S. Daniel Haldar, MD
Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine
About Dr. Saurav Daniel Haldar
Dr. Haldar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center with a clinical practice focused on pancreatic and colorectal cancer. Dr. Haldar graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a joint A.B./A.M. degree in Chemistry and Chemical Biology in 2013 and received his M.D. degree with honors from the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program at Harvard Medical School in 2018. His graduate research focused on the biology of immunomodulatory drugs (iMiDs) in the laboratory of Dr. Benjamin L. Ebert at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He received his internal medicine training at the Osler Medical Residency Program and completed his fellowship in Medical Oncology at Johns Hopkins in 2024. Dr. Haldar is the recipient of several research awards for his work, including the ASCO-Conquer Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, Hopper-Belmont Foundation Inspiration Award, and an NIH/NCI Loan Repayment Award. In addition, he was selected to participate in the 2023 ASCO-AACR Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop and the 2023-24 FDA-AACR Oncology Education Fellowship. During his fellowship, Dr. Haldar led multiple investigator-initiated clinical trials and translational studies of an off-the-shelf mutant KRAS vaccine in patients with pancreatic and colorectal cancer under the mentorship of Drs. Nilofer S. Azad and Elizabeth M. Jaffee at Johns Hopkins. As a clinical/translational investigator, Dr. Haldar’s active research interests include the development of neoantigen vaccines, next-generation immunotherapies, and RAS-directed therapies for the treatment and early interception of gastrointestinal malignancies.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2018 | Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US, Health Sciences and Technology (HST) Program, M.D |
| 2013 | Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, US, Chemistry, A.B |
| 2013 | Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, US, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, A.M |
Postgraduate Training
| 2021-2024 | Clinical and Research Fellow, Medical Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD |
| 2019-2021 | Resident Physician, Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD |
| 2018-2019 | Intern, Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD |
Board Certifications
| 2023 | ABIM Medical Oncology |
| 2021 | ABIM Internal Medicine |
Honors & Awards
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal for Excellence in Science and Mathematics | |
| National AP Scholar | |
| Siemens-Westinghouse Competition Semifinalist | |
| National Merit Scholar | |
| Program for Science and Engineering (PRISE) Summer Research Fellowship, Harvard College | |
| Weissman International Experience Fellowship, Harvard College | |
| John Harvard Scholar for Outstanding Academic Distinction | |
| Dean's Summer Research Award, Harvard College | |
| Magna cum laude in Chemistry, Harvard College | |
| St. Baldrick's Foundation Summer Research Fellowship | |
| ASH Medical Student Physician-Scientist Award | |
| Cum laude M.D. honors thesis, Harvard Medical School | |
| Physician-Scientist Training Program Microgrant, Johns Hopkins Medicine | |
| J. Mario Molina Physician-Scientist Scholarship, Johns Hopkins Medicine | |
| FDA-ASCO Hematology and Oncology Fellows Day Workshop | |
| SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School Travel Award | |
| Oral minisymposium, AACR Annual Meeting 2023 | |
| NIH/NCI Loan Repayment Award | |
| NCCN Fellows Program: New Horizons in Quality Cancer Care | |
| Hopper-Belmont Foundation Inspiration Award | |
| FDA-AACR Oncology Educational Fellowship | |
| Breakthrough Cancer KRAS TeamLab Junior Investigator Forum | |
| ASCO-Conquer Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award | |
| ASCO-AACR Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop | |
| Oral minisymposium, AACR Annual Meeting 2024 |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Haldar SD, Kopetz S. Dual checkpoint blockade for microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancer. Lancet 405(10476):354-356, 2025. PMID: 39874978.
- Pasca S, Haldar SD, Ambinder A, Webster JA, Jain T, Dalton WB, Prince GT, Ghiaur G, DeZern AE, Gojo I, Smith BD, Karantanos T, Schulz C, Stokvis K, Levis MJ, Jones RJ, Gondek LP. Outcome heterogeneity of TP53-mutated myeloid neoplasms and the role of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Haematologica 109(3):948-952, 2024. PMID: 37731390.
- Holt MC, Assar Z, Beheshti Zavareh R, Lin L, Anglin J, Mashadova O, Haldar D, Mullarky E, Kremer DM, Cantley LC, Kimmelman AC, Stein AJ, Lairson LL, Lyssiotis CA. Biochemical Characterization and Structure-Based Mutational Analysis Provide Insight into the Binding and Mechanism of Action of Novel Aspartate Aminotransferase Inhibitors. Biochemistry 57(47):6604-6614, 2018. PMID: 30365304.
- Fink EC, McConkey M, Adams DN, Haldar SD, Kennedy JA, Guirguis AA, Udeshi ND, Mani DR, Chen M, Liddicoat B, Svinkina T, Nguyen AT, Carr SA, Ebert BL. Crbn (I391V) is sufficient to confer in vivo sensitivity to thalidomide and its derivatives in mice. Blood 132(14):1535-1544, 2018. PMID: 30064974.
- Anglin J, Zavareh RB, Sander PN, Haldar D, Mullarky E, Cantley LC, Kimmelman AC, Lyssiotis CA, Lairson LL. Discovery and optimization of aspartate aminotransferase 1 inhibitors to target redox balance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 28(16):2675-2678, 2018. PMID: 29731362.
Invited Articles
- Haldar SD, Azad NS. Unlocking the promise of RAS inhibition in pancreatic cancer. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 21(8):535-536, 2024. PMID: 38877211.
Other Articles
- Haldar SD, Vilar E, Maitra A, Zaidi N Worth a Pound of Cure? Emerging Strategies and Challenges in Cancer Immunoprevention. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 16(9):483-495, 2023. PMID: 37001882.
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2022. Use of pancreatic cancer biobanking: molecular profiling of pancreatic adenosquamous carcinoma. None. Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Retreat. Baltimore, MD, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2023. Development of a mutant KRAS-targeted vaccine for the treatment and prevention of GI cancers. Invited. Bethesda, MD, US.
National Presentations
- 2025. Cancer Vaccines: Progress on the Promise?. Invited. San Francisco, California, US.
- 2024. Mutant KRAS peptide-based vaccine in patients at high risk of developing pancreatic cancer: Preliminary analysis from a phase I study. Conference. San Diego, CA, US.
- 2023. Safety and immunogenicity of a first-in-human mutant KRAS long peptide vaccine combined with ipilimumab/nivolumab in resected pancreatic cancer: Preliminary analysis from a phase I study. Conference. Orlando, FL, US.
International Presentations
- 2024. Mutant KRAS-targeted vaccine in combination with ipilimumab and nivolumab for patients with resected pancreatic cancer. Invited, BM.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | Immunogenicity of a mutant KRAS-targeted long peptide vaccine combined with ipilimumab/nivolumab in microsatellite-stable metastatic colorectal cancer |
| Funding Source: | American Society of Clinical Oncology |
| Role: | PI |
| Title: | Mutant KRAS-targeted vaccine in patients at high risk of developing pancreatic cancer |
| Funding Source: | National Institute of Health |
| Role: | PI |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified February 03, 2025