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Scripps Research Joint Appointments

Department of Molecular Therapeutics
Faculty, Kellogg School of Science and Technology

Research Focus

More than a dozen monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based drugs have been approved and marketed for cancer therapy, and many more are in advanced clinical trials. To contribute to the next generation of mAbs for cancer therapy, we pursue both antibody target and drug discovery strategies.  Our target discovery efforts aim at identifying new antigens suitable for mAb therapy of cancer.  Our drug discovery efforts have the objective to develop and utilize antibody display, antibody engineering, and antibody conjugation methods for improving the potency of mAbs.  We have a particular interest in antibody technologies at the interface of chemistry and biology, including the generation of molecularly defined antibody-drug conjugates and chemically programmed bispecific antibodies.

Education

Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Zurich (Switzerland), 1995
M.S., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Zurich (Switzerland), 1991
B.S., Biochemistry and Chemistry, University of Bayreuth (Germany), 1988

Professional Experience

2012-present, Associate Professor with Tenure, Department of Cancer Biology and Department of Molecular Therapeutics, The Scripps Research Institute, Scripps Florida (Jupiter, FL)

2003-2012, Senior Scientist and Head of the Antibody Technology Section, Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH (Bethesda, MD)

1999-2003, Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA)

1996-1999, Postdoc, Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA)

Awards & Professional Activities

2011, Federal Technology Transfer Award (Bethesda, MD)
2007, NCI Director’s Intramural Innovation Award for Principal Investigators (Bethesda, MD)
2000, Investigator Award from the Cancer Research Institute (New York, NY)

Selected References

[84] Dave, H., Anver, M. R., Butcher, D. O., Brown, P., Khan, J., Wayne, A. S., Baskar, S., and Rader, C. (2012). Restricted cell surface expression of receptor tyrosine kinase ROR1 in pediatric B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia suggests targetability with therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. PLoS ONE 7, e52655.

[83] Thomas, J. D., Cui, H., North, P. J., Rader, C., and Burke, T. R., Jr. (2012). Application of strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition and tetrazine ligation to targeted Fc-drug conjugates. Bioconjug. Chem. 23, 2007-2013.

[82] Cui, H., Thomas, J. D., Burke, T. R., Jr., and Rader, C. (2012) Chemically programmed bispecific antibodies that recruit and activate T cells. J Biol Chem 287, 28206-28214.

[78] Baskar, S., Wiestner, A., Wilson, W. H., Pastan, I., and Rader, C. (2012) Targeting malignant B cells with an immunotoxin against ROR1. mAbs 4, 349-361.

[75] Yang, J., Baskar, S., Kwong, K. Y., Kennedy, M. G., Wiestner, A., and Rader, C. (2011) Therapeutic potential and challenges of targeting receptor tyrosine kinase ROR1 with monoclonal antibodies in B-cell malignancies. PLoS ONE 6, e21018.

[74] Bagnara, D., Kaufman, M. S., Calissano, C., Marsilio, S., Patten, P., Simone, R., Chum, P., Yan, X. J., Allen, S. L., Kolitz, J. E., Baskar, S., Rader, C., Mellstedt, H., Rabbani, H., Lee, A., Gregersen, P. K., Rai, K. R., and Chiorazzi, N. (2011) A novel adoptive transfer model of chronic lymphocytic leukemia suggests a key role for T lymphocytes in the disease. Blood 117, 5463-5472.

[72] Perez-Galan, P., Mora-Jensen, H., Weniger, M. A., Shaffer, A. L., III, Rizzatti, E. G., Chapman, C. M., Mo, C. C., Stennett, L. L., Rader, C., Liu, P., Raghavachari, N., Stetler-Stevenson, M., Yuan, C., Pittaluga, S., Maric, I., Dunleavy, K. M., Wilson, W. H., Staudt, L. M., and Wiestner, A. (2011) Bortezomib resistance in mantle cell lymphoma is associated with plasmacytic differentiation. Blood 117, 542-552.

[68] Hudecek, M., Schmitt, T. M., Baskar, S., Lupo-Stanghellini, M. T., Nishida, T., Yamamoto, T. N., Bleakley, M., Turtle, C. J., Chang, W., Greisman, H. A., Wood, B., Maloney, D. G., Jensen, M. C., Rader, C., and Riddell, S. R. (2010) The B-cell tumor associated antigen ROR1 can be targeted with T-cells modified to express a ROR1-specific chimeric antigen receptor. Blood 116, 4532-4541.

[67] Beerli, R. R., and Rader, C. (2010) Mining human antibody repertoires. mAbs 2, 365-378.

[66] Dimattia, M. A., Watts, N. R., Stahl, S. J., Rader, C., Wingfield, P. T., Stuart, D. I., Steven, A. C., and Grimes, J. M. (2010) Implications of the HIV-1 Rev dimer structure at 3.2 A resolution for multimeric binding to the Rev response element. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107, 5810-5814.

[65] Stahl, S. J., Watts, N. R., Rader, C., DiMattia, M. A., Mage, R. G., Palmer, I., Kaufman, J. D., Grimes, J. M., Stuart, D. I., Steven, A. C., and Wingfield, P. T. (2010) Generation and characterization of a chimeric rabbit/human Fab for co-crystallization of HIV-1 Rev. J Mol Biol 397, 697-708.

[64] Lapalombella, R., Andritsos, L., Liu, Q., May, S. E., Browning, R., Pham, L. V., Blum, K. A., Blum, W., Ramanunni, A., Raymond, C. A., Smith, L. L., Lehman, A., Mo, X., Jarjoura, D., Chen, C. S., Ford, R. Jr., Rader, C., Muthusamy, N., Johnson, A. J., and Byrd, J. C. (2010) Lenalidomide treatment promotes CD154 expression on CLL cells and enhances production of antibodies by normal B Cells through a PI3-kinase dependent pathway. Blood 115, 2619-2629.

[63] Hofer, T., Skeffington, L. R., Chapman, C. M., and Rader, C. (2009) Molecularly defined antibody conjugation through a selenocysteine interface. Biochemistry 48, 12047–12057.

[62] Baskar, S., Suschak, J. M., Samija, I., Srinivasan, R., Childs, R. W., Pavletic, S. Z., Bishop, M. R., and Rader, C. (2009) A human monoclonal antibody drug and target discovery platform for B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia based on allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and phage display. Blood 114, 4494-4502.

[60] Robak, L. A., Venkatesh, K., Lee, H., Raiker, S. J., Duan, Y., Lee-Osbourne, J., Hofer, T., Mage, R. G., Rader, C., and Giger, R. J. (2009). Molecular basis of the interactions of the Nogo-66 receptor and Its homolog NgR2 with myelin-associated glycoprotein:  Development of NgROMNI-Fc, a novel antagonist of CNS myelin inhibition. J. Neurosci. 29, 5768-5788.

[56] Kwong, K. Y., Baskar, S., Zhang, H., Mackall, C. L., and Rader, C. (2008) Generation, affinity maturation, and characterization of a human anti-human NKG2D monoclonal antibody with dual antagonistic and agonistic activity. J Mol Biol 384, 1143-1156.

[54] Hofer, T., Thomas, J. D., Burke, T. R., Jr., and Rader, C. (2008) An engineered selenocysteine defines a unique class of antibody derivatives. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105, 12451-12456.

[52] Baskar, S., Kwong, K. Y., Hofer, T., Levy, J. M., Kennedy, M. G., Lee, E., Staudt, L. M., Wilson, W. H., Wiestner, A., and Rader, C. (2008) Unique cell surface expression of receptor tyrosine kinase ROR1 in human B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Clin Cancer Res 14, 396-404.

Links

Scripps Research Institute Appoints NIH Senior Scientist to Cancer Biology Department