Taylor Sundby, M.D.
- Center for Cancer Research
- National Cancer Institute
- Building 10, 1NW- 2-3942
- Bethesda, MD 20892
- 301-219-3758
- taylor.sundby@nih.gov
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Dr. Taylor Sundby is a physician scientist in the Pediatric Oncology Branch with expertise in cancer genomics, epigenomics, and biomarker discovery. Current efforts focus on the development of circulating biomarkers for non-invasive surveillance and the study of tumor evolution in cancer predisposition syndromes. Dr. Sundby is a member of the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) team and is actively engaged in the rare tumor initiative.
Areas of Expertise
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Biography
Taylor Sundby, M.D.
After earning his undergraduate degree from Haverford College, Dr. R. Taylor Sundby received his M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. At Vanderbilt, Dr. Sundby completed a medical scholar research year in the laboratory of Dr. Jennifer Pietenpol studying the effect of obesity on genetic heterogeneity in triple negative breast cancer. This was followed by his pediatric internship and residency training at the University of California San Francisco where he was a member of the Clinical and Translational Science Pathway, working with pediatric geneticist Dr. Joseph Shieh to investigate how vastly different malignant phenotypes and accumulated mutations arise across cancers stemming from common driver mutations. Dr. Sundby then joined the combined Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Fellowship training program at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB) and Johns Hopkins University under the mentorship of Dr. Jack Shern. His research in Dr. Shern’s lab led to the CCR milestone publication “Cell-free DNA ultra-low-pass whole genome sequencing to distinguish malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) from its benign precursor lesion: A cross-sectional study.” Dr. Sundby became an Assistant Research Physician in 2022. He is a Francis S. Collins Scholar, past recipient of the Children’s Cancer Foundation NextGen Award and is board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology.
Research
Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) have a ~15% lifetime risk of developing malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST). MPNST are aggressive cancers and 80% of patients die within 5-years of diagnosis, largely due to MPNST resistance to chemotherapies and radiation. Patients have significantly better outcomes when MPNST is diagnosed early and can be removed surgically. Early diagnosis of MPNST, however, is difficult because MPNST arise from within benign precursor tumors called atypical neurofibroma (AN) and plexiform neurofibroma (PN). Current techniques, such as imaging and tissue biopsy, perform poorly when cancerous and non-cancerous tumors are intermixed, as is the case with MPNST.
Our research group aims to address this challenge through the development of non-invasive blood tests, termed liquid biopsies, in several ongoing projects:
1. Identification of the circulating genome, fragmentomics and secretome profiles of PN, AN and MPNST.
3.Evaluation of liquid biopsy as a marker of early cancer detection, treatment response and minimum residual disease.
4. Application of serial liquid biopsy in pre-clinical NF1 models to understand tumor evolution during treatment as well as mechanisms of resistance.
Publications
- Bibliography Link
- NCBI Bibliography
- ORCID: 0000-0001-8485-0026
- Google Scholar
Urine cell-free DNA multi-omics to detect MRD and predict survival in bladder cancer patients
Team
News
AAAS EurekAlert: Major biomarker project to help identify cancer predisposition in NF1 patients
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Medscape Medical News: "Novel Test Distinguishes Benign From Malignant Lesions in NF1"
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CCR Milestones 2022: "Deciphering DNA Clues"
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