"Orphan Drug Mechanisms Reveal Unexpected Cancer Targets and Pathways"

Speaker:

Pano Theodoropoulos, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor of Radiation Oncology
UT Southwestern Medical Center

About Pano Theodoropoulos:

Dr. Theodoropoulos earned a bachelor’s degree in biological chemistry from the University of Chicago and completed both his medical degree and doctorate in biochemistry at UT Southwestern, where he also trained through the Physician-Scientist Training Program. His research focuses on understanding how small bioactive molecules work in cells and using that knowledge to develop new approaches to cancer treatment.

A major theme of his work is uncovering how experimental cancer-fighting compounds exert their effects. He has helped define how a glioblastoma toxin becomes activated inside cells and disables a key metabolic pathway required for tumor growth. He is currently studying another small molecule that acts on a previously unrecognized cancer target.

During his doctoral training, Dr. Theodoropoulos developed laboratory strategies to identify the cellular targets of promising drug candidates discovered through screening. This work clarified how certain compounds interfere with cholesterol-related pathways and helped enable further drug development efforts in both cancer and multiple sclerosis. He has also contributed to the discovery of tumor-activated inhibitors that block fatty acid synthesis, showing strong anti-cancer activity in animal models.

His broader research experience includes work on immune system disorders caused by disrupted cell signaling, early studies that advanced understanding of how proteins organize themselves inside cells, and investigations into how organisms regulate glucose metabolism.

Dr. Theodoropoulos is an inventor on multiple patents involving cholesterol‑pathway inhibitors, stearoyl‑CoA desaturase inhibitors, and thiophenyl nicotinamide derivatives. His broader research goal is to define new druggable targets in cancer and translate those discoveries into therapeutic approaches.