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Leonard A. Zwelling, M.D., M.B.A.

Present Title & Affiliation

Primary Appointment

Professor, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Education & Training

Degree-Granting Education

1972 Duke University, Durham, NC, MD, Internal Medicine

Board Certifications

11/1983 Subspecialty-Medical Oncology
6/1976 American Board of Internal Medicine

Experience/Service

Academic Appointments

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2009-present
Chancellor’s Health Fellow for Dr. Kenneth Shine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2009-present

Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities

Executive Director, Pharmaceutical Development Center, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2010-2011
Faculty Administrator for Science Park Research Division, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2009-2010

Institutional Committee Activities

Chairman, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, 2009-2012

Honors and Awards

1969 Phi Beta Kappa
1967 Phi Eta Sigma
1967 Undergraduate Chemistry Honorary, Duke University

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Original Research Articles
1. Edge SB, Zwelling LA, Hohn DC. The anticipated and unintended consequences of the patient protection and affordable care act on cancer research. Cancer J 16(6):606-13, Nov-Dec, 11/2010. PMID: 21131793.
2. Cox JD, Giralt SA, Veazie ML, Ajani JA, Bruner JM, Chan KW, Hittelman WN, Hunt KK, Iyer RB, Karp DD, Kuban DA, Lippman SM, Raad II, Rodriguez-Bigas MA, Zwelling LA, Markman M. Evaluating quality in clinical cancer research: the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center experience. Oncology 77(2):75-81, 2009. e-Pub 7/1/2009. PMCID: PMC2790774.
3. Asano T, Kleinerman ES, Zwelling LA, Zhou Z, Fukunaga Y. Adenovirus-mediated human topoisomerase IIalpha gene transfer increases the sensitivity of etoposide-resistant human and mouse breast cancer cells. Acta Oncol 44(3):240-7, 2005. PMID: 16076696.
4. Jia SF, Zwelling LA, McWatters A, An T, Kleinerman ES. Interleukin-1 alpha increases the cytotoxic activity of etoposide against human osteosarcoma cells. J Exp Ther Oncol 2(1):27-36, Jan-Feb, 1/2002. PMID: 12415617.
5. Zhou Z, Zwelling LA, Ganapathi R, Kleinerman ES. Enhanced etoposide sensitivity following adenovirus-mediated human topoisomerase IIalpha gene transfer is independent of topoisomerase IIbeta. Br J Cancer 85(5):747-51, 9/2001. PMID: 11531262.
6. Brunelli CA, Zwelling LA. Protecting the privacy of family members in research. JAMA 285(15):1961; author reply 1962-3, 4/2001. PMID: 11308426.
7. Zhou Z, Zwelling LA, Kawakami Y, An T, Kobayashi K, Herzog C, Kleinerman ES. Adenovirus-mediated human topoisomerase IIalpha gene transfer increases the sensitivity of etoposide-resistant human breast cancer cells. Cancer Res 59(18):4618-24, 9/1999. PMID: 10493516.
8. Herzog CE, Holmes KA, Tuschong LM, Ganapathi R, Zwelling LA. Absence of topoisomerase IIbeta in an amsacrine-resistant human leukemia cell line with mutant topoisomerase IIalpha. Cancer Res 58(23):5298-300, 12/1998. PMID: 9850052.
9. Herzog CE, Zwelling LA. Evaluation of a potential regulatory role for inverted CCAAT boxes in the human topoisomerase II alpha promoter. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 232(3):608-12, 3/1997. PMID: 9126321.
10. Stedman D, Zwelling LA. Importance and difficulty of determining the cost of clinical research. Acad Med 71(11):1164-7, 11/1996. PMID: 9217506.
11. Loflin PT, Altschuler E, Hochhauser D, Hickson ID, Zwelling LA. Phorbol ester-induced down-regulation of topoisomerase II alpha mRNA in a human erythroleukemia cell line. Evidence for a post-transcriptional mechanism. Biochem Pharmacol 52(7):1065-72, 10/1996. PMID: 8831726.
12. Asano T, An T, Mayes J, Zwelling LA, Kleinerman ES. Transfection of human topoisomerase II alpha into etoposide-resistant cells: transient increase in sensitivity followed by down-regulation of the endogenous gene. Biochem J 319 ( Pt 1):307-13, 10/1996. PMCID: PMC1217769.
13. Abbruzzese JL, Madden T, Sugarman SM, Ellis AL, Loughlin S, Hess KR, Newman RA, Zwelling LA, Raber MN. Phase I clinical and plasma and cellular pharmacological study of topotecan without and with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Clin Cancer Res 2(9):1489-97, 9/1996. PMID: 9816325.
14. Asano T, Zwelling LA, An T, McWatters A, Herzog CE, Mayes J, Loughlin SM, Kleinerman ES. Effect of transfection of a Drosophila topoisomerase II gene into a human brain tumour cell line intrinsically resistant to etoposide. Br J Cancer 73(11):1373-80, 6/1996. PMID: 8645582.
15. Anderson EA, Zwelling LA. Measuring service quality at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Int J Health Care Qual Assur 9(7):9-22, 1996. PMID: 10162922.
16. Anderson EA, Zwelling LA. Strategic service quality management for health care. Am J Med Qual 11(1):3-10, 1996. PMID: 8763215.
17. Asano T, An T, Zwelling LA, Takano H, Fojo AT, Kleinerman ES. Transfection of a human topoisomerase II alpha gene into etoposide-resistant human breast tumor cells sensitizes the cells to etoposide. Oncol Res 8(3):101-10, 1996. PMID: 8823806.
18. Herzog CE, Zwelling LA, McWatters A, Kleinerman ES. Expression of topoisomerase II, bcl-2, and p53 in three human brain tumor cell lines and their possible relationship to intrinsic resistance to etoposide. Clin Cancer Res 1(11):1391-7, 11/1995. PMID: 9815936.
19. Pommier Y, Zwelling LA, Schwartz RE, Mattern MR, Kohn KW. Absence of a requirement for long-range DNA torsional strain in the production of protein-associated DNA strand breaks in isolated mammalian cell nuclei by the DNA intercalating agent 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide (m-AMSA). Biochem Pharmacol 33(23):3909-12, 12/1984. PMID: 6548917.
20. Zwelling LA, Minford J, Nichols M, Glazier RI, Shackney S. Enhancement of intercalator-induced deoxyribonucleic acid scission and cytotoxicity in murine leukemia cells treated with 5-azacytidine. Biochem Pharmacol 33(23):3903-6, 12/1984. PMID: 6210091.
21. Zwelling LA, Kerrigan D, Lippman ME. Protein-associated intercalator-induced DNA scission is enhanced by estrogen stimulation in human breast cancer cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 80(20):6182-6, 10/1983. PMCID: PMC394259.
22. Kleinerman ES, Zwelling LA, Howser D, Barlock A, Young RC, Decker JM, Bull J, Muchmore AV. Defective monocyte killing in patients with malignancies and restoration of function during chemotherapy. Lancet 2(8204):1102-5, 11/1980. PMID: 6107723.
23. Zwelling LA, Bradley MO, Sharkey NA, Anderson T, Kohn KW. Mutagenicity, cytotoxicity and DNA crosslinking in V79 Chinese hamster cells treated with cis- and trans-Pt(II) diamminedichloride. Mutat Res 67(3):271-80, 7/1979. PMID: 481452.
24. Zwelling LA, Anderson T, Kohn KW. DNA-protein and DNA interstrand cross-linking by cis- and trans-platinum(II) diamminedichloride in L1210 mouse leukemia cells and relation to cytotoxicity. Cancer Res 39(2 Pt 1):365-9, 2/1979. PMID: 570092.
25. Locker GY, Doroshow JH, Zwelling LA, Chabner BA. The clinical features of hepatic angiosarcoma: a report of four cases and a review of the English literature. Medicine (Baltimore) 58(1):48-64, 1/1979. PMID: 368508.
26. Zwelling LA, Balow JE. Hypersthenuria in high-dose carbenicillin therapy. Ann Intern Med 89(2):225-6, 8/1978. PMID: 677590.
27. Zwelling LA, Kohn KW, Ross WE, Ewig RA, Anderson T. Kinetics of formation and disappearance of a DNA cross-linking effect in mouse leukemia L1210 cells treated with cis- and trans-diamminedichloroplatinum(II). Cancer Res 38(6):1762-8, 6/1978. PMID: 565680.
28. Zwelling LA, Mandell GL, Young RC. Peritoneoscopy: an invasive procedure without bacteremia. Ann Intern Med 87(4):454-5, 10/1977. PMID: 143902.

Last updated: 11/29/2012