Principal Scientist, Preclinical Evaluation Team Leader
Center for Advanced Preclinical Research
Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research
Dr. Zoë Weaver Ohler directs preclinical evaluation (efficacy, PK/PD, and imaging) studies of anticancer therapeutics in genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models, as well as developing new GEM-derived orthotopic models to evaluate cancer treatments. Her team also utilizes gene expression and metabolomics analyses to identify biomarkers of drug treatment effects.
Prior to her current position, Dr. Weaver Ohler directed multiple in vivo lead optimization projects with novel anticancer compounds as leader of the preclinical pharmacology team at Avalon Pharmaceuticals in Germantown, MD. She received her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California at Berkeley, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the NCI, where she pioneered the use of spectral karyotyping to identify chromosome rearrangements in engineered mouse models for breast cancer.
Expertise
- Preclinical evaluation studies of anticancer therapeutics (efficacy, PK/PD, and imaging studies) in genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models and in cell-based assays with primary tumor culture.
- Development and evaluation of new drug combination strategies in vitro and in vivo.
- Development of new orthotopic models derived from GEM models to evaluate anticancer therapeutics.
- Identification of endpoints for therapeutic analyses using imaging (MRI, CT, optical) technologies.
- Utilization of transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses to identify biomarkers of drug treatment effects.
