I joined Genentech in 2006, after working for smaller biotechnology companies for six years. I was attracted to Genentech because of the high quality of science and the company's record of taking innovative approaches to drug discovery and development. Genentech employs world-class researchers who carry out cutting-edge research to identify novel approaches to drug development;

this begins with discovery and continues into the clinical trials. At Genentech, I have the opportunity to make discoveries in the lab and work with outstanding clinical teams that rely on a deep understanding of biology to guide decision-making during clinical development.

• My Focus

  My lab is in the Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Cancer Cell Biology. Our goal is to identify biomarkers for selection of patients most likely to respond to new drugs. I am currently working on identification of predictive biomarkers for novel drugs that target the apoptotic, or cell death, pathway.

  Cancer cells often have changes in the pathways that regulate survival, making them more difficult to kill, but also rendering them sensitive to drugs that target these pathways. My lab is trying to discover biomarkers that identify patients more likely to respond to these drugs as single agents or in combination with other cancer drugs. To guide decisions on rational drug combinations, we have been exploring mechanisms of synergy with approved and experimental cancer drugs. By understanding mechanism, we can identify biomarkers for response.

• Publications

  • Bcl-2/Bcl-xL Inhibition Increases the Efficacy of Mek Inhibition Alone and in Combination with PI3 Kinase Inhibition in Lung and Pancreatic Tumor Models

    Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 2013, ISSN: 1535-7163

    Tan, Nguyen; Wong, Maureen; Nannini, Michelle A; Hong, Rebecca; Lee, Leslie B; Price, Stephen; Williams, Karen; Savy, Pierre Pascal; Yue, Peng; Sampath, Deepak; Settleman, Jeffrey; Fairbrother, Wayne J; Belmont, Lisa D

     View on PubMed

  • Bcl-2, Bcl-x(L), and Bcl-w are not equivalent targets of ABT-737 and navitoclax (ABT-263) in lymphoid and leukemic cells

    Blood, 2012, ISSN: 0006-4971

    Merino, Delphine; Khaw, Seong L.; Glaser, Stefan P.; Anderson, Daniel J.; Belmont, Lisa D.; Wong, Chihunt; Yue, Peng; Robati, Mikara; Phipson, Belinda; Fairlie, Walter D.; Lee, Erinna F.; Campbell, Kirsteen J.; Vandenberg, Cassandra J.; Cory, Suzanne; Roberts, Andrew W.; Ludlam, Mary J. C.; Huang, David C. S.; Bouillet, Philippe

     View on PubMed

  • GDC-0941, A Novel Class I Selective PI3K Inhibitor, Enhances the Efficacy of Docetaxel in Human Breast Cancer Models by Increasing Cell Death In Vitro and In Vivo

    Clinical Cancer Research, 2012, ISSN: 1078-0432

    Wallin, Jeffrey J; Guan, Jane; Prior, Wei Wei; Lee, Leslie B; Berry, Leanne; Belmont, Lisa D; Koeppen, Hartmut; Belvin, Marcia; Friedman, Lori S; Sampath, Deepak;

     View on PubMed

  • Navitoclax (ABT-263) Reduces Bcl-x(L)-Mediated Chemoresistance in Ovarian Cancer Models

    Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 2012, ISSN: 1535-7163

    Wong, Maureen; Tan, Nguyen; Zha, Jiping; Peale, Franklin V; Yue, Peng; Fairbrother, Wayne J; Belmont, Lisa D;

     View on PubMed

  • The STARD9/Kif16a Kinesin Associates with Mitotic Microtubules and Regulates Spindle Pole Assembly

    Cell, 26 Dec 2011, v147(6), p1309-23, ISSN: 0092-8674

    Torres, Jorge Z; Summers, Matthew K; Peterson, David; Brauer, Matthew J; Lee, James; Senese, Silvia; Gholkar, Ankur A; Lo, Yu-Chen; Lei, Xingye; Jung, Kenneth; Anderson, David C; Davis, David P; Belmont, Lisa; Jackson, Peter K

     View on PubMed

  • A Chemosensitization Screen Identifies TP53RK, a Kinase that Restrains Apoptosis after Mitotic Stress.

    Cancer Research, 2010, ISSN: 1538-7445

    Peterson, D.; Lee, J.; Lei, X.; Forrest, W.; Davis, D.; Jackson, P.; Belmont, L.

• Education
  • University of California, Berkeley, Postdoctoral Research Fellow – 2000
  • University of California, San Francisco, Ph.D. – 1995
  • University of Colorado, Boulder, B.A – 1988
• Awards & Honors
  • Co-Principal Investigator, Small Business Innovation Research Grant – 2000
  • National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship – 1999
  • National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship – 1992
  • University of Colorado, Boulder, magna cum laude – 1988