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Michael A. Curran, Ph.D.

Present Title & Affiliation

Primary Appointment

Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Office Address

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
7455 Fannin Street
Unit Number: 901
Houston, TX 77054
Room Number: SCR3.2015

Education & Training

Degree-Granting Education

2001 Stanford University, Stanford, CA, PHD, Immunology
1995 University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, BA, Foreign Affairs
1995 University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, BA, Biology

Postgraduate Training

2004-2012 Postdoctoral Fellow, Immunology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Advisor: James P. Allison
2001-2004 Postdoctoral Fellow, Immunology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, James P. Allison

Experience/Service

Academic Appointments

Regular Member, Graduate Faculty, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Houston, TX, 2012-present
Postdoctoral Associate, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 2004-2012

Honors and Awards

2011 MSKCC Immunology Program Post-doctoral Publication Award, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
2010 iSBTc (SITC) Annual Meeting Presidential Award, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer
2001-2004 IDEC/Genentech/Ronald Levy Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, American Cancer Society
2001 The Hugh McDevitt Prize, Stanford University
1996-1999 Markey Predoctoral Fellowship, Stanford University
1995 Katz Undergraduate Research Symposium, First Prize, University of Virginia
1995 Phi Beta Kappa, University of Virginia

Professional Memberships

American Association for Cancer Research
Member, 2007-present
American Society of Gene Therapy
Member, 1998-present
American Society of Immunologists
Member, 2011-present
American Society of Immunologists
Member, 2002-2003
American Society of Microbiology
Member, 1996-1998
Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer
Member, 2010-present

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Original Research Articles
1. Mineharu Y, Muhammad AG, Yagiz K, Candolfi M, Kroeger KM, Xiong W, Puntel M, Liu C, Levy E, Lugo C, Kocharian A, Allison JP, Curran MA, Lowenstein PR, Castro MG. Gene Therapy-Mediated Reprogramming Tumor Infiltrating T Cells Using IL-2 and Inhibiting NF-κB Signaling Improves the Efficacy of Immunotherapy in a Brain Cancer Model. Neurotherapeutics 9(4):827-43, 2012. PMID: 22996231.
2. Curran MA, Jenq RR, Goldberg GL, Liu C, Allison JP, van den Brink MR. Repertoire enhancement with adoptively transferred female lymphocytes controls the growth of pre-implanted murine prostate cancer. PLoS One 7(4):e35222, 2012. PMCID: PMC3320876.
3. Curran MA, Kim M, Montalvo W, Al-Shamkhani A, Allison JP. Combination CTLA-4 blockade and 4-1BB activation enhances tumor rejection by increasing T-cell infiltration, proliferation, and cytokine production. PLoS One 6(4):e19499, 2011. PMCID: PMC3085474.
4. Curran MA, Montalvo W, Yagita H, Allison JP. PD-1 and CTLA-4 combination blockade expands infiltrating T cells and reduces regulatory T and myeloid cells within B16 melanoma tumors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107(9):4275-80, 2010. PMCID: PMC2840093.
5. Duan F. Lin Y, Liu C, Engelhorn ME, Cohen AD, Curran M, Sakaguchi S, Merghoub T, Terzulli S, Wolchok JK, Houghton AN. Immune rejection of mouse tumors expressing mutated self. Cancer Res 69(8):3545-53, 2009. PMCID: PMC2767208.
6. Curran MA, Allison JP. Tumor vaccines expressing Flt3-ligand synergize with CTLA-4 blockade to reject pre-implanted tumors. Cancer Res 69(19):7747-55, 2009. PMCID: PMC2756314.
7. Fenjves ES, Ochoa MS, Cechin S, Gay-Rabinstein C, Perez-Alvarez I, Ichii H, Mendez A, Ricordi C, Curran MA. Protection of human pancreatic islets using a lentiviral vector expressing two genes: cFLIP and GFP. Cell Transplant 17(7):793-802, 2008. PMID: 19044206.
8. Quezada SA, Peggs KS, Curran MA, Allison JP. CTLA4 blockade and GM-CSF combination immunotherapy alters the intra-tumor balance of effector and regulatory T cells. J Clin Invest 116(7):1935-45, 2006. PMCID: PMC1479425.
9. Shai E, Palmon A, Panet A, Marmary Y, Sherman Y, Curran MA, Condiotti R. Prolonged transgene expression in murine salivary glands following non-primate lentiviral vector transduction. Molecular Therapy 12(1):137-143, 2005. PMID: 15963929.
10. Condiotti R, Curran MA, Nolan GP, Giladi H, Ketzinel-Gilad M, Gross E, Galun E. Prolonged liver-specific transgene expression by a non-primate lentiviral vector. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 320(3):998-1006, 2004. PMID: 15240147.
11. Fenjves ES, Ochoa MS, Gay-Raginstein C, Ricordi C, Curran MA. Retrovirally transferred genes inhibit apoptosis in an insulin-secreting cell line: implications for islet transplantation. Cell Transplant 13(5):489-96, 2004. PMID: 15565861.
12. Curran MA, Ochoa MS, Inverardi L, Nolan GP, Ricordi C, Fenjves ES. Efficient transduction of pancreatic islets by feline immunodeficiency virus vector. Transplantation 74(3):299-306, 2002. PMID: 12177606.
13. Price MA, Case SS, Carbonaro DA, Yu X-J, Petersen D, Sabo KM, Curran MA, Engel BC, Margarian H, Abkowitz JL, Nolan GP, Kohn DB, Crooks GM. Expression from second-generation feline immunodeficiency virus vectors is impaired in human hematopoietic cells. Molecular Therapy 6(5):645-652, 2002. PMID: 12409263.
14. Curran MA, Kaiser SK, Achacoso P, Nolan GP. Efficient transduction of non-dividing cells by optimized feline immunodeficiency virus vectors. Molecular Therapy 1(1):31-38, 2000.

Invited Articles
1. Curran MA, Callahan MK, Subudhi SK, Allison JP. Response to "Ipilimumab (Yervoy) and the TGN1412 catastrophe.". Immunobiology 217(6):590-2, 2012. PMID: 22459268.

Book Chapters
1. Wolkowicz R, Nolan GP, Curran MA. Gene Delivery Using Lentiviral Vectors. In: Gene Delivery to Mammalian Cells" Methods and Protocols. Ed(s) W. Heiser. Humana Press: Totowa, NJ, 2003.
2. Curran M, Nolan GP. Non-Primate Lentiviral Vectors. In: Lentiviral Vectors. Ed(s) Didier Trono. Preinger-Verlag, 2002.
3. Curran MA, Nolan HP. Recombinant Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Vectors: Preparation and use. In: Gene Therapy Protocols. 69. Ed(s) J. R. Morgan. Humana Press, 335-50, 2002.

Grant & Contract Support

Title: MSKCC Society Genitourinary Malignancy Grant
Funding Source: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator: Dr. Robert Jenq
Duration: 2010 - 8/31/2012
 
Title: No Escape: Multi-Antigen Immunotherapy for Melanoma and Prostate Cancer
Funding Source: American Cancer Society-IDEC/Genetech/Ronald Levy Postdoctoral Fellowship
Role: Awardee
Duration: 6/15/2001 - 6/14/2004

Last updated: 2/27/2013