Adam Ross Wolfe, MD, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Therapeutics Faculty Rank: Assistant Professor Campus: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College: College of Medicine Department: Radiation Oncology Faculty

Cancer Research Interest

• Disease Site Focus: GI
• Research Focus Area: Treatment
• Type of Research: Translational
• Research Keywords: DNA Damage, Radiation Therapy, Synthetic Lethality , Pancreatic Cancer, Homologous Recombination, RAD18
• Research Interest Statement: As a physician-scientist, I treat patients with gastrointestinal cancers at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute using state-of-the-art radiation therapy. My research focus is on discovering novel therapy strategies for the deadly disease of pancreatic cancer. In the lab, I utilize genetic and proteomic approaches to address the fundamental mechanisms of genetic alterations in cancer cells which result in heightened DNA repair leading to radiation and chemotherapy resistance. I recently received a KL2 Mentored Career Development Award in 2021 to investigate the mechanism underlying the role of oncogenic KRAS in regulating the nuclear DNA repair enzyme RAD18, a major promoter of DNA repair in pancreatic cancer.

Contact Information

• Email Address: AWOLFE@UAMS.EDU
• Profiles Research Networking Software: View Profile

Open Clinical Trials

• “NRG-GI006 Phase III Randomized Trial of Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) Versus Intensity Modulated Photon Radiotherapy (IMRT) for the Treatment of Esophageal Cancer” (NCT03801876)

Active Grants

• American Cancer Society, Inc. – ASTRO-CSDG-23-1037280-01-CDP
  “Targeting the KRAS-USP7-RAD18 Axis to Overcome Radiation Resistance in Pancreatic Cancer”
  Principal Investigator
  7/1/2023 – 6/30/2027

Recent Publications

• Van Matre S, Huq S, Akana L, [et al., including Wolfe AR]. Enhanced radiosensitivity of pancreatic cancer achieved through inhibition of Cyclin-dependent kinase 1. Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. 2024 200:110531. PMID: 39270987.
• Wolfe AR, Feng H, Zuniga O, [et al.]. RAS-RAF-miR-296-3p signaling axis increases Rad18 expression to augment radioresistance in pancreatic and thyroid cancers. Cancer letters. 2024:216873. PMID: 38604313. PMCID: PMC11132429.
• Wolfe AR, Cui T, Baie S, [et al.]. Nutrient scavenging-fueled growth in pancreatic cancer depends on caveolae-mediated endocytosis under nutrient-deprived conditions. Science advances. 2024 10(9):eadj3551. PMID: 38427741. PMCID: PMC10906919.
• Zuniga O, Byrum S, Wolfe AR. Discovery of the inhibitor of DNA binding 1 as a novel marker for radioresistance in pancreatic cancer using genome-wide RNA-seq. Cancer drug resistance (Alhambra, Calif.). 2022 5(4):926-938. PMID: 36627902. PMCID: PMC9771737.
• Sebastian NT, Webb A, Merrell KW, [et al., including Wolfe AR]. Development of a MicroRNA Signature Predictive of Recurrence and Survival in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Cancers. 2021 13(20). PMID: 34680317. PMCID: PMC8534163.
• Wolfe AR, Chablani P, Siedow MR, [et al.]. BRAF mutation correlates with worse local-regional control following radiation therapy in patients with stage III melanoma. Radiation oncology (London, England). 2021 16(1):181. PMID: 34537078. PMCID: PMC8449455.
• Memmott RM, Wolfe AR, Carbone DP, Williams TM. Predictors of Response, Progression-Free Survival, and Overall Survival in Patients With Lung Cancer Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors. Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. 2021 16(7):1086-1098. PMID: 33845212.
• Wolfe AR, Siedow M, Nalin A, [et al.]. Increasing neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio following radiation is a poor prognostic factor and directly correlates with splenic radiation dose in pancreatic cancer. Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. 2021 158:207-214. PMID: 33667588.
• Vazzano J, Frankel WL, Wolfe AR, [et al.]. Morphologic changes associated with neoadjuvant-treated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and comparison of two tumor regression grading systems. Human pathology. 2021 109:1-11. PMID: 33245985.
• Wolfe AR, Robb R, Hegazi A, [et al.]. Altered Gemcitabine and Nab-paclitaxel Scheduling Improves Therapeutic Efficacy Compared with Standard Concurrent Treatment in Preclinical Models of Pancreatic Cancer. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. 2021 27(2):554-565. PMID: 33087331. PMCID: PMC7855515.
• Wolfe AR, Prabhakar D, Yildiz VO, [et al.]. Neoadjuvant-modified FOLFIRINOX vs nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine for borderline resectable or locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients who achieved surgical resection. Cancer medicine. 2020 9(13):4711-4723. PMID: 32415696. PMCID: PMC7333854.
• Beckham TH, Barney C, Healy E, [et al., including Wolfe AR]. Platinum-based regimens versus cetuximab in definitive chemoradiation for human papillomavirus-unrelated head and neck cancer. International journal of cancer. 2020 147(1):107-115. PMID: 31609479.
• Wolfe AR, Blakaj D, London N, [et al.]. Clinical Outcomes and Multidisciplinary Patterns of Failure for Olfactory Neuroblastoma: The Ohio State Experience. Journal of neurological surgery. Part B, Skull base. 2020 81(3):287-294. PMID: 32500004. PMCID: PMC7253300.
• Wolfe AR, Blakaj D, London N, [et al.]. Erratum: Clinical Outcomes and Multidisciplinary Patterns of Failure for Olfactory Neuroblastoma: The Ohio State Experience. Journal of neurological surgery. Part B, Skull base. 2020 81(3):e1. PMID: 37745951. PMCID: PMC10515300.
• Wolfe AR, Wald P, Webb A, [et al.]. A microRNA-based signature predicts local-regional failure and overall survival after pancreatic cancer resection. Oncotarget. 2020 11(10):913-923. PMID: 32206188. PMCID: PMC7075466.