Sarah Tasian

Sarah Tasian

Pediatric Hematologist, Pediatric Oncologist

Pediatric Hematologic Malignancies

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Location USA, Philadelphia

Linkedin

Dr. Sarah Tasian is a pediatric oncologist and physician-scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she serves as Chief of the Hematologic Malignancies Program and Associate Professor of Pediatrics. She is an internationally recognized expert in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with a bench-to-bedside translational research program focused on testing kinase inhibitors and CAR T cell immunotherapies in genetic subsets of childhood leukemia. She holds major leadership roles in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) ALL and Myeloid Diseases committees, the Leukemia Lymphoma Society PedAL/EuPAL consortium, and serves as COG Developmental Therapeutics committee Vice-Chair of Biology for Hematologic Malignancies. She leads or co-leads several national and international early-phase clinical trials testing precision medicine therapies in children with high-risk leukemias. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Baylor College of Medicine, she trained in Pediatrics at Seattle Children’s Hospital and in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at UCSF, and she completed an NIH-HHMI Research Scholars Program fellowship at the National Cancer Institute.

Current Positions

  • Chief, Hematologic Malignancies Program, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
  • Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
  • Vice-Chair of Biology for Hematologic Malignancies, COG Developmental Therapeutics Committee
  • Study Chair, AALL1521 (COG), 2015–present

Education

  • BS / BA, University of Notre Dame, 1995–1999 (Honors Program, Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude)
  • MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

Postgraduate Training

  • Residency, Pediatrics, Seattle Children’s Hospital and University of Washington, Seattle, WA
  • Fellowship, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
  • Additional Training, NIH-HHMI Research Scholars Program, National Cancer Institute / Pediatric Oncology Branch, Bethesda, MD (Tumor Immunology)

Board Certifications

  • Pediatrics — American Board of Pediatrics
  • Pediatric Hematology-Oncology — American Board of Pediatrics

Research Activity

  • Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-like) ALL: Internationally recognized expert in Ph-like ALL; studies on kinase inhibitor sensitivities and signaling profiles of genetic subtypes, ruxolitinib and chemotherapy combinations, and JAK2 fusion-driven disease; case report establishing clinical efficacy of ruxolitinib in a child with GOLGA5-JAK2 Ph-like ALL with induction failure (Haematologica, 2018); therapeutic potential of ruxolitinib and ponatinib in EPOR-rearranged Ph-like ALL (Haematologica, 2021, in press); mTOR inhibition to enhance JAK/STAT blockade in CRLF2-rearranged Ph-like ALL (Oncotarget, 2018)
  • Infant ALL and kinase inhibition: Combinatorial efficacy of entospletinib (SYK inhibitor) and chemotherapy in patient-derived xenograft models of infant ALL (Haematologica, 2020)
    CDK4/6 and signaling plasticity in Ph-like ALL: Oncogene-independent adaptation of pre-B cell receptor signaling conferring drug resistance in Ph-like ALL (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2020)
  • Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML): Generation and characterization of JMML induced pluripotent stem cell models to define mutation-specific signaling profiles and kinase inhibitor sensitivities (Leukemia, 2019); molecular and phenotypic diversity of CBL-mutated JMML (Haematologica, 2020)
  • CAR T cell immunotherapy for AML: Systematic preclinical evaluation of CD33-directed CAR T cell immunotherapy for AML defining optimized construct design (2021, submitted)
  • Pediatric AML immunotherapy: Co-author on studies of immune landscapes predicting chemotherapy resistance and immunotherapy response in AML (Science Translational Medicine, 2020); opportunities for immunotherapy in childhood AML (Blood Advances, 2019; Hematology ASH Education Program, 2019)
  • Precision medicine and clinical genomics: Co-investigator on clinical utility of custom-designed NGS panel testing in pediatric tumors (Genome Medicine, 2019) and development and validation of large fusion gene panel for pediatric cancers (Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, 2019)
  • Network analysis and rational combination therapy: Network analysis identifying synergistic genetic dependencies for combination therapy in Ph-like ALL (Clinical Cancer Research, 2021)
  • Matched targeted therapy: Member of the LEAP Consortium reporting on matched targeted therapy for pediatric patients with relapsed, refractory, or high-risk leukemias (Cancer Discovery, 2021)
  • Temsirolimus in relapsed/refractory ALL: Lead investigator of TACL 2014-001, a Therapeutic Advances in Childhood Leukemia Consortium trial of temsirolimus combined with cyclophosphamide and etoposide for pediatric relapsed/refractory ALL (2021, submitted)
  • Natural killer cells in ALL: Co-author on study demonstrating that activated natural killer cells predict poor clinical prognosis in high-risk B- and T-cell ALL (Blood, 2021)
  • Blinatumomab and inotuzumab immunotherapy: Clinical utilization study in children with relapsed/refractory B-ALL (Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 2020)
  • Non-coding mutations in pediatric cancers: Co-author on diverse non-coding mutations contributing to deregulation of cis-regulatory landscape in pediatric cancers (Science Advances, 2020)
  • Pediatric AML drug development: Co-author of ACCELERATE/EMA/FDA Paediatric Strategy Forum on medicinal product development for AML in children and adolescents (European Journal of Cancer, 2020)

Honors and Awards

  • CHOP Pediatric Residency Faculty Honor Roll Teaching Award, 2021
  • CHOP Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellow Teaching Award, 2020
  • American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI) Young Investigator, 2018
  • Best of ASH Annual Meeting recognition for oral presentation, 2015
  • Best poster presentation, International Society of Paediatric Oncology annual conference, 2014
  • Canuso Foundation Innovation Award, 2013–2014
  • ALSF Scholar in Developmental Therapeutics, 2013–2014
  • Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation Young Investigator Award, 2012–2014
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology Young Investigator Award, 2011–2012
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology Trainee Travel Award, 2010
  • American Society of Hematology Travel Award, 2010
  • National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program (NIH-LRP), 2009–2014
  • UCSF Pediatric Fellow Teaching Award, 2009
  • Alpha Omega Alpha, cum laude, 2002–2004
  • HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program Fellowship, 2001–2002
  • Outstanding Senior Student in Notre Dame Honors Program, 1999
  • Honors Program, Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude, 1999
  • USA Today Academic All-American, 1999
  • University of Notre Dame Honors Program, 1995–1999
  • National Merit Finalist, 1995
  • University of Notre Dame Early Action Scholar, 1995
  • Graduated Salutatorian and Summa Cum Laude, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TX, 1995

Memberships / Affiliations

  • Children’s Oncology Group (COG), 2008–present
  • International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), 2014–present
  • International BFM Study Group (iBFM), 2016–present
  • European Hematology Association (EHA), 2016–present
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), 2010–present
  • American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology (ASPHO), 2009–present
  • American Society of Hematology (ASH), 2007–present
  • Review Editor, Frontiers in Oncology, 2014–present
  • Review Editor, American Journal of Hematology, 2014–present
  • Ad hoc reviewer: Blood, Leukemia, Haematologica, Pediatric Blood and Cancer, British Journal of Haematology, American Journal of Hematology, British Medical Journal, PLOS One,
  • British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology

Areas of Specialization

  • Pediatric hematologic malignancies — ALL and AML
  • Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-like) ALL
  • Infant ALL
  • Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML)
  • Kinase inhibitor therapy in childhood leukemia
  • CAR T cell immunotherapy for pediatric AML
  • Precision medicine and matched targeted therapy for high-risk pediatric leukemias
  • Translational and bench-to-bedside research in childhood leukemia
  • Early-phase clinical trials in pediatric oncology
  • Pediatric clinical genomics and NGS diagnostics

Publications

Select Recent Publications:

Pikman Y, Tasian SK, Sulis ML, Stevenson K, Blonquist TM, et al. “Matched Targeted Therapy for Pediatric Patients with Relapsed, Refractory or High-risk Leukemias: A Report from the LEAP Consortium.” Cancer Discovery, 2021. PMID 33563661.

Duault C, Kumar A, Taghi Khani A, Lee SJ, Yang L, Huang M, Hurtz C, Manning B, Ghoda LY, McDonald T, Lacayo NJ, Sakamoto KM, Carroll MP, Tasian SK, et al. “Activated Natural Killer Cells Predict Poor Clinical Prognosis in High-risk B- and T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.” Blood, 2021. PMID 34077953.

Ding YY, Kim H, Madden K, Loftus JP, Chen GM, Hottman DA, Zhang R, Xu J, Hu Y, Tasian SK*, Tan K*. “Network Analysis Reveals Synergistic Genetic Dependencies for Rational Combination Therapy in Philadelphia Chromosome-like Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.” Clinical Cancer Research, 2021. (*co-senior authors)

Niswander LM, Loftus JP, Lainey E, Cayé-Eude A, Pondrom M, Hottman DA, Iacobucci I, Mullighan CG, Jain NG, Konopleva M, Cavé H, Baruchel A, Rohrlich PS*, Tasian SK*. “Therapeutic Potential of Ruxolitinib and Ponatinib in Patients with EPOR-Rearranged Ph-like ALL.” Haematologica, 2021. (*co-senior authors)

Si SJ, Tasian SK, Bassiri H, Fisher BT, et al. “Diagnostic Challenges in Pediatric Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis.” Journal of Clinical Immunology, 2021. PMID 33761058.

Tasian SK. “Are we ABL to do better for children with BCR-ABL1-like acute lymphocytic leukaemia?” Lancet Haematology 8(1):e6–e8, 2021. PMID 33357484.

Tasian SK and Peters C. “Targeted therapy or transplantation for paediatric ABL-class Ph-like acute lymphocytic leukaemia?” Lancet Haematology 7(12):e858–e859, 2020. PMID 33242441.

Hurtz C, Wertheim GB, Loftus JP, Blumenthal D, Lehman A, Li Y, Manning B, Cummins KD, Burkhardt JK, Perl AE, Carroll M, Tasian SK. “Oncogene-Independent Adaptation of Pre-B Cell Receptor Signaling Confers Drug Resistance and Signaling Plasticity in Philadelphia Chromosome-like Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.” Journal of Clinical Investigation 130(7):3637–3653, 2020. PMID 32191635.

Loftus JP, Yahiaoui A, Brown PA, Wang M, Shauf A, Tannheimer S, Tasian SK. “Combinatorial Efficacy of Entospletinib and Chemotherapy in Patient-Derived Xenograft Models of Infant ALL.” Haematologica 106(4):1067–1078, 2020. PMID 32313848.

Vadakeklolathu J, Minden MD, Hood T, Church SE, Reeder S, Altmann H, Sullivan AM, Viboch E, Patel T, Ibramimova N, Tasian SK, et al. “Immune landscapes predict chemotherapy resistance and immunotherapy response in acute myeloid leukemia.” Science Translational Medicine 12(546):eaaz0463, 2020. PMID 32493790.

Harvey RC and Tasian SK. “Clinical Testing for Philadelphia Chromosome-like Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.” Blood Advances 4(1):218–228, 2020. PMID 31935290.

Bonifant CL and Tasian SK. “The Future of Immunotherapy for Childhood Leukemia.” Current Opinion in Pediatrics 32(1):13–25, 2020. PMID 31851053.

Pearson ADJ, Zwaan CM, Kolb EA, Karres D, Guillot J, Kim SY, Marshall L, Tasian SK, Smith M, et al. “Paediatric Strategy Forum for Medicinal Product Development for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia In Children and Adolescents: ACCELERATE in Collaboration with the EMA with Participation of the FDA.” European Journal of Cancer 136:116–129, 2020. PMID 32688206.

Lamble AJ and Tasian SK. “Opportunities for Immunotherapy in Childhood AML.” Blood Advances 3(22):3750–3758, 2019. PMID 31770440.

Lamble AJ and Tasian SK. “Opportunities for Immunotherapy in Childhood AML.” Hematology ASH Education Program 2019(1):218–225, 2019. PMID 31808843.

Tasian SK, Casas JA, Posocco D, Gandre-Babbe S, Gagne AL, Liang G, Loh ML, Weiss MJ, French DL, Chou ST. “Mutation-Specific Signaling Profiles and Kinase Inhibitor Sensitivities of Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia Revealed by Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.” Leukemia 33(1):181–190, 2019. PMID 29884905.

Surrey LF, MacFarland SP, Chang F, Cao K, Rathi KS, Akgumus GT, Gallo D, Lin F, Gleason A, Raman P, Aplenc R, Bagatell R, Minturn J, Mosse Y, Santi M, Tasian SK, et al. “Clinical utility of custom-designed NGS panel testing in pediatric tumors.” Genome Medicine 11(1):32, 2019. PMID 31113068.

Chang F, Lin F, Cao K, Surrey LF, Aplenc R, Bagatell R, Resnick AC, Santi M, Storm PB, Tasian SK, et al. “Development and Clinical Validation of a Large Fusion Gene Panel for Pediatric Cancers.” Journal of Molecular Diagnostics 21(5):873–883, 2019. PMID 31255797.

He B, Gao P, Ding YY, Chen C-H, Chen G, Chen C, Kim H, Tasian SK, Hunger SP, Tan K. “Diverse Non-Coding Mutations Contribute to Deregulation of Cis-Regulatory Landscape in Pediatric Cancers.” Science Advances 6(30):eaba3064, 2020. PMID 32832663.

Ding YY, Stern JW, Jubelirer TF, Wertheim GB, Li F, Chang F, Gu Z, Mullighan CG, Li Y, Harvey RC, Hunger SP, Li MM, Tasian SK. “Clinical Efficacy of Ruxolitinib and Chemotherapy in a Child with Philadelphia Chromosome-Like Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with GOLGA5-JAK2 Fusion and Induction Failure.” Haematologica 103(9):e427–e431, 2018. PMID 29773603.

Zhang Q, Shi C, Han L, Jain N, Roberts KG, Ma H, Cai T, Cavazos A, Tabe Y, Tasian SK, Mullighan CG, et al. “Inhibition of mTORC1/C2 Signaling Improves Anti-Leukemia Efficacy of JAK/STAT Blockade in CRLF2-Rearranged and/or JAK-Driven Philadelphia Chromosome-Like Acute B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia.” Oncotarget 9:8027–8041, 2018. PMID 29487712.

All information is sourced from publicly available materials.