Currently a Senior Investigator and Head of the Solid Tumor Immunotherapy Section at the Molecular Biology Laboratory at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Maryland, Dr. Raffit Hassan, MD, is a graduate of the Government Medical School in Jammu and Kashmir, an area on the Indian subcontinent. Hassan completed his residency at the Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda and a fellowship in oncology at the National Cancer Institute. After he completed the fellowship, he accepted a faculty position at the University of Oklahoma and then returned to NCI in 2002. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology and Hematology.

Hassan’s main focus is the preclinical and clinical evaluation of novel therapeutic agents for cancer treatment. Specifically, the last several years of Hassan’s research work has centered on the development and clinical evaluation of immunotoxins targeting mesothelin-expressing tumors. Mesothelin is a glycoprotein that is overexpressed in tumors connected with ovarian cancers, mesotheliomas and pancreatic cancer.

A member of the Science Advisory Board of the Meso Foundation, Dr. Hassan is especially interested in developing new and better treatments for malignant mesothelioma, including tumor vaccines and multi-drug therapies. His laboratory work also includes the identification of biomarkers that will assist in early diagnosis of the disease as well as follow-up.

Along with his colleagues, Hassan is currently organizing the first international meeting on peritoneal mesotheliomas, scheduled to be held at the National Institutes of Health in late 2009. In addition, Hassan and his staff conduct myriad clinical trials at the National Cancer Institute, including many focused on bettering the treatment options for those with malignant mesothelioma.

Dr. Hassan has authored and co-authored many papers and articles, many of which have been published in a number of respected medical journals, including Lung Cancer, Clinical Cancer Research, American Journal of Clinical Oncology, European Journal of Hematology, and many others.

Hassan is a past recipient of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Career Development Award and also the National Institutes of Health K23 Career Development Award.

If you would like to learn more about the nation’s top mesothelioma doctors and the latest in treatment options, please fill out this form to receive a comprehensive and complimentary packet in the mail.

Contact Information:
National Cancer Institute
Building 37, Room 5116
Bethesda, MD 20892
(301) 451-8742

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