Genentech: Daniel Zingg | Principal Scientist, Discovery Oncology

Scientists / Our Scientists

Awards & Honors

I completed my PhD at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, in 2015 training as a cancer biologist focusing on the various roles of epigenetic modifiers in cutaneous melanoma development. Until 2018, I continued working on the epigenetic regulation in melanoma as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2018, I joined the Netherlands Cancer Institute, The Netherlands, as a senior postdoctoral fellow focusing on oncogenic variant classification, tumor initiation mechanisms, and targeted therapy resistance centered around the RTK FGFR2.

I joined Genentech in 2023 for several reasons, namely, the outstanding scientists, the collaborative culture that encourages team science, and real patient impact. Here, I collaborate across departments to understand the mechanisms of cell cycle control in cancer, ultimately identifying tumor-specific vulnerabilities that can be therapeutically exploited.

Featured Publication

MYC is a clinically significant driver of mTOR inhibitor resistance in breast cancer.

J Exp Med (2023) 220 (11): e20211743.

Bhin et al.,

View Abstract

Truncated FGFR2 is a clinically actionable oncogene in multiple cancers.

Nature 608, 609–617 (2022).

Zingg et al.,

View Abstract

EZH2-Mediated Primary Cilium Deconstruction Drives Metastatic Melanoma Formation.

Cancer Cell (2018) Jul 9;34(1):69-84.e14.

Zingg et al.,

View Abstract

The most fundamental trait of cancer cells involves their ability to sustain chronic proliferation. Inappropriate proliferation of cancer cells results from a misregulation of the machinery that controls normal cell cycles. This includes altered activities of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) that control transit through each phase of the cell cycle as well as the loss of tumor suppressors, such as p53 or Rb, that operate as central control nodes within key cellular regulatory circuits.

The current focus of my group is on the profound understanding of aberrant cell cycle regulation in cancer, particularly in breast and lung cancers, potentially revealing tumor cell-specific dependencies. We aim to translate these mechanistic insights into meaningful therapeutic approaches that exploit cell cycle vulnerabilities in tumor cells with the hope to deliver improved therapeutic outcomes for patients with cancer.

Netherlands Cancer Institute, The Netherlands, postdoctoral fellowship – 2018-2023
University of Zurich, Switzerland, postdoctoral fellowship – 2015-2018
University of Zurich, Switzerland, Ph.D. in Cancer Biology – 2015
ETH Zurich, Switzerland, M.Sc. in Cell Biology – 2009
University of Bern, Switzerland, B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology – 2006

Pezcoller Foundation Maria Begnudelli Award – 2023
AACR Scholar-in-Training Award – 2023
Dutch Cancer Society (KWF) Research Project Grant – 2021
Swiss National Science Foundation Early Postdoc.Mobility Fellowship – 2018
University of Zurich, Faculty of Medicine Semester Prize – 2014

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Daniel Zingg

Principal Scientist, Discovery Oncology

Featured Publication

MYC is a clinically significant driver of mTOR inhibitor resistance in breast cancer.

Truncated FGFR2 is a clinically actionable oncogene in multiple cancers.

EZH2-Mediated Primary Cilium Deconstruction Drives Metastatic Melanoma Formation.