Meet Cullen Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D.
Cullen M. Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Radiation Oncology - Clinical, Division of Radiation Oncology
About Dr. Taniguchi
Dr. Taniguchi is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in treatment of all gastrointestinal cancers. He sub-specialize in cancers of the pancreas, rectum, and anus. His basic and translational laboratory studies show how to protect normal tissues from chemotherapy and radiation damage to improve the therapeutic ratio of treatments. His lab has both basic and translational arms that constantly engage in crosstalk. The basic studies in his lab focus on hypoxia (low oxygen) biology and how it alters the response of normal tissues and the tumor microenvironment to chemotherapy and radiation. He is particularly interested in the EGLN family of molecular diooxygenases, which regulate the stability of the hypoxia inducible factors (HIF) during normoxia.
In the News
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Associate Professor, Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2008 | Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, MD, Medicine |
| 2005 | Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, PHD, Cell and Developmental Biology |
| 2000 | University of Oxford, Linacre College, Oxford, GBR, M Phil, Economic and Social History |
| 1998 | Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA, AB, Chemistry |
Postgraduate Training
| 2013-2014 | Research Fellowship, Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA |
| 2009-2013 | Clinical Residency, Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA |
| 2008-2009 | Transitional Internship, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA |
Board Certifications
| 2014 | American Board of Radiology |
Honors & Awards
| 2020 | Cancer Research Early Career investigator Award, AACR |
| 2020 | Faculty Scholar Award |
| 2020 | J.W. Osborne Award, Radiation Research Society |
| 2019 | MERIT Award, ASCO Breakthrough |
| 2019 | Early Career Investigator Award, Radiation Research Society |
| 2017 | ASCI Young Clinical Investigator Award |
| 2016 | Sabin Family Fellow, Andrew Sabin Family Fellowship Foundation |
| 2014 | McNair Scholar, The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation |
| 2014 | CPRIT Scholar, Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas |
| 2012 | MERIT Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology |
| 2011 | Resident Clinical Poster Award (2nd Place), American Society of Radiation Oncology |
| 2005 | Basic Science Student Award, Endocrine Society |
| 2004 | Medical Scholar, American Diabetes Association |
| 1998 | Scholarship, Glaxo Welcome |
| 1998 | Rhodes Scholarship, The Rhodes Trust |
| 1997 | Scholar, Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
| 1996 | Barry M Goldwater Scholarship, Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- de la Cruz Bonilla M, Stemler KM, Jeter-Jones S, Fujimoto TN, Molkentine J, Asencio Torres GM, Zhang X, Broaddus RR, Taniguchi CM, Piwnica-Worms H. Fasting reduces intestinal radiotoxicity enabling dose-escalated radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 105(3):537-547, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31271824.
- Yu M, Nguyen ND, Huang Y, Lin D, Fujimoto TN, Molkentine JM, Deorukhkar A, Kang Y, San Lucas FA, Fernandes CJ, Koay EJ, Gupta S, Ying H, Koong AC, Herman JM, Fleming JB, Maitra A, Taniguchi CM. Mitochondrial fusion exploits a therapeutic vulnerability of pancreatic cancer. JCI Insight 5, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31335325.
- Fujimoto TN, Colbert LE, Huang Y, Molkentine JM, Deorukhkar A, Baseler L, de la Cruz Bonilla , Yu M, Lin D, Gupta S, Cabeceiras PK, Kingsley CV, Tailor RC, Sawakuchi GO, Koay EJ, Piwnica-Worms H, Maitra A, Taniguchi CM. Selective EGLN Inhibition Enables Ablative Radiotherapy and Improves Survival in Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Res 79(9):2327-2338, 2019. PMID: 31043430.
- Bhutani MS, Cazacu IM, Luzuriaga Chavez AA, Singh BS, Wong FCL, Erwin WD, Tamm EP, Mathew GG, Le DB, Koay EJ, Taniguchi CM, Minsky BD, Pant S, Tzeng CD, Koong AC, Varadhachary GR, Katz MHG, Wolff RA, Fogelman DR, Herman JM. Novel EUS-guided brachytherapy treatment of pancreatic cancer with phosphorus-32 microparticles: first United States experience. VideoGIE 4(5):223-225, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31065616.
- Bernard V, Semaan A, Huang J, San Lucas FA, Mulu FC, Stephens BM, Guerrero PA, Huang Y, Zhao J, Kamyabi N, Sen S, Scheet PA, Taniguchi CM, Kim MP, Tzeng CW, Katz MH, Singhi AD, Maitra A, Alvarez HA. Single Cell Transcriptomics of Pancreatic Cancer Precursors Demonstrates Epithelial and Microenvironmental Heterogeneity as an Early Event in Neoplastic Progression. Clin Cancer Res 25(7):2194-2205, 2019. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30385653.
- Coronel E, Cazacu IM, Sakuraba A, Luzuriaga Chavez AA, Uberoi A, Geng Y, Tomizawa Y, Saftoiu A, Shin EJ, Taniguchi CM, Koong AC, Herman JM, Bhutani MS. EUS-guided fiducial placement for GI malignancies: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Gastrointest Endosc 89(4):659-670.e18, 2019. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30445001.
- Chadha AS, Gunther JR, Hsieh CE, Aliru M, Mahadevan LS, Venkatesulu BP, Crane CH, Das P, Herman JM, Koay EJ, Taniguchi CM, Holliday EB, Minsky BD, Suh Y, Park P, Sawakuchi G, Beddar S, Odisio BC, Gupta S, Loyer E, Kaur H, Raghav K, Javle MM, Kaseb AO, Krishnan S. Proton beam therapy outcomes for localized unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Radiother Oncol 133:54-61, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30935582.
- Molkentine JM, Fujimoto TN, Horvath TD, Grossberg AJ, Garcia CJG, Deorukhkar A, de la Cruz Bonilla M, Lin D, Samuel ELG, Chan WK, Lorenzi PL, Piwnica-Worms H, Dantzer R, Tour JM, Mason KA, Taniguchi CM. Enteral Activation of WR-2721 Mediates Radioprotection and Improved Survival from Lethal Fractionated Radiation. Sci Rep 9(1):1949, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30760738.
- Bernard V, Kim DU, San Lucas FA, Castillo J, Allenson K, Mulu FC, Stephens BM, Huang J, Semaan A, Guerrero PA, Kamyabi N, Zhao J, Hurd MW, Koay EJ, Taniguchi CM, Herman JM, Javle M, Wolff R, Katz M, Varadhachary G, Maitra A, Alvarez HA. Circulating Nucleic Acids Are Associated With Outcomes Of Patients With Pancreatic Cancer. Gastroenterology 156(1):108-118.e4, 2019. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30240661.
- Koay EJ, Lee Y, Cristini V, Lowengrub JS, Kang Y, Lucas FAS, Hobbs BP, Ye R, Elganainy D, Almahariq M, Amer AM, Chatterjee D, Yan H, Park PC, Rios Perez MV, Li D, Garg N, Reiss KA, Yu S, Chauhan A, Zaid M, Nikzad N, Wolff RA, Javle M, Varadhachary GR, Shroff RT, Das P, Lee JE, Ferrari M, Maitra A, Taniguchi CM, Kim MP, Crane CH, Katz MH, Wang H, Bhosale P, Tamm EP, Fleming JB. A Visually Apparent and Quantifiable CT Imaging Feature Identifies Biophysical Subtypes of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Clin Cancer Res 24(23):5883-5894, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30082477.
- Elganainy D, Holliday EB, Taniguchi CM, Smith GL, Shroff R, Javle M, Raghav K, Kaseb A, Aloia TA, Vauthey JN, Tzeng CD, Herman JM, Koong AC, Krishnan SX, Minsky BD, Crane CH, Das P, Koay EJ. Dose escalation of radiotherapy in unresectable extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Cancer Med 7(10):4880-4892, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30152073.
- Colbert LE, Rebueno N, Moningi S, Beddar S, Sawakuchi GO, Herman JM, Koong AC, Das P, Holliday EB, Koay EJ, Taniguchi CM. Dose escalation for locally advanced pancreatic cancer: How high can we go?. Adv Radiat Oncol 3(4):693-700, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30370371.
- de la Cruz Bonilla M, Stemler KM, Taniguchi CM, Piwnica-Worms H. Stem cell enriched-epithelial spheroid cultures for rapidly assaying small intestinal radioprotectors and radiosensitizers in vitro. Sci Rep 8(1):15410, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30337664.
- Hunt A, Das P, Minsky BD, Koay EJ, Krishnan S, Herman JM, Taniguchi CM, Koong A, Smith GL, Holliday EB. Hyperfractionated abdominal reirradiation for gastrointestinal malignancies. Radiat Oncol 13(1):143, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30086784.
- Amer AM, Zaid M, Chaudhury B, Elganainy D, Lee Y, Wilke CT, Cloyd J, Wang H, Maitra A, Wolff RA, Varadhachary G, Overman MJ, Lee JE, Fleming JB, Tzeng CW, Katz MH, Holliday EB, Krishnan S, Minsky BD, Herman JM, Taniguchi CM, Das P, Crane CH, Le O, Bhosale P, Tamm EP, Koay EJ. Imaging-Based biomarkers: Changes in the Tumor Interface of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma on Computed Tomography Scans Indicate Response to Cytotoxic Therapy. Cancer 15(124):1701-1709, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29370450.
- Holliday EB, Hunt A, You YN, Chang GJ, Skibber JM, Rodriguez-Bigas MA, Bednarski BK, Eng C, Koay EJ, Minsky BD, Taniguchi CM, Krishnan S, Herman JM, Das P. Short Course Radiation as a Component of Definitive Multidisciplinary Treatment for Select Patients with Metastatic Rectal Adenocarcinoma. J Gastrointest Oncol 8(6):990-997, 2017. PMID: 29299359.
- Huang Y, Lin D, Taniguchi CM. Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) in the tumor microenvironment: friend or foe?. Sci China Life Sci 60(10):1114-1124, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29039125.
- Colbert LE, Moningi S, Chadha A, Amer A, Lee Y, Wolff RA, Varadhachary G, Fleming J, Katz M, Das P, Krishnan S, Koay EJ, Park P, Crane CH, Taniguchi CM. Dose escalation with an IMRT technique in 15 to 28 fractions is better tolerated than standard doses of 3DCRT for LAPC. Adv Radiat Oncol 2(3):403-415, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29114609.
- Suh HN, Jun S, Oh AY, Srivastava M, Lee S, Taniguchi CM, Zhang S, Lee WS, Chen J, Park BJ, Park JI. Identification of KIAA1199 as a Biomarker for Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia. Sci Rep 6:38273, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27922049.
- LaGory EL, Wu C, Taniguchi CM, Ding CK, Chi JT, von Eyben R, Scott DA, Richardson AD, Giaccia AJ. Suppression of PGC-1α is Critical for Reprogramming Oxidative Metabolism in Renal Cell Carcinoma. Cell Rep 12(1):116-127, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26119730.
- Taniguchi CM, Miao YR, Diep AN, Wu C, Rankin EB, Atwood TF, Xing L, Giaccia AJ. PHD Inhibition Mitigates and Protects Against Radiation-Induced Gastrointestinal Toxicity via HIF2. Sci Transl Med 6(236):236ra64, 2014. PMID: 24828078.
- Taniguchi CM, Finger EC, Krieg AJ, Wu C, Diep AN, LaGory EL, Wei K, McGinnis LM, Yuan J, Kuo CJ, Giaccia AJ. Cross-Talk Between Hypoxia and Insulin Signaling through phd3 Regulates Hepatic Glucose and Lipid Metabolism and Ameliorates Diabetes. Nat Med 19(10):1325-1330, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24037093.
- Wei K, Piecewicz SM, McGinnis LM, Taniguchi CM, Wiegand SJ, Anderson K, Chan CW, Mulligan KX, Kuo D, Yuan J, Vallon M, Morton LC, Lefai E, Simon MC, Maher JJ, Mithieux G, Rajas F, Annes JP, McGuinness OP, Thurston G, Giaccia AJ, Kuo CJ. A Liver Hif-2α-Irs2 Pathway Sensitizes Hepatic Insulin Signaling and is Modulated by Vegf Inhibition. Nat Med 19(10):1331-1337, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24037094.
- Taniguchi CM, Murphy JD, Eclov N, Atwood TF, Kielar KN, Christman-Skieller C, Mok E, Xing L, Koong AC, Chang DT. Dosimetric Analysis of Organs at Risk During Expiratory Gating in Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 85(4):1090-1095, 2013. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 23273994.
- Townsend KL, Suzuki R, Huang TL, Jing E, Schulz TJ, Lee K, Taniguchi CM, Espinoza DO, McDougall LE, Zhang H, He TC, Kokkotou E, Tseng YH. Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7 (BMP7) Reverses Obesity and Regulates Appetite Through a Central mTOR Pathway. FASEB J 26(5):2187-2196, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22331196.
- Taniguchi CM, Winnay J, Kondo T, Bronson RT, Guimaraes AR, Alemán JO, Luo J, Stephanopoulos G, Weissleder R, Cantley LC, Kahn CR. The Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Regulatory Subunit p85alpha can Exert Tumor Suppressor Properties Through Negative Regulation of Growth Factor Signaling. Cancer Res 70(13):5305-5315, 2010. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 20530665.
- Sajan MP, Standaert ML, Rivas J, Miura A, Kanoh Y, Soto J, Taniguchi CM, Kahn CR, Farese RV. Role of Atypical Protein Kinase C in Activation of Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein-1c and Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NFkappaB) In Liver of Rodents use as A Rodel of Diabetes, and Relationships to Hyperlipidaemia and Insulin Resistance. Diabetologia 52(6):1197-1207, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19357831.
- Tseng YH, Kokkotou E, Schulz TJ, Huang TL, Winnay JN, Taniguchi CM, Tran TT, Suzuki R, Espinoza DO, Yamamoto Y, Ahrens MJ, Dudley AT, Norris AW, Kulkarni RN, Kahn CR. New Role of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7 in Brown Adipogenesis and Energy Expenditure. Nature 454(7207):1000-1004, 2008. PMID: 18719589.
- Taniguchi CM, Aleman JO, Ueki K, Luo J, Asano T, Kaneto H, Stephanopoulos G, Cantley LC, Kahn CR. The p85alpha Regulatory Subunit of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Potentiates c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase-Mediated Insulin Resistance. Mol Cell Biol 27(8):2830-2840, 2007. e-Pub 2007. PMID: 17283057.
- Taniguchi CM, Tran TT, Kondo T, Luo J, Ueki K, Cantley LC, Kahn CR. Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Regulatory Subunit p85alpha Suppresses Insulin Action Via Positive Regulation of PTEN. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103(32):12093-12097, 2006. e-Pub 2006. PMID: 16880400.
- Taniguchi CM, Kondo T, Sajan M, Luo J, Bronson R, Asano T, Farese R, Cantley LC, Kahn CR. Divergent Regulation of Hepatic Glucose and Lipid Metabolism by Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase via Akt and PKClambda/zeta. Cell Metab 3(5):343-353, 2006. PMID: 16679292.
- Taniguchi CM, Emanuelli B, Kahn CR. Critical Nodes in Signaling Pathways: Insights into Insulin Action. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 7(2):85-96, 2006. PMID: 16493415.
Editorials
- Taniguchi CM, Maitra A. It's a SMAD/SMAD World. Cell 161(6):1245-6, 2015. PMID: 26046433.
Book Chapters
- Taniguchi CM, Kahn CR. Insulin/IGF-1 Signaling Nodes and their Role in Carcinogenesis. In: Insulin Resistance and Cancer. Springer: Toronto, 2011.
- Taniguchi CM, Guengerich FP. Drug Metabolism. In: Principles of Pharmacology: The Pathophysiologic Basis of Drug Therapy. 3rd. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins: Baltimore, 49-61, 2010.
- Taniguchi CM, Guengerich FP. Drug Metabolism. In: Principles of Pharmacology: The Pathophysiologic Basis of Drug Therapy. 2nd. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins: Baltimore, 49-61, 2007.
- Taniguchi CM, Armstrong SR, Green LC, Golan DE, Tashjian AH. Drug Toxicity. In: Principles of Pharmacology: The Pathophysiologic Basis of Drug Therapy. 2nd. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins: Baltimore, 63-73, 2007.
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