James M. Ford, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Genetics; Director, Stanford Clinical Cancer Genomics Program

Research description: Dr. Ford’s research goals are to understand the role of genetic changes in cancer genes in the risk, development and treatment of solid tumors. His laboratory research focuses on how DNA repair and DNA damage response pathways are critical to tumorigenesis and are potential candidates for targeted therapeutics and prevention. A major focus is the characterization of DNA repair defects in solid tumors, and the synergistic activity of DNA damaging chemotherapy drugs and radiation with PARP inhibitors in breast and GI cancers. His group is highly engaged in the translation of these ideas to the clinic through clinical trials in patients with high genetic risk for cancer. Dr. Ford directs the Stanford Cancer Genetics Clinic, where with a team of cancer genetic counselors, he sees patients for genetic counseling and germline testing of hereditary cancer syndromes, and enter patients on clinical research protocols for prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer in high–risk individuals.  In particular, they are finding that ~5% of pancreatic cancer patients have germline mutations in DNA repair genes, that have relevance for targeted therapeutics.. In addition, individuals from pancreatic cancer risk families are being screened with MRI and endoscopic ultrasounds.  Dr. Ford also directs the Stanford Molecular Tumor Board for analysis and targeted therapy of cancer patients through somatic tumor genomic profiling, including basket trials that are relevant for pancreatic cancer patients.  In summary, he has a demonstrated record of successful laboratory and translational clinical research, and a track record of mentoring physician–investigators into independent academic careers.

Dr. Ford has active collaborations with other members of the PCRG, including Drs. Kim, Park, Alizadeh, Artandi, Diehn, and Fisher.

Selected relevant publications (Stanford PCRG members in bold):

  1. Kurian AW, Hare EE, Mills MA, Kingham KE, McPherson L, Whittemore AS, McGuire V, Ladabaum U, Kobayashi Y, Lincoln SE, Cargill M and JM Ford.  Clinical evaluation of a multiple-gene sequencing panel for hereditary cancer risk assessment. J Clin Oncology 32: 2001 – 09 (2014). PMID: 24733792

  2. Alli E, Solow-Codero DE, Casey SC and JM Ford.  Therapeutic targeting of BRCA1-mutated breast cancers with agents that activate DNA repair. Cancer Research 74: 6205-15 (2014). PMID: 25217519

  3. Kurian AW and JM Ford. Viewpoint:  Multigene Panel Testing in Oncology Practice: How Should We Respond? JAMA Oncology 1: 277-8 (2015). PMID: 26181167

  4. Alli E and JM Ford.  BRCA1: a movement toward cancer prevention.  Molecular & Cellular Oncology 2: e979685 (2015). PMID: 27308455

  5. Kurian AW and JM Ford.  Multiple-Gene Panels and the Future of Genetic Testing. Current Breast Cancer Reports 7: 98-104 (2015).

  6. Alli E and JM Ford.  BRCA1: Beyond double-strand break repair.  DNA Repair 32: 165 - 171 (2015). 32:165-71. PMID: 25956865

  7. Robson ME, Bradbury AR, Arun B, Domchek SM, Ford JM, Hampel HL, Lipkin SM, Syngal S, Wollins DS, Lindor NM.  American Society of Clinical Oncology Policy Statement Update: Genetic and Genomic Testing for Cancer Susceptibility. J Clin Oncol  33: 3660 – 7 (2015).  PMID: 26324357  

  8. Liu IH, Ford JM and PL Kunz.  DNA-repair defects in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and potential clinical applications.  Cancer Treatment Reviews   44: 1 – 9 (2016).

  9. Telli ML, Timms K, Reid J, Hennessy B, Mills G, Jensen KC, Szallasi Z, Barry WT, Winer EP, Tung N, Isakoff SJ, Ryan P, Greene-Colozzi A, Gutin A, Sangale Z, Iliev D, Neff C, Abkevich V, Jones J, Lanchbury JS, Hartman AR, Garber JE, Ford JM, Silver DP, Richardson AL. Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) score predicts response to platinum-containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with triple negative breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res 22: 3764 – 73 (2016).

  10. Hastak K, Bhutra S, Parry R and JM Ford.  Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, an effective radiosensitizer in lung and pancreatic cancers.  Oncotarget  8: 26344 - 355 (2017). doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.15464. PMID: 28412751