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C. Norman Coleman, M.D.

Portait Photo of C. Norman Coleman
Radiation Oncology Branch
Head, Experimental Therapeutics Section
Senior Investigator
Radiation Oncology Branch, NIH
10 Center Drive, MSC 1682
Bldg 10/CRC/Room B2-3561
Bethesda, MD 20892-1007
Phone:  
 301-496-5457
Fax:  
 301-480-5439
E-Mail:  
 ccoleman@mail.nih.gov

Biography

Dr. Coleman graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.A. in mathematics, then graduated from Yale University School of Medicine in 1970. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of California in San Francisco, and medical oncology at the NCI and radiation oncology at Stanford. Board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and radiation oncology, Dr. Coleman was a tenured faculty member at the Stanford University School of Medicine before joining Harvard Medical School in 1985 as Fuller-American Cancer Society Professor and Chairman, Joint Center for Radiation Therapy. In 1999, he came to the NCI and became director of the new Radiation Oncology Sciences Program that he created to coordinate all radiation oncology activities. He served as chief of the Radiation Oncology Branch from 1999- 2004 and is now an adjunct member of ROB. He serves the the NCI as associate director of the Radiation Research Program (in DCTD), and special advisor to the director of the NCI. Since 2004 he has been Senior Medical Advisor and chief of the CBRN Team in the Office of Mass Casualty Planning Preparedness and Emergency Operations (OPEO), Office of Public Health EmergencyAssistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), HHS. He has written extensively in his field and has won numerous awards including the 2005 ASTRO Gold Medal.

Research

Dr. Coleman's research program is based on two long-standing and interrelated themes, the tumor and radiation-induced stress responses. The long-term focus is on developing molecular targeted radiation therapy. An overarching concept is of radiation therapy as 'focused biology' wherein radiation is described by the molecular events produced rather than by just the dose in Gray.

Dr. Coleman's laboratory is continuing studies on the role of NSAIDs and COX inhibitors on radiation modification. This general class of drugs has been shown to variably be a radiation sensitizer in vitro and in vivo but the molecular target and/or the target cell(s) remains to be fully defined. Many non-COX targets are postulated. Recent studies using siRNA against COX-2 indicates that the COX-2 itself has limited impact on cellular radiosensitivity. Studies are in progress of gene profile following COX or NSAID inhibition to see similarities and differences in tumor as well as stromal cells. A second theme relating to hypoxia is the role of HIF-1α and 2α in radiation response, with the potential to use HIF inhibitors.

A new program underway in collaboration with Dr. Jim Mitchell is 'focused biology' in that radiation can create molecular changes within the radiation field. These changes may be useful in cell killing in conjunction with novel therapeutic approaches that by themselves are cytostatic. Radiation would be used to activate cellular processes that may become targets for molecular therapeutics. Gene and protein changes are being investigated with single and fractionated doses. In this 'nano-IMRT' concept, the radiation dose and fractionation would be selected based on molecular target activation.

Dr. Coleman's efforts in the Radiation Research Program, DCTD include the Clinical Radiation Oncology Branch (Dr. Vikram), Molecular Radiation Therapeutics Branch, cancer disparities (Dr. Govern), radiation therapy technology and quality assurance (Dr. Deye), international cancer collaborations (Ms. Jean Lynn and Dr. Govern), overall radiation research initiatives (Dr. Stone and Wong) and the support of clinical trials through CTEP (Drs. Vikram, Bader and Deye). There is ongoing collaboration between NCI and NIAID (Dr. Hatchett) to develop medical countermeasures for radiation injury (Drs. Stone and Wong, RRP) and for developing the civilian medical response to radiation related events (Drs. Alexander and Bader) in the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, HHS.

This page was last updated on 3/31/2009.