Dr. Steven M. Albelda

Bio

Since graduating from medical school in 1979, Steven M. Albelda, M.D., has become a notable clinician and researcher in the field of mesothelioma.

His handprints are throughout the mesothelioma research world. His varied efforts have led to developing novel approaches to the treatment of lung and other chest wall cancers like mesothelioma.

Albeda's multidisciplinary Thoracic Research Laboratory pioneered the use of immunogene therapy to treat a variety of cancers. It conducted the very first trials of gene therapy in mesothelioma patients.

In 2010 Albeda received the Wagner Award, the highest honor presented by the International Mesothelioma Interest Group, given every two years to a leader in the field who has made the most major and original contribution to the understanding of mesothelioma.

From the letter of nomination for the Wagner Award:

Dr. Albelda is one of the rare individuals who have made outstanding contributions in both the basic biology of mesothelioma and in clinical application of this knowledge to patients. His work ... is poised to make significant therapeutic advances for this intractable malignancy.

Now at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine, Albeda is the director of Lung Research; co-director of the Thoracic Oncology Laboratories; vice-chief of the Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Division; and a professor of medicine.

He is associate editor of the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, holds positions on the editorial boards of Cancer Gene Therapy and the American Journal of Physiology and has published more than 140 articles in numerous journals, all peer-reviewed.

Publications

Albeda's writing primarily focuses on genetic therapy and grwoth factor for solid cancers. His work has appeared in Clinical Cancer Research and Critical Care Medicine, among other journals.