Timothy A. Yap has been appointed as Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Cancer Research

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has announced the appointment of Timothy A. Yap, MBBS, PhD, as the new Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Cancer Research.

Timothy A. Yap, MBBS, PhD, expressed his excitement upon being appointed the new Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Cancer Research, saying,

“It is a true privilege to be selected as editor-in-chief of Clinical Cancer Research. I look forward to enhancing our understanding of cancer biology and translating these insights into transformative patient outcomes through innovative biomarker-driven trials and other clinically relevant studies.”

Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), the Chief Executive Officer of the AACR, shared her enthusiasm, stating,

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Yap take on this important role. His vast expertise, enthusiasm, and dedication will be instrumental in advancing the journal. Known internationally for his exceptional clinical research, Dr. Yap brings a strong vision, and we are eager to work with him to support and implement it.”

About Dr. Timothy A. Yap

Dr. Timothy A. Yap is a Medical Oncologist and Physician-Scientist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is a Ransom Horne, Jr. Endowed Professor for Cancer Research in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics (Phase I Program) and the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology.

He serves as Vice President and Head of Clinical Development in the Therapeutics Discovery Division, a biopharmaceutical division dedicated to integrating drug discovery with clinical translation. Additionally, Dr. Yap is the Associate Director of Translational Research at the Khalifa Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy, where he plays a key role in advancing research and clinical trials aimed at improving personalized cancer treatment and patient outcomes.

Dr. Yap’s Leadership Roles in AACR

Dr. Yap has been an active member of the AACR since 2007, holding various leadership and advisory positions within the organization. He currently serves as Chair of the AACR Special Conferences Committee, a member of the AACR Clinical Trials Advisory Council, and a member of the AACR Task Force on Precision Combination Therapy. He has also been involved with several key conferences and workshops:

• Co-Director for the AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop (2017-2022)
• Chair for the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (2015)
• Faculty member and Program Committee member for the EORTC-ESMO-AACR Workshop on Methods in Clinical Cancer Research (2015-2017)
• Contributions to AACR Annual Meeting and Clinical Trials

Dr. Yap has made significant contributions to the AACR Annual Meeting and its clinical trials program, including:

• Co-Chair of the AACR Annual Meeting Clinical Trials Committee (2021-2023)
• Co-Chair of the AACR Annual Meeting 2022 Program Committee
• Chair of the AACR Industry Roundtable in 2023 and 2018
• Member of various advisory and steering committees, including the AACR Exploratory IND/Phase 0 Clinical Trials Task
• Force (2022-2023) and the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2022 Steering Committee

Previous Roles

Before his current role, Dr. Yap served as a Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London, UK, and as a BRC Clinician Scientist at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) at The Institute of Cancer Research in London.

Dr. Yap has earned a variety of prestigious awards over the years, including the Emil Frei III Award for Excellence in Translational Research (2023) and the Irwin H. Krakoff Award for Excellence in Clinical Research (2021) from MD Anderson. His accolades also include the V Foundation V Clinical Scholar Award (2020), the Michaele C. Christian Oncology Development Lectureship and Award from the National Cancer Institute (2019), and the McElwain Prize from the U.K. Association of Cancer Physicians (2012).

Dr. Yap’s Research Focus

Dr. Timothy Yap’s research primarily centers on first-in-human and combination therapy development for molecularly targeted agents and immunotherapies. He is dedicated to accelerating these therapies through clinical studies, utilizing novel predictive and pharmacodynamic biomarkers to enhance their effectiveness.

His key areas of interest include targeting the DNA damage response (DDR) with innovative therapeutics, such as ATR, PARP1, WEE1, POLQ, USP1, PKMYT1, PARG, CHK1, ATM, and DNA-PK inhibitors. Additionally, he focuses on next-generation selective inhibitors for CDK2, CDK4, and CDK7, as well as YAP/TEAD inhibitors, Werner helicase inhibitors, SMARCA2 degraders, and the development of novel immunotherapies.

Education and Training

Dr. Yap earned his BSc degree with First-Class Honors in Immunology and Infectious Diseases from Imperial College London, where he received the Huggett Memorial Prize. His undergraduate research focused on immunogenetics, studying the human T-cell lymphotropic virus under Professor Charles Bangham. Dr. Yap then completed his medical degree at Imperial College London and finished his general medical training in Oxford.

Interviews with Timothy A. Yap

Timothy A Yap, AACR 2018 – Advances in Precision Cancer Medicine – Touch Medical Media (1st May 2018)

Dr. Timothy Yap Reiterates the Unmet Medical Need for Molecularly Targeted Agents in Solid Tumors – AJMCtv (20th October 2020)

Phase I research on DNA damage repair at the 2024 ASCO annual meeting – MD Anderson Cancer Center (11th June 2024)

About Clinical Cancer Research

Clinical Cancer Research is dedicated to publishing innovative clinical and translational cancer research that bridges laboratory discoveries with clinical applications. The journal prioritizes clinical trials that assess new treatments, along with research on pharmacology, molecular alterations, and biomarkers that predict responses or resistance to treatment. It also includes laboratory and animal studies that lead to clinical trials for new drugs and targeted therapies, as well as studies on the mechanisms of oncogenesis, tumor progression, and metastasis.

Cover page of Clinical Cancer Research, Volume 27/Number 21/11.1.2021

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