Kevin Slawin

Kevin M. Slawin (born 1961) is an American physician and the founder of Bellicum Pharmaceuticals and the Vanguard Urologic Institute at Memorial Hermann Medical Group. He was also the Director of Urology at Memorial Hermann Hospital. Slawin specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of urologic cancers and robotic surgery. He is also possesses patents related to the advancement of prostate cancer diagnosis, staging and treatment[1] and to the cellular immunotherapy of cancer.

Kevin M. Slawin
Born1961
Brooklyn, New York, United States
NationalityUnited States
EducationB.A. Columbia University
M.D. Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
OccupationProstate cancer physician and biotechnology entrepreneur
Known forCo-discoverer of P2PSA, a key component of the Prostate Health Index test (phi test) and founder of Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Education

Slawin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry from Columbia University,[2] and gained his medical degree in 1986 from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons.[3] Later, he was awarded a two-year fellowship, from 1992-1994, as an American Foundation of Urologic Disease (AFUD) scholar at Baylor College of Medicine[3] to continue to study the development and treatment of prostate cancer.[4]

Academic Medical Career

Slawin joined the Baylor College of Medicine as Director of The Baylor Prostate Center in 1994,[5] and was appointed the Dan Duncan Family Professor in Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases in 2003, after the well known Houston philanthropist. In 2007, he left the full-time faculty of Baylor to found The Vanguard Urologic Institute, that works on advancing treatment of urologic diseases. Slawin is a pioneer in the development of Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy.[6]

Innovation

Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy

Discoveries
  • Slawin is a co-discoverer of -2proPSA (P2PSA),[8][9] a molecular form of prostate specific antigen, which has been shown to improve the accuracy of prostate cancer screening.[10] A multi-center study supported by the National Cancer Institute verified the ability of proPSA to be a valid marker for early detection of prostate cancer.[11] The -2proPSA, along with free and total PSA, are measured in a new molecular test called the prostate health index (phi) (Beckman Coulter, Inc.) that was FDA-approved in 2012[12] is now widely available.[13]
  • Slawin is co-discoverer of the novel, clipped form of benign PSA, which he named "BPSA".[9]
  • Slawin is a co-inventor with David Spencer, PhD, of inducible CD40 (iCD40), a re-engineered dendritic cell receptor protein which allows for the in-vivo activation of the immune system in a specific, controlled manner.[14][15]
  • Slawin is co-inventor of a number of novel technologies related to the enhancement and control of adoptive T cell therapy for cancer and other serious diseases.[16]

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Slawin founded Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.[17] in 2004. He served as Executive Chairman and Chief Medical Officer until 2014. On December 18, 2014, Bellicum completed a successful IPO on the NASDAQ (NASDAQ: BLCM). In 2015, Dr. Slawin transitioned to the roles of Chief Technology Officer, member of the Board of Directors, and a significant shareholder.[18][19] In 2016, Slawin transitioned out of an operational role at the company. In 2017, Slawin resigned from the Board of Directors.

References
  1. "New prostate cancer test gives more specific, reliable results". Chron.cosm. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  2. "Columbia College Today". Columbia.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  3. "America's Top Doctors - The Best in American Medicine". Castleconnolly.com. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  4. "Prostate cancer a worry for T&T". Guardian.co.tt. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20150626120207/https://www.bcm.edu/archives/fromthelab/vol05/is7/0906-4.html. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. "Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center Urologist Among Elite Group of Prostatectomy Experts in the Nation". Memorialhermann.org. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  7. Savage, C. J.; Vickers, A. J. (2009). "Low Annual Caseloads in US Surgeons Conducting Radical Prostatectomy". The Journal of Urology. 182 (6): 2677–2679. doi:10.1016/j.juro.2009.08.034. PMC 2860275. PMID 19836787.
  8. Mikolajczyk, Stephen; Millar, L. S.; Wang, T. J.; Rittenhouse, H. G.; Marks, L. S.; Song, W; Wheeler, T. M.; Slawin, K. M. (2000). "A precursor form of prostate-specific antigen is more highly elevated in prostate cancer compared with benign transition zone prostate tissue". Cancer Research. 60 (3): 756–759. PMID 10676664.
  9. "Patent US6423503 - Forms of free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and their association with ... - Google Patents". Google.com. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  10. "K8 Science: Kevin Slawin: Taking bench to bedside". 26 July 2011. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. https://web.archive.org/web/20110303030620/http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/proPSA. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. https://web.archive.org/web/20141006123848/http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/071012/page8. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. "New Prostate Cancer Blood Test Now Available in the US : Press release" (PDF). Prostatehealthindex.us. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  14. Hanks, Brent A.; Jiang, Jianghong; Singh, Rana A K.; Song, Weitao; Barry, Michael; Huls, Mary H.; Slawin, Kevin M.; Spencer, David M. (2005). "Re-engineered CD40 receptor enables potent pharmacological activation of dendritic-cell cancer vaccines in vivo". Nature Medicine. 11 (2): 130–137. doi:10.1038/nm1183. PMID 15665830.
  15. "Patent US7404950 - Induced activation in dendritic cell". Google.com. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  16. "Houston's Bellicum Pharma Rides T-Cell Therapy Wave to $140M IPO". Xconomy.com. 2014-12-18. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  17. "Bellicum Pharmaceuticals IPO". NASDAQ. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  18. "Bellicum Pharmaceuticals: Has The Bell Finally Tolled For Cancer?". Seeking Alpha. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  19. "Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Major Shareholders". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
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