Gerhard Hamilton, PhD

Dr. Gerhard Hamilton graduated with PhD Degree from the University of Vienna and is now an associate Professor leading a group at the Surgical Research Lab of the Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna. He was a leading member of the Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster of Translational Oncology. Dr. Hamilton has authored or coauthored more than 175 articles covering work on immunology, basic cell biology and cancer. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the “Precision Cancer Medicine” journal. Currently, the main research interest comprises cancer biology and modalities to overcome drug resistance dealing with multidrug resistance and modifiers as well as physical drug resistance via alterations of cellular pH and formation of spheroids. Preclinical development projects of antitumor drugs included particularly camptothecins, cisplatin and other metalloorganic compounds. For the last decade his lab has been engaged in characterization of the cell biology and drug sensitivity of Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC), a tumor entity associated with a dismal prognosis due to high chemoresistance of former unclear origin. His work in regard to SCLC has led to the establishment of a unique panel of SCLC circulating tumor cells (CTCs) lines from peripheral blood samples suitable for studying tumor metastasis and for defining novel targets for this hard-to-treat tumor. Universal drug resistance of SCLC is linked to the spontaneous formation of large spheroids, termed tumorospheres, which constitute a protected niche. Currently, the main focus of the research group is the isolation and cultivation of NSCLC pleural lung cancer cells to study resistance mechanisms to EGFR- and ALK-directed therapeutics employing Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), proteomics, in vitro chemosensitivity tests and drug tests involving advanced 3D tumor models. In particular, NSCLC to SCLC transformation seems to constitute an important resistance mechanism to tyrosine kinase inhibitors and several switched cancer cell lines have been established. In terms of so-called “Functional Precision Medicine” his team is aiming to test the chemosensitivity of primary lung cancer cells to match patients with the most suitable drugs for further therapy, especially dealing with EGFR and ALK alterations. Furthermore, experimental new drugs are characterized as second- and third-line therapeutics for lung cancer patients progressing under treatment with currently available agents.

Editorial Board
Terms of Appointment: August 2019 - August 2021;  September 2021 - August 2023;  September 2023 - August 2025