James Duncan, PhD

James Duncan, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology, Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC).  He received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Western Ontario earning the Collip Award for top thesis in the School of Medicine and Dentistry.  He then performed his postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Gary Johnson’s laboratory at the University of North Carolina receiving a Research Graduate Fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.  There, he developed a proteomics strategy that provides a systems biology platform to profile global kinome activity in any cell line or tumor biopsy. Using this technology, he discovered that tumor cells can evade targeted therapies by activating compensatory protein kinase networks overcoming drug therapies. Dr. Duncan’s laboratory at FCCC applies proteomics approaches to explore drug resistance mechanisms in ovarian cancer models. His lab is currently focused on defining the kinase signaling pathways ovarian cancer cells activate in response to epigenetic therapies, such as BET bromodomain inhibitors, and how this information can be used to develop more effective combination therapies for the treatment of ovarian cancer.  He has received research awards from the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, American Cancer Society, and NIH.