Meet Frederick Lang, M.D.
Frederick F. Lang, M.D., FACS, FAANS, FAAAS
Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Surgery
About Dr. Lang
Frederick Lang, M.D., FACS, FAANS, FAAAS is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at MD Anderson. He is also Adjunct Professor of Neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. Dr. Lang was born in Brooklyn, NY. He received his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. He completed a residency in neurosurgery at New York University Medical Center, and a fellowship in neurosurgical oncology at MD Anderson. Dr. Lang is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including America's Top Doctors for Cancer, Guide to America's Top Surgeons, the Preuss Research Award, the Mahaley Award, the Journal of Neuro-Oncology Award, the Michael S. Voynick Award in Neuro-Oncology, the Perlman Lectureship, and the Otto Lein da Wong Lecture from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the Principal Investigator of the multi-disciplinary SPORE in Brain Cancer Program grant. He is a NIH-funded translational researcher who has published extensively on gene, viral and cellular therapies for brain tumors and is Principal Investigator on multiple clinical trials that investigate these new approaches. He has served on the Executive Committee of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors and is the past Chair of this section. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO), and is a past President of SNO. He is board certified in Neurosurgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Lang is an Associate Editor of Neurosurgery and on the Editorial Board of Neuro-Oncology and Translational Oncology. He served on the Developmental Therapeutic Study Section within the NIH until his tenure ended in 2011, he has continued as an ad hoc reviewer for NIH. He is frequently requested as a national and international lecturer. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Dr. Lang is a leader in the field of neurosurgery with particular focus on deep seated brain tumors located in eloquent brain regions.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Faculty Member, MD Anderson Cancer Center UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX
Adjunct Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 1988 | Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA, MD, Medicine |
| 1984 | Yale College, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA, BS, Biology |
Postgraduate Training
| 1995-1996 | Clinical Fellowship, Neurosurgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
| 1993-1995 | Clinical Residency, Chief Resident, Department of Neurosurgery, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY |
| 1989-1993 | Clinical Residency, Department of Neurosurgery, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY |
| 1988-1989 | Clinical Internship, General Surgery, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY |
Board Certifications
| 2000 | The American Board of Neurological Surgery |
Honors & Awards
| 2022 | 2022 SNS Winn Award Lecturer, Society of Neurological Surgeons |
| 2021 | Texas Super Doctors |
| 2020 | 2020 Annual Andrew Connor Curtis Endowed Featured Speaker, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami |
| 2017 | Abhijit Guha Brain Tumor Award, AANS/CNS Joint Section on Tumors |
| 2007 | Global Directory of Who's Who |
| 2004 | America's Top Doctors for Cancer |
| 2003 | Best Doctors in America |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Kan P, Srinivasan VM, Gumin J, Garcia R, Chen SR, Johnson JN, Collins DE, Chen MM, Ledbetter D, Huse J, Evan Luna ZA, Robledo A, Vasandani V, Rao A, Singh SK, Shpall EJ, Fueyo J, Gomez-Manzano C, Lang FF. Development of a Rabbit Human Glioblastoma Model for Testing of Endovascular Selective Intra-Arterial Infusion (ESIA) of Novel Stem Cell-Based Therapeutics. Neuro Oncol 26(1):127-136, 2024. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37603323.
- Singh Y, Trautwein C, Romani J, Salker MS, Neckel PH, Fraccaroli I, Abeditashi M, Woerner N, Admard J, Dhariwal A, Dueholm MKD, Schäfer KH, Lang F, Otzen DE, Lashuel HA, Riess O, Casadei N. Overexpression of human alpha-Synuclein leads to dysregulated microbiome/metabolites with ageing in a rat model of Parkinson disease. Mol Neurodegener 18(1):44, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37403161.
- Stitzlein LM, Gangadharan A, Walsh LM, Nam D, Espejo AB, Singh MM, Patel KH, Lu Y, Su X, Ezhilarasan R, Gumin J, Singh S, Sulman E, Lang FF, Chandra J. Comparison of pharmacological inhibitors of lysine-specific demethylase 1 in glioblastoma stem cells reveals inhibitor-specific efficacy profiles. Front Neurol 14:1112207, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37082446.
- Gállego Pérez-Larraya J, Garcia-Moure M, Labiano S, Patiño-García A, Dobbs J, Gonzalez-Huarriz M, Zalacain M, Marrodan L, Martinez-Velez N, Puigdelloses M, Laspidea V, Astigarraga I, Lopez-Ibor B, Cruz O, Oscoz Lizarbe M, Hervas-Stubbs S, Alkorta-Aranburu G, Tamayo I, Tavira B, Hernandez-Alcoceba R, Jones C, Dharmadhikari G, Ruiz-Moreno C, Stunnenberg H, Hulleman E, van der Lugt J, Idoate MÁ, Diez-Valle R, Esparragosa Vázquez I, Villalba M, de Andrea C, Núñez-Córdoba JM, Ewald B, Robbins J, Fueyo J, Gomez-Manzano C, Lang FF, Tejada S, Alonso MM. Oncolytic DNX-2401 Virus for Pediatric Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. N Engl J Med 386(26):2471-2481, 2022. PMID: 35767439.
- Chen P, Hsu WH, Chang A, Tan Z, Lan Z, Zhou A, Spring DJ, Lang FF, Wang YA, DePinho RA. Circadian regulator CLOCK recruits immune suppressive microglia into the GBM tumor microenvironment. Cancer Discov 10:371-381, 2020. e-Pub 2020.
- Ferguson S, Levine N, Suki D, Tsung A, Lang FF, Sawaya R, Weinberg JS, McCutcheon IE. The surgical treatment of tumors of the fourth ventricle: a single-institution experience. J Neurosurg 128:339-351, 2018. PMID: 28409732.
- Lang FM, Hossain A, Gumin J, Momin EN, Shimizu Y, Ledbetter D, Shahar T, Yamashita S, Parker Kerrigan B, Fueyo J, Sawaya R, Lang FF. Mesenchymal stem cells as natural bio-factories for exosomes carrying miR-124a in the treatment of gliomas. Neuro Oncol 20:380-390, 2018. PMID: 29016843.
- Figueroa JM, Skog J, Akers J, Li H, Komotar R, Jensen R, Ringel F, Yang I, Kalkanis S, Thompson R, LoGuidice L, Berghoff E, Parsa A, Liau L, Curry W, Cahill D, Bettegowda C, Lang FF, Chiocca EA, Henson J, Kim R, Breakefield X, Chen C, Messer K, Hochberg F, Carter BS. Detection of wild-type EGFR amplification and EGFRvIII mutation in CSF-derived extracellular vesicles of glioblastoma patients. Neuro Oncol 19:1494-1502, 2017. PMID: 28453784.
- Shahar T, Rozovski U, Hess KR, Hosain A, Gumin J, Gao F, Fuller GN, Goodman L, Sulman EP, Lang FF. Percentage of mesenchymal stem cells in high-grade glioma tumor samples correlates with patient survival. Neuro Oncol 19:660-668, 2017. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 28453745.
- Parker Kerrigan BC, Shimizu Y, Andreeff M, Lang FF. Mesenchymal stromal cells for the delivery of oncolytic viruses in gliomas. Cytotherapy 19:445-457, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28233640.
- Dai B, Roife D, Kang Y, Gumin J, Rios Perez MV, Li X, Pratt M, Brekken RA, Fueyo-Margareto J, Lang FF, Fleming JB. Preclinical evaluation of sequential combination of oncolytic adenovirus Delta-24-RGD and phosphatidylserine-targeting antibody in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Mol Cancer Ther 16:662-670, 2017. PMID: 28138026.
- Thomas JG, Parker Kerrigan BC, Hossain A, Gumin J, Shinojima N, Nwajei F, Ezhilarasan R, Love P, Sulman EP, Lang FF. Ionizing radiation augments glioma tropism of mesenchymal stem cells. J Neurosurg 31:1-9, 2017. PMID: 28362237.
- Hossain MB, Shifat R, Li J, Luo X, Hess KR, Rivera-Molina Y, Puerta Martinez F, Jiang H, Lang FF, Hung MC, Fueyo J, Gomez-Manzano C. TIE2 associates with caveolae and regulates caveolin-1 to promote their nuclear translocation. Mol Cell Biol 37:pii: e00142-17, 2017. PMID: 28760776.
- Zinn PO, Singh SK, Kotrotsou A, Zandi F, Thomas G, Hatami M, Luedi MM, Elakkad A, Hassan I, Gumin J, Sulman EP, Lang FF, Colen RR. Clinically applicable and biologically validated MRI radiomic test method predicts glioblastoma genomic landscape and survival. Neurosurgery *(Won the National Brain Tumor Society Mahaley Clinical Research Award when presented at the CNS 2016 meeting) 63 Suppl 1:156-157, 2016. PMID: 27399418.
- Salzillo TC, Hu J, Nguyen L, Whiting N, Lee J, Weygand J, Dutta P, Pudakalakatti S, Millward NZ, Gammon ST, Lang FF, Heimberger AB, Bhattacharya PK. Interrogating metabolism in brain cancer. Magn Reson Imaging Clin N Am 24:687-703, 2016.
- Hossain MB, Shifat R, Johnson DG, Bedford MT, Gabrusiewicz KR, Cortes-Santiago N, Luo X, Lu Z, Ezhilarasan R, Sulman EP, Jiang H, Li SS, Lang FF, Tyler J, Hung MC, Fueyo J, Gomez-Manzano C. TIE2-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of H4 regulates DNA damage response by recruiting ABL1. Sci Adv 2:e1501290, 2016. PMID: 27757426.
- Hossain A, Gumin J, Gao F, Figueroa J, Shinojima N, Takezaki T, Priebe W, Villarreal D, Kang SG, Joyce C, Sulman E, Wang Q, Marini FC, Andreeff M, Colman H, Lang FF. Mesenchymal stem cells isolated from human gliomas increase proliferation and maintain stemness of glioma stem cells through the IL-6/gp130/STAT3 pathway. Stem Cells 33(8):2400-15, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25966666.
- Sathyan P, Zinn P, Marisetty A, Liu B, Kamal M, Singh S, Bady P, Lu L, Wani K, Veo B, Gumin J, Kassem D, Robinson F, Weng C, Baladandayuthapani V, Suki D, Colman H, Bhat K, Sulman E, Aldape K, Colen R, Verhaak R, Lu Z, Fuller G, Huang S, Lang F, Sawaya R, Hegi M, Majumder S. Mir-21-Sox2 axis delineates glioblastoma subtypes with prognostic impact. J Neurosci 35:15097-112, 2015. PMID: 26558781.
- Jiang H, Clise-Dwyer K, Ruisaard KE, Fan X, Tian W, Gumin J, Lamfers ML, Kleijn A, Lang FF, Yung WK, Vence LM, Gomez-Manzano C, Fueyo J. Delta-24-RGD oncolytic adenovirus elicits anti-glioma immunity in an immunocompetent mouse model. PLoS One 9(5):e97407, 2014.
- Parker BC, Annala MJ, Cogdell DE, Granberg KJ, Sun Y, Ji P, Li X, Gumin J, Zheng H, Hu L, Yli-Harja O, Haapasalo H, Visakorpi T, Liu X, Liu CG, Sawaya R, Fuller GN, Chen K, Lang FF, Nykter M, Zhang W. The tumorigenic FGFR3-TACC3 gene fusion escapes miR-99a regulation in glioblastoma. J Clin Invest 123(2):855-65, 2013. PMID: 23298836.
- Shinojima N, Hossain A, Takezaki T, Fueyo-Margareto J, Gumin J, Gao F, Nwajei F, Marini FC, Andreeff M, Kuratsu JI, Lang FF. TGF-β mediates homing of bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells to glioma stem cells. Cancer Res 73(7):2333-44, 2013. PMID: 23365134.
- Liu Y, Lang FF, Xie X, Prbhu SS, Xu J, Sampath D, Aldape K, Fuller G, Puduvalli VK. Efficacy of adenovirally expressed soluble TRAIL in human glioma organotypic slice culture and glioma xenografts. Cell Death Dis 2(1):e121, 2011. PMID: 21368892.
- Doucette T, Rao G, Yang Y, Gumin J, Shinojima N, Bekele BN, Qiao W, Zhang W, Lang FF. Mesenchymal stem cells display tumor specific tropism in an RCAS/Ntv-a glioma model. Neoplasia 13(8):716-25, 2011. PMID: 21847363.
- Wu AS, Witgert ME, Lang FF, Xiao L, Bekele BN, Meyers CA, Ferson D, Wefel JS. Neurocognitive function before and after surgery for insular gliomas. J Neurosurg 115(6):1115-25, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21905800.
- Wu A, Aldape KD, Lang FF. High rate of deletion of chromosomes 1p and 19q in insular oligodendroglial tumors. J Neurooncol 99(1):57-64, 2010. PMID: 20035368.
- Hata N, Shinojima N, Gumin J, Yong R, Marini F, Andreeff M, Lang FF. Platelet-derived growth factor BB mediates the tropism of human mesenchymal stem cells for malignant gliomas. Neurosurgery 66(1):144-156; discussion 156-157, 2010. PMID: 20023545.
- Wei J, Barr J, Kong LY, Wang Y, Wu A, Sharma AK, Gumin J, Henry V, Colman H, Priebe W, Sawaya R, Lang FF, Heimberger AB. Glioblastoma cancer-initiating cells inhibit T-cell proliferation and effector responses by the signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 pathway. Mol Cancer Ther 9(1):67-78, 2010. PMID: 20053772.
- He H, Nilsson CL, Emmett MR, Marshall AG, Kroes RA, Moskal JR, Ji Y, Colman H, Priebe W, Lang FF, Conrad CA. Glycomic and transcriptomic response of GSC11 glioblastoma stem cells to STAT3 phosphorylation inhibition and serum-induced differentiation. J Proteome Res 9(5):2098-108, 2010. PMID: 20199106.
- Kang S, Shinojima N, Hossain A, Gumin J, Yong R, Colman H, Marini F, Andreeff M, Lang FF. Isolation and perivascular localization of mesenchymal stem cells from mouse brain. Neurosurgery 67(3):711-20, 2010. PMID: 20651630.
- Williams BJ, Suki D, Fox BD, Maldaun MVC, Sawaya RE, Lang FF, Rao G. Stereotactic radiosurgery for metastatic brain tumors: a comprehensive review of complications. J Neurosurg 111(3):439-448, 2009. PMID: 19301968.
- Tatsui CE, Lang FF, Gumin J, Suki D, Shinojima N, Rhines LD. An orthotopic murine model of human spinal metastasis: histological and functional correlations. J Neurosurg Spine 10(6):501-512, 2009. PMID: 19558282.
- Yong R, Shinojima N, Fueyo J, Gumin J, Vecil GG, Marini FC, Bogler O, Andreeff M, Lang FF. Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells for intravascular delivery of oncolytic adenovirus Delta-24-RGD to human gliomas. Cancer Res 69(23):8932-8940, 2009. PMID: 19920199.
- Kim SS, McCutcheon IE, Suki D, Weinberg JS, Sawaya R, Lang FF, Ferson D, Heimberger AB, DeMonte F, Prabhu SS. Awake craniotomy for brain tumors near eloquent cortex: correlation of intraoperative cortical mapping with neurological outcomes in 309 consecutive patients. Neurosurgery 64(5):836-46, 2009. PMID: 19404147.
- Amano T, Nakamizo A, Mishra SK, Gumin J, Shinojima N, Sawaya R, Lang FF. Simultaneous phosphorylation of p53 at serine 15 and 20 induces apoptosis in human glioma cells by increasing expression of pro-apoptotic genes. J Neurooncol 92(3):357-71, 2009. PMID: 19357962.
- Toms SA, Weil RJ, Gupta A, Boulis NM, Prayson R, Lang FF. Clinical problem solving: island intruder. Neurosurgery 62(4):920-8; discussion 928-9, 2008. PMID: 18496198.
- Alonso MM, Jiang H, Yokoyama T, Xu J, Bekele NB, Lang FF, Kondo S, Gomez-Manzano C, Fueyo J. Delta-24-RGD in combination with RAD001 induces enhanced anti-glioma effect via autophagic cell death. Mol Ther 16(3):487-93, 2008. PMID: 18253154.
- Nakamizo A, Amano T, Zhang W, Zhang XQ, Ramdas L, Liu TJ, Bekele BN, Shono T, Sasaki T, Benedict WF, Sawaya R, Lang FF. Phosphorylation of Thr18 and Ser20 of p53 in Ad-p53-induced apoptosis. Neuro Oncol 10(3):275-291, 2008. PMID: 18443131.
- Gilbert MR, Lang FF. Management of patients with low-grade gliomas. Neurol Clin 25(4):1073-88, 2007. PMID: 17964026.
Invited Articles
- Gilbert MR, Lang FF. Should patients with anaplastic oligodendroglial tumors receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Nat Clin Pract Neurol 3(1):14-5, 2007. PMID: 17205067.
- Gilbert MR, Lang FF. Anaplastic oligodendroglial tumors: a tale of two trials. J Clin Oncol 24(18):2689-90, 2006.
Book Chapters
- Parker-Kerrigan B, Shahar T, Yamashita S, Lang FF. The role of mesenchymal stromal cells in human brain tumors. In: The Biology and Therapeutic Application of Mesenchymal Cells. John Wiley and Sons, Inc: Hoboken, NJ, Section VII: Mesenchymal Stromal Cells as Delivery Vehicles for Therapeutic Agents, Ch. 60, pg 859-872, 2017.
- Parker-Kerrigan B, Lang FF. Mesenchymal stem cell recruitment by central nervous system tumors. In: Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Stromal Modulators. 1st. Elsevier: Philadelphia, PA, 227-251, 2016.
- Siu TL, Lang FF. Surgical Management of Cerebral Metastases. In: Quinones-Hinojosa A (ed). In: Schmidek & Sweet Operative Neurosurgical Techniques: Indications, Methods, and Results. 6th Ed, Vol 1. Saunders Elsevier: Philadelphia, PA, 178-91, 2012.
- Wu A, Lang FF. Insular Tumors. In: Mehta MP, Chang SM, Guha A, Newton HB, Vogelbaum MA (eds). In: Principles and Practice of Neuro-Oncology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Demos Medical Publishers: New York, NY, 505-17, 2011.
- Chern JJ, Rao G, Lang FF. Medulloblastoma. In: Winn HR (ed). In: Youmans Neurological Surgery. 6th ed. 6th. Elsevier Saunders: Philadelphia, PA, 1373-82, 2011.
- Lang FF, Chang EL, Suki D, Wildrick DM, Sawaya R. Metastatic Brain Tumors. In: Winn HR, (ed). In: Youmans Neurological Surgery, 6th Edition. 6th. Elsevier Saunders: Philadelphia, PA, 1410-25, 2011.
- Sawaya R, Bindal RK, Lang FF, Suki D. Metastatic Brain Tumors. In: Kaye AH, Laws ER, (eds). In: Brain Tumors: An Encyclopedic Approach. 3rd Edition. Elsevier Saunders: Philadelphia, PA, 864-92, 2011.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of human ependymomas |
| Funding Source: | Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network (CERN) Foundation |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | SPORE in Brain Cancer |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | MSCs as Natural Bio-Factories for Nanosized Exosomes Carrying STAT3 siRNA, SPORE in Brain Cancer Developmental Research Program |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | SPORE in Brain Cancer, Project 1: Tropism Enhanced Oncolytic Adenovirus for the Treatment of Brain Tumors |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Principal Investigator |
| Title: | SPORE in Brain Cancer Core A: Administrative Core |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Glioblastoma Moonshot: Longitudinal CSF and Blood Monitoring of Genomic Alterations in Patients & Phase I Clinical Trial of Delta-24-RGD Using BM-hMSCs |
| Funding Source: | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| Role: | Co-Principal Investigator |
| Title: | MSC-Derived Exosomes and microRNA in Glioma Therapy |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | SPORE in Brain Cancer |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator, SPORE Director, Project 1 Co-Leader, CEP, DRP, Administrative Core, Pathology and Biorepository Core Directors |
| Title: | Combating Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis by Blocking the Two-Pronged Driver Kinase Function of CDK5 |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | A Novel Adenoviral-Permissive, Immunocompetent Hamster Model to Evaluate Oncolytic Adenoviral Therapy for Glioblastoma |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) Brain Cancer Program |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Program Leader |
| Title: | Glioma Therapy with Oncolytic Adenoviruses and Immunometabolic Adjuvants |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Systematic Dissection of Function and Mechanism of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Glioblastoma |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Collaborator |
| Title: | New Therapeutic Approaches for Stratified High-REST GBM Subtype |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NINDS |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified August 13, 2024
Frederick Lang, M.D., is a leader in the field of neurosurgery, with a particular focus on deep seated brain tumors located in eloquent brain regions.
Frederick Lang, M.D., with his 2016 lab team.
The Broach Foundation for Brain Cancer Research has pledged $5 million to Dr. Lang's brain tumor research at MD Anderson.