Scientist Profiles - John Cleveland

John L. Cleveland, Ph.D.
Professor and Chairman
The Department of Cancer Biology

John Cleveland, a renowned leader in cancer biology, has focused his efforts on translational science since he joined The Scripps Research Institute, where he takes basic discoveries in his lab and moves them into new applications for preventing and treating cancer.  Professor Cleveland’s groundbreaking work is focused on the MYC oncogene, which is activated in 70 percent of human cancers.

Prior to coming to Scripps Florida in November 2006, Dr. Cleveland trained in cancer biology and genetics as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. He joined the Department of Biochemistry of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a world leading institute focused on pediatric oncology, in January 1989, rising to the rank of Full Professor in 2000. While he was at St. Jude’s, his research concentrated on basic target discovery in children’s cancers.

At Scripps Florida, where he chairs the Department of Cancer Biology, his team recently discovered that a commonly prescribed anti-malarial drug effectively prevents the development of several types of cancer in models of human cancer; when combined with conventional anti-cancer agents, this agent kills therapy-resistant tumors. 

Additionally, the Cleveland lab is developing six new targets for possible medicines to prevent and cure cancer, including those for breast, prostate, and lung cancer, and for leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and melanoma.

Read More about the Cleveland Lab.