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Dr. Whitesell’s clinical research interests lie in the treatment of children with recurrent or refractory solid tumors such as neuroblastoma and Ewing’s sarcoma. His NIH-funded laboratory efforts are focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of action of experimental chemotherapeutics. Since first describing the interaction of geldanamycin-like drugs with the molecular chaperone Hsp90, much of Dr. Whitesell’s research has been directed at defining the role of chaperone proteins in molecular tumorigenesis. His group’s translational work is well known within the chaperone community and pre-clinical studies from his lab, in collaboration with other investigators at the Arizona Cancer Center and NCI, have contributed directly to the initiation of ongoing Phase 1 trials of the geldanamycin derivative 17AAG. In cooperation with other members of the medical and scientific community, Dr. Whitesell has published 32 papers and 11 book chapters. He is an approved grant recipient from 16 sources, including the NCI and NIH. Dr. Whitesell’s professional activities include membership in the University of Arizona Dean’s Research Council, the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, the American Society for Cell Biology, the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Cell Stress Society. Dr. Whitesell also serves as chairperson for the Cancer Biology Graduate Program Admissions committee and the Ronald McDonald House Medical Advisory Committee.
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Luke
Whitesell, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the
University of Arizona and a board certified Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist.
He fulfilled requirements for a B.A. at Harvard University, graduating
Magna Cum Laude, in 1979. Dr. Whitesell then attended Cambridge University
in the United Kingdom, completing a M. Phil. program in the School of
Pharmacology before entering Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he
graduated in 1984 with his medical degree. As a post-doctoral student,
Dr. Whitesell completed a pediatric residency at The Children’s
Hospital of Boston, a clinical fellowship in hematology/oncology at the
National Cancer Institute (NCI), a biotechnology fellowship at the NCI,
and a senior staff fellowship as a cancer expert in clinical pharmacology
at the NCI. From 1990-1993, Dr. Whitesell acted as an attending physician
at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Clinical Center. Dr. Whitesell
is currently an appointed member of the faculty of the University of Arizona
and a member of the medical staff at the University of Arizona Health
Sciences Center (UAHSC). He is also a member of the University of Arizona
Heart Center, the Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University
of Arizona Cancer Biology Graduate Training Program.