Robert James Griffin, PhD

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

Cancer Research Interest

• Disease Site Focus: Brain, Breast, Cutaneous/Melanoma, Head and Neck, Thoracic/ Lung
• Research Focus Area: Treatment
• Type of Research: Basic
• Research Interest Statement: Robert J. Griffin, PhD, is a Professor of radiation and cancer biology in the Department of Radiation Oncology with over 25 years of experience as a radiation biologist. Much of his work has been studying the interactions of normal and tumor microvasculature with tumor cells, blood flow, hypoxia and the general tumor microenvironment and using various nanomaterials (e.g., nanoliposomes and various nanomedicines) for targeted delivery to the tumor vasculature and improvement of responses to radiation, thermal treatment, or chemotherapy. He has a number of recent publications on a gold-cytokine nanoparticles to target the tumor microenvironment and can be used as a light-activated nanodrug. He has published nearly 140 peer-reviewed articles on the biology of high dose and targeted radiation strategies for solid tumors. Additional interests are in anti-angiogenic/vascular biology of myeloma and breast cancer metastasis models and the development of PET imaging or photoacoustic detection of targeted drug delivery to these cancers.

Contact Information

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

Active Grants

• NIH/Nat. Cancer Institute – CA279722
  “Investigating the role of metabolic rewiring in breast tumor innervation (sub award of Song 1R37CA279722-01A1)”
  Principal Investigator
  5/1/2024 – 4/30/2029
• NIH/Nat. Cancer Institute – 1R01CA245083
  “Improvement of cellular immunotherapy during dysbiosis”
  Co-Investigator
  9/15/2021 – 8/31/2026

Recent Publications

• Gregory E, Powers I, Jamshidi-Parsian A, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Pancreatic cancer extracellular vesicles stimulate Schwann cell activation and perineural invasion in vitro via IL-8/CCL2. In vitro models. 2025 4(1):45-58. PMID: 40160208. PMCID: PMC11950487.
• Jamshidi-Parsian A, Jenkins SV, Tran A, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. CB-839 induces reversible dormancy in lung tumor-cells. European journal of pharmacology. 2024 982:176912. PMID: 39159716.
• Snider JW, Rustin GO, Mayr NA, [et al., including Griffin R]. The Radiosurgery Society Working Groups on GRID, LATTICE, Microbeam, and FLASH Radiotherapies: 2022 - 2023 Advancements Symposium and Subsequent Progress Made. Practical radiation oncology. 2024. PMID: 39447865.
• Bashiru M, Forson M, Ishtiaq A, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. IONIC NANOMEDICINE STRATEGY TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE CHEMO-PTT COMBINATION CANCER THERAPEUTICS. World journal of pharmaceutical science and research. 2024 3(5):454-478. PMID: 39624179. PMCID: PMC11610177.
• Jenkins SV, Johnsrud AJ, Dings RPM, Griffin RJ. Bystander Effects in Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy: From Molecule To Organism To Clinical Implications. Seminars in radiation oncology. 2024 34(3):284-291. PMID: 38880537. PMCID: PMC11185274.
• Griffin RJ, Guha C. Innovations in Physics, Biology and Clinical Translation of Spatially Fractionated and FLASH Radiotherapy. Seminars in radiation oncology. 2024 34(3):259-261. PMID: 38880533.
• Jenkins SV, Shah S, Jamshidi-Parsian A, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Acquired Radiation Resistance Induces Thiol-dependent Cisplatin Cross-resistance. Radiation research. 2024 201(2):174-187. PMID: 38329819. PMCID: PMC10993299.
• Mayr NA, Mohiuddin M, Snider JW, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Practice Patterns of Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy: A Clinical Practice Survey. Advances in radiation oncology. 2024 9(2):101308. PMID: 38405319. PMCID: PMC10885580.
• Bashiru M, Macchi S, Forson M, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Doxorubicin-Based Ionic Nanomedicines for Combined Chemo-Phototherapy of Cancer. ACS applied nano materials. 2024 7(2):2176-2189. PMID: 38410412. PMCID: PMC10896075.
• Forson M, Bashiru M, Macchi S, [et al., including Griffin R]. Cationic Porphyrin-Based Ionic Nanomedicines for Improved Photodynamic Therapy. ACS applied bio materials. 2023 6(12):5662-5675. PMID: 38063308. PMCID: PMC10777306.
• Li H, Mayr NA, Griffin RJ, [et al.]. Overview and recommendations for prospective multi-institutional clinical trials of Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy (SFRT). International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics. 2023. PMID: 38110104. PMCID: PMC11162930.
• Jenkins SV, Jung S, Jamshidi-Parsian A, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Morphological Effects and In Vitro Biological Mechanisms of Radiation-Induced Cell Killing by Gold Nanomaterials. ACS applied materials & interfaces. 2023. PMID: 38059477.
• Todorova VK, Byrum SD, Mackintosh SG, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Exosomal MicroRNA and Protein Profiles of Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells. International journal of molecular sciences. 2023 24(17). PMID: 37685904. PMCID: PMC10487651.
• Kore RA, Jenkins SV, Jamshidi-Parsian A, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Proteomic analysis of transcription factors involved in the alteration of ischemic mouse heart as modulated by MSC exosomes. Biochemistry and biophysics reports. 2023 34:101463. PMID: 37125076. PMCID: PMC10130341.
• Song CW, Terezakis S, Park WY, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Preferential Tumor Vascular Damage Is the Common Antitumor Mechanism of High-Dose Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy: SABR, Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy, and FLASH Radiation Therapy. International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics. 2023. PMID: 37196835.
• Stolarz AJ, Chhetri BP, Borrelli MJ, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Liposome Formulation for Tumor-Targeted Drug Delivery Using Radiation Therapy. International journal of molecular sciences. 2022 23(19). PMID: 36232973. PMCID: PMC9569741.
• Amendola BE, Mahadevan A, Blanco Suarez JM, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. An International Consensus on the Design of Prospective Clinical-Translational Trials in Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy for Advanced Gynecologic Cancer. Cancers. 2022 14(17). PMID: 36077802. PMCID: PMC9454841.
• Song CW, Kim H, Cho H, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. HIF-1α Inhibition Improves Anti-Tumor Immunity and Promotes the Efficacy of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR). Cancers. 2022 14(13). PMID: 35805044. PMCID: PMC9265101.
• Kore RA, Henson JC, Hamzah RN, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Author Correction: Molecular events in MSC exosome mediated cytoprotection in cardiomyocytes. Scientific reports. 2022 12(1):7874. PMID: 35551219. PMCID: PMC9098878.
• Macchi S, Jalihal A, Hooshmand N, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Enhanced photothermal heating and combination therapy of NIR dye via conversion to self-assembled ionic nanomaterials. Journal of materials chemistry. B. 2022 10(5):806-816. PMID: 35043823. PMCID: PMC8928910.
• Zubair M, Hamzah R, Griffin R, Ali N. Identification and functional characterization of multiple inositol polyphosphate phosphatase1 (Minpp1) isoform-2 in exosomes with potential to modulate tumor microenvironment. PloS one. 2022 17(3):e0264451. PMID: 35235602. PMCID: PMC8890658.
• Zhang X, Griffin RJ, Galhardo EP, Penagaricano J. Feasibility Study of 3D-VMAT-Based GRID Therapy. Technology in cancer research & treatment. 2022 21:15330338221086420. PMID: 35289202. PMCID: PMC8928354.
• Dagtas S, Griffin RJ. Nigella sativa extract kills pre-malignant and malignant oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. Journal of herbal medicine. 2021 29. PMID: 34485026. PMCID: PMC8415487.
• McDonald JT, Enguita FJ, Taylor D, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Role of miR-2392 in driving SARS-CoV-2 infection. Cell reports. 2021:109839. PMID: 34624208. PMCID: PMC8481092.
• Hamzah RN, Alghazali KM, Biris AS, Griffin RJ. Exosome Traceability and Cell Source Dependence on Composition and Cell-Cell Cross Talk. International journal of molecular sciences. 2021 22(10). PMID: 34069542. PMCID: PMC8161017.
• Abraham EH, Guidotti G, Rapaport E, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Cystic fibrosis improves COVID-19 survival and provides clues for treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Purinergic signalling. 2021. PMID: 33970408. PMCID: PMC8107773.
• Jung S, Harris N, Niyonshuti II, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Photothermal Response Induced by Nanocage-Coated Artificial Extracellular Matrix Promotes Neural Stem Cell Differentiation. Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland). 2021 11(5). PMID: 34064443. PMCID: PMC8147862.
• Jenkins SV, Alimohammadi M, Terry AS, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Dysbiotic stress increases the sensitivity of the tumor vasculature to radiotherapy and c-Met inhibitors. Angiogenesis. 2021. PMID: 33629198. PMCID: PMC8295215.
• Sadhukhan R, Majumdar D, Garg S, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Simultaneous exposure to chronic irradiation and simulated microgravity differentially alters immune cell phenotype in mouse thymus and spleen. Life sciences in space research. 2021 28:66-73. PMID: 33612181. PMCID: PMC7900614.
• Kore RA, Wang X, Ding Z, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. MSC exosome-mediated cardioprotection in ischemic mouse heart comparative proteomics of infarct and peri-infarct areas. Molecular and cellular biochemistry. 2021. PMID: 33423165. PMCID: PMC8186026.
• Zhang H, Wu X, Zhang X, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Photon GRID Radiation Therapy: A Physics and Dosimetry White Paper from the Radiosurgery Society (RSS) GRID/LATTICE, Microbeam and FLASH Radiotherapy Working Group. Radiation research. 2020 194(6):665-677. PMID: 33348375.
• Pakniyat F, Nedaie HA, Mozdarani H, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Enhanced response of radioresistant carcinoma cell line to heterogeneous dose distribution of grid; the role of high-dose bystander effect. International journal of radiation biology. 2020 96(12):1585-1596. PMID: 33074047.
• Johnsrud AJ, Jenkins SV, Jamshidi-Parsian A, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Evidence for Early Stage Anti-Tumor Immunity Elicited by Spatially Fractionated Radiotherapy-Immunotherapy Combinations. Radiation research. 2020 194(6):688-697. PMID: 33348372. PMCID: PMC8008989.
• Dadgar S, Troncoso JR, Siegel ER, [et al., including Griffin RJ]. Spectroscopic investigation of radiation-induced reoxygenation in radiation-resistant tumors. Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.). 2020 23(1):49-57. PMID: 33220616. PMCID: PMC7683290.
• Zhang H, Wu X, Zhang X, [et al., including Griffin R]. Photon GRID Radiation Therapy: A Physics and Dosimetry White Paper from the Radiosurgery Society (RSS) GRID-Lattice-Microbeam-FLASH Radiotherapy Working Group. Radiation research. 2020. PMID: 33064818.
• Wu X, Perez N, Zheng Y, [et al., including Griffin R]. The Technical and Clinical Implementation of LATTICE Radiation Therapy (LRT). Radiation research. 2020. PMID: 33064814.
• Griffin RJ, Limoli CL, Simone CB. Radiation Research Special Issue: New Beam Delivery Modalities are Shaping the Future of Radiotherapy. Radiation research. 2020. PMID: 32926736. PMCID: PMC7855553.
• Griffin RJ, Prise KM, McMahon SJ, [et al.]. History and current perspectives on the biological effects of high-dose spatial fractionation and high dose-rate approaches: GRID, Microbeam & FLASH radiotherapy. The British journal of radiology. 2020 93(1113):20200217. PMID: 32706989. PMCID: PMC7465857.
• Griffin RJ, Ahmed MM, Amendola B, [et al.]. Understanding High-Dose, Ultra-High Dose Rate, and Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy. International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics. 2020 107(4):766-778. PMID: 32298811.
• Corry PM, Griffin RJ. A Radiation Mitigator as a Potential Treatment for COVID-19. Radiation research. 2020 193(6):505. PMID: 32352871.