Erin George, MD

The George Laboratory studies therapeutic response and resistance in gynecologic cancers using clinically relevant patient-derived models. Our primary research focuses on DNA damage response, replication stress, and cell cycle checkpoint pathways, with an emphasis on developing novel targeted therapy combinations and precision medicine approaches for ovarian and endometrial cancer. We develop and apply patient-derived microtumor and xenograft models coupled with functional drug testing and proteomic profiling to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities and biomarkers of response. Through an interdisciplinary research program spanning gynecologic oncology, bioengineering, drug discovery, and mathematical oncology, we integrate experimental and computational approaches to study tumor evolution and optimize therapeutic interventions. The laboratory maintains active collaborations in immunology, cellular therapies, and cancer metabolism to develop innovative treatment strategies that improve patient outcomes in gynecologic malignancies.

Associations

• Drug Discovery
• Gynecologic Oncology
• BioEngineering
• Molecular Medicine Program

Education & Training

Fellowship:

• Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania - Gynecologic Oncology

Residency:

• New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia University - Obstetrics and Gynecology

Medical School:

• Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons - MD

The George Laboratory focuses on understanding and overcoming therapeutic resistance in gynecologic cancers by developing and applying clinically relevant patient-derived models. Our research is centered on ovarian and endometrial cancers, with a particular emphasis on identifying vulnerabilities within DNA damage response, replication stress, and cell cycle checkpoint pathways that can be exploited therapeutically. A major focus of the laboratory is the development and use of patient-derived microtumor and xenograft models generated directly from patient specimens collected at surgery, biopsy, or paracentesis. These platforms preserve key features of tumor heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment and are integrated with functional drug testing, proteomic profiling, and molecular characterization to identify predictive biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets. We utilize these models to evaluate targeted therapies, rational drug combinations, and mechanisms of treatment response and resistance. In collaboration with investigators in Bioengineering, the laboratory is advancing three-dimensional microtumor culture systems that more faithfully recapitulate the native tumor microenvironment and enable translational studies of tumor biology and therapeutic response. Through collaborations with Drug Discovery, we seek to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets and accelerate the development of new treatment strategies for gynecologic malignancies. The laboratory also maintains active collaborations with Mathematical Oncology to investigate tumor evolution, treatment resistance, and adaptive therapeutic strategies using experimental and computational approaches. Additional collaborative interests include cancer immunology, cellular therapies, and cancer metabolism, with the goal of understanding how these biological processes influence treatment response and can be leveraged to improve patient outcomes. The overarching goal of our research program is to translate insights from patient-derived experimental systems into biomarker-driven, adaptive therapeutic strategies that enhance the durability of treatment responses and ultimately extend survival for patients with gynecologic cancers.

Clinical Trial 24058
Evaluation of Artificial Sweetener Use Among Patients with Endometrial Cancer
Condition: Gynecological Tumor
Status: Open

If you believe you are eligible for one of these trials or studies, please call
813-745-6100 or toll-free 1-800-679-0775.

• Deng O, Nepomuceno TDC, Fang B, Welsh EA, Izumi V, Martin RH, George EM, Koomen JM, Monteiro AN, Rix U. Integrative proteomics reveals MSH6 to modulate PARP inhibitor sensitivity in BRCA1/2-proficient ovarian cancer. PLoS One. 2026 Sep.21(9):e0357365. Pubmedid: 42685115. Pmcid: PMC13537606.
• Silvane L, Zelenka T, Talada DP, Cismasiu VB, Islam S, Singh RP, Ngove Z, Chakraborty S, Hall MS, Blauvelt JL, Eksioglu E, Manrique SZ, Johnson JO, Obermayer AN, Alfaro A, Huang W, Sarnaik A, Tarhini AA, Mullinax JE, George E, Hwu P, Davila E, Conejo-Garcia JR, Bryceson YT, Chen DT, Shaw TI, Pilon-Thomas S, Avram D. BCL11B targeting in tumor CD8 + T cells amplifies anti-tumor response by blocking exhaustion while promoting stemness and cytotoxicity. bioRxiv. 2026 Aug. Pubmedid: 42601873. Pmcid: PMC13470569.
• Gallagher K, Sousa RS, Gatenbee C, Schenck R, Chen P, Citak T, Leither S, Mazzacurati L, Xella A, Zhou Z, Lemanne D, Rodriguez P, George E, Strobl MAR. Controlling treatment toxicity in ovarian cancer to prime the patient for tumor extinction therapy. bioRxiv. 2025 Jul. Pubmedid: 40791474. Pmcid: PMC12338546.
• Xu H, George E, Gallo D, Medvedev S, Wang X, Datta A, Kryczka R, Hyer ML, Fourtounis J, Stocco R, Aguado-Fraile E, Petrone A, Yin SY, Shiwram A, Liu F, Anderson M, Kim H, Greenberg RA, Marshall CG, Simpkins F. Targeting CCNE1 amplified ovarian and endometrial cancers by combined inhibition of PKMYT1 and ATR. Nat Commun. 2025 Apr.16(1):3112. Pubmedid: 40169546. Pmcid: PMC11962063.
• Xu H, George E, Gallo D, Medvedev S, Wang X, Kryczka R, Hyer ML, Fourtounis J, Stocco R, Aguado-Fraile E, Petrone A, Yin SY, Shiwram A, Anderson M, Kim H, Liu F, Marshall CG, Simpkins F. Targeting CCNE1 amplified ovarian and endometrial cancers by combined inhibition of PKMYT1 and ATR. Res Sq. 2024 Feb. Pubmedid: 38410486. Pmcid: PMC10896384.
• Cutri-French C, Nasioudis D, George E, Tanyi JL. CAR-T Cell Therapy in Ovarian Cancer: Where Are We Now?. Diagnostics (Basel). 2024 Apr.14(8). Pubmedid: 38667465. Pmcid: PMC11049291.
• Kinose Y, Xu H, Kim H, Kumar S, Shan X, George E, Wang X, Medvedev S, Ferman B, Gitto SB, Whicker M, D'Andrea K, Wubbenhorst B, Hallberg D, O'Connor M, Schwartz LE, Hwang WT, Nathanson KL, Mills GB, Velculescu VE, Wang TL, Brown EJ, Drapkin R, Simpkins F. Dual blockade of BRD4 and ATR/WEE1 pathways exploits ARID1A loss in clear cell ovarian cancer. Res Sq. 2023 Sep. Pubmedid: 37841875. Pmcid: PMC10571599.
• Gitto SB, George E, Medvedev S, Simpkins F, Powell DJ. Humanized Patient-Derived Xenograft Models of Ovarian Cancer. Methods Mol Biol. 2022 Jan.2424:255-274. Pubmedid: 34918300.
• Xu H, George E, Kinose Y, Kim H, Shah JB, Peake JD, Ferman B, Medvedev S, Murtha T, Barger CJ, Devins KM, D'Andrea K, Wubbenhorst B, Schwartz LE, Hwang WT, Mills GB, Nathanson KL, Karpf AR, Drapkin R, Brown EJ, Simpkins F. CCNE1 copy number is a biomarker for response to combination WEE1-ATR inhibition in ovarian and endometrial cancer models. Cell Rep Med. 2021 Sep.2(9):100394. Pubmedid: 34622231. Pmcid: PMC8484689.
• Kóder G, Olasz J, Tanyi JL, George E, Tóth L, Antal-Szalmás P, Nagy B, Bubán T, András C, Urbancsek H, Laczik M, Csuka O, Damjanovich L, Tanyi M. Identification of Novel Pathogenic Sequence Variants of the Mismatch Repair Genes During Screening for Lynch Syndrome in a Single Centre of Eastern Hungary. J Gastrointest Cancer. 2020 Sep.51(3):1007-1015. Pubmedid: 31939059. Pmcid: PMC7399673.
• Kim H, Xu H, George E, Hallberg D, Kumar S, Jagannathan V, Medvedev S, Kinose Y, Devins K, Verma P, Ly K, Wang Y, Greenberg RA, Schwartz L, Johnson N, Scharpf RB, Mills GB, Zhang R, Velculescu VE, Brown EJ, Simpkins F. Combining PARP with ATR inhibition overcomes PARP inhibitor and platinum resistance in ovarian cancer models. Nat Commun. 2020 Jul.11(1):3726. Pubmedid: 32709856. Pmcid: PMC7381609.
• Tanyi JL, George E. Personalized vaccination against ovarian cancer: what are the possibilities?. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2018 Nov.17(11):955-958. Pubmedid: 30362844. Pmcid: PMC6592278.
• Kim H, George E, Ragland R, Rafail S, Zhang R, Krepler C, Morgan M, Herlyn M, Brown E, Simpkins F. Targeting the ATR/CHK1 Axis with PARP Inhibition Results in Tumor Regression in BRCA-Mutant Ovarian Cancer Models. Clin Cancer Res. 2017 Jun.23(12):3097-3108. Pubmedid: 27993965. Pmcid: PMC5474193.
• George E, Kim H, Krepler C, Wenz B, Makvandi M, Tanyi JL, Brown E, Zhang R, Brafford P, Jean S, Mach RH, Lu Y, Mills GB, Herlyn M, Morgan M, Zhang X, Soslow R, Drapkin R, Johnson N, Zheng Y, Cotsarelis G, Nathanson KL, Simpkins F. A patient-derived-xenograft platform to study BRCA-deficient ovarian cancers. JCI Insight. 2017 Jan.2(1):e89760. Pubmedid: 28097235. Pmcid: PMC5214535.
• George EM, Burke WM, Hou JY, Tergas AI, Chen L, Neugut AI, Ananth CV, Hershman DL, Wright JD. Measurement and validation of frailty as a predictor of outcomes in women undergoing major gynaecological surgery. BJOG. 2016 Feb.123(3):455-461. Pubmedid: 26301606. Pmcid: PMC4548816.
• Wang Y, Krais JJ, Bernhardy AJ, Nicolas E, Cai KQ, Harrell MI, Kim HH, George E, Swisher EM, Simpkins F, Johnson N. RING domain-deficient BRCA1 promotes PARP inhibitor and platinum resistance. J Clin Invest. 2016 Aug.126(8):3145-3157. Pubmedid: 27454289. Pmcid: PMC4966309.
• George EM, Tergas AI, Ananth CV, Burke WM, Lewin SN, Prendergast E, Neugut AI, Hershman DL, Wright JD. Safety and tolerance of radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer in the elderly. Gynecol Oncol. 2014 Jul.134(1):36-41. Pubmedid: 24768851. Pmcid: PMC4158005.
• George EM, Herzog TJ, Neugut AI, Lu YS, Burke WM, Lewin SN, Hershman DL, Wright JD. Carcinosarcoma of the ovary: natural history, patterns of treatment, and outcome. Gynecol Oncol. 2013 Oct.131(1):42-45. Pubmedid: 23838036. Pmcid: PMC4230696.
• Horvath S, George E, Herzog TJ. Unintended consequences: surgical complications in gynecologic cancer. Womens Health (Lond Engl). 2013 Nov.9(6):595-604. Pubmedid: 24161311.
• Baxi LV, George EM. Three-way tie: the umbilical cord insertion site was different for each member of a set of triplets. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013 Dec.209(6):590.e1. Pubmedid: 23665250.
• George EM, Cabreriza SE, Quinn TA, Rusanov A, Gerrah R, Broyles JM, Weinberg AD, Spotnitz HM. Validation of automated monitoring of cardiac output for biventricular pacing optimization. Asaio J. 2010 May.56(3):265-269. Pubmedid: 20335801. Pmcid: PMC5719881.

• Title: Sequential Frontline Therapies for Tumor Extinction in Ovarian Cancer
  Award Number: Phi Beta Psi Sorority
  Sponsor: PHI BETA PSI SORORITY
  George, E. (PD/PI)
• Title: Evolutionarily informed therapies in recurrent ovarian cancer
  Award Number: ECIG-2025-3-1874
  Sponsor: Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA)
  George, E. (PD/PI)
• Title: Controlling treatment toxicity in ovarian cancer to prime the patient for tumor extinction therapy
  Award Number: GC2025-003
  Sponsor: V FOUNDATION
  George, E. (PD/PI)
• Title: Patient derived 3D microtumor explant culture in ovarian cancer to inform therapeutic approaches
  Award Number:
  Sponsor: American Cancer Society, Inc. (ACS)
  George, E. (PD/PI)
• Title: Lab Studies Using in Vitro 3D Model
  Award Number: 23VA012
  Sponsor: MERCK & CO., INC.
  Sawyer, W. (PD/PI), George, E. (Co-PD/PI), Nguyen, D. (Co-PD/PI)