorting for surface markers. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2009 Nov 15;75(4):121625.
Higgins GS, Harris AL, Prevo R, Helleday T, McKenna WG, Buffa FM (2010) Overexpression of POLQ Confers a Poor
Prognosis in Early Breast Cancer Patients Oncotarget 1:175-184.
Higgins GS, Prevo R, Lee Y-F, Helleday T, Muschel RJ, Taylor S, Yoshimura M, Hickson ID, Bernhard EJ, McKenna
WG (2010) A siRNA Screen of Genes Involved in DNA Repair Identifies Tumour Specific Radiosensitisation by POLQ
Knockdown Cancer Res, 70:2984-93.
Maughan TS, Illidge TM, Hoskin P, McKenna WG, Brunner TB, Stratford IJ, Harrington KJ, Plummer R, Billingham LJ,
Nutting C, Burnet NG, Mackay RI, Oliver A, Young C, Chan CS; Radiotherapy research priorities for the UK. NCRI
Clinical and Translational Radiotherapy Research Working Group. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 22, 707-9, 2010.
Harrington KJ, Billingham LJ, Brunner TB, Burnet NG, Chan CS, Hoskin P, Mackay RI, Maughan TS, Macdougall J,
McKenna WG, Nutting CM, Oliver A, Plummer R, Stratford IJ, Illidge T. Guidelines for preclinical and early phase
clinical assessment of novel radiosensitisers. Br J Cancer. 2011 Aug 23;105(5):628-39.
Fokas E, Im JH, Hill SA, Yameen S, Stratford MR, Beech JS, Hackl W, Sauveur-Michel M, Bernhard EJ, McKenna WG,
Muschel RJ. Dual inhibition of the PI3K/mTOR pathway increases tumor radiosensitivity by normalizing tumor
vasculature. Cancer Res. 2012 Jan 1;72(1):239-48. Epub 2011 Nov 22.
Qayum N, Im JH, Stratford MR, Bernhard EJ, McKenna WG, Muschel RJ. Modulation of the Tumor Microvasculature by
Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibition Increases Doxorubicin Delivery In vivo. Clin Cancer Res. 2012 Jan 1;18(1):161-9.
Epub 2011 Nov 7.
Prevo R, Fokas E, Reaper PM, Charlton PA, Pollard JR, McKenna WG, Muschel RJ, Brunner TB. (2012) The novel ATR
inhibitor VE-821 increases sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to radiation and chemotherapy. Cancer Biol Ther Sept
1;13(11):1072-81. Epub 2012 July 24.
Fokas E, McKenna WG, Muschel RJ. (2012) The impact of tumour microenvironment on cancer treatment and its
modulation by direct and indirect antivascular strategies. Cancer Metastasis Rev. Epub 2012 July 24.
Nicolay NH, Carter R, Hatch SB, Schultz N, Prevo R, McKenna WG, Helleday T, Sharma RA.(2012) Homologous
recombination mediates S-phase dependent radioresistance in cells deficient in DNA polymerase eta. Carcinogenesis.
Epub 2012 Sept 3.
Pires IM, Olcina MM, Anbalagan S, Pollard JR, Reaper PM, Charlton PA, McKenna WG, Hammond EM. (2012)
Targeting radiation-resistant hypoxic tumour cells through ATR inhibition. Br J Cancer July 10;107(2):291-9. Epub 2012
Jun 19.
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Harada H, Inoue M, Itasaka S, Hirota K, Morinibu A, Shinomiya K, Zeng L, Ou G, Zhu Y, Yoshimura M, McKenna WG,
Muschel RJ, Hiraoka M. (2012) Cancer cells that survive radiation therapy acquire HIF-1 activity and translocate towards
tumour blood vessels. Nat Commun. April 17;3;783.
Fokas E, Yoshimura M, Prevo R, Higgins G, Hackl W, Maira SM, Bernhard EJ, McKenna WG, Muschel RJ. (2012)
NVP-BEZ235 and NVP-BGT226, duel phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors,
enhance tumour and endothelial cell radiosensitivity. Radiat Onco Mar
Jones B, Wilson P, Nagano A, Fenwick J, McKenna G. (2012). Dilemmas concerning dose distribution and the influence
of relative biological effect in proton beam therapy of medulloblastoma. Br J Radiol.Oct; 85(1018):e912-8. Epub 2012
May 2.
Fokas E, McKenna WG, Muschel RJ. (2012). The impact of tumor microenvironment on cancer treatment and
itsmodulation by direct and indirect antivascular strategies. Cancer Metastasis Rev. Dec;31(3-4):823-42. Review.
Fokas E, Eccles C, Patel N, Chu KY, Warren S, McKenna WG, Brunner TB. (2013) A treatment planning comparison of
four target volume contouring guidelines for locally advanced pancreatic cancer radiotherapy. Radiother Oncol.
May;107(2):200-6. Epub 2013 May 3.
Fokas E, Prevo R, Hammond EM, Brunner TB, McKenna WG, Muschel RJ. (2014) Targeting ATR in DNA damage
response and cancer therapeutics. Cancer Treat Rev.4 Feb;40(1):109-17. Epub 2013 Apr 11. Review.
Al-Assar O, Demiciorglu F, Lunardi S, Gaspar-Carvalho MM, McKenna WG, Muschel RM, Brunner TB. (2014)
Contextual regulation of pancreatic cancer stem cell phenotype and radioresistance by pancreatic stellate cells. Radiother
Oncol. May;111(2):243-51. Epub 2014 Apr 26.
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