Robert B. Darnell

Robert Darnell has pioneered the study of paraneoplastic disorders, rare conditions in which the immune system mounts a protective attack against a tumor but also launches a misguided assault on the nervous system. Breast tumors can trigger this sort of double-edged immune response. In some breast cancer patients, neurological symptoms are the first sign that a tumor is present.

Dr. Darnell’s research is providing vital information about how the immune system recognizes breast cancer—findings that may lead to new diagnostic tools and immunotherapies. He and his colleagues also study the molecular mechanisms that underlie breast cancer. Using a technological platform they developed, they are analyzing defects in the regulation of RNA that may play a role in the disease progression of primary and metastatic breast tumors.

In addition, the Darnell laboratory conducts clinical studies of a new cancer vaccine strategy, focusing initially on patients with either prostate cancer or brain tumors.

Dr. Darnell is a member of the Institute of Medicine.

« return to BREAST CANCER RESEARCH AT ROCKEFELLER