Gregory Friedman, MD, specializes in pediatric neuro-oncology and conducting pediatric brain tumor translational and clinical research as Professor of Pediatrics and Section-Chief of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at the University Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He previously served as Director of Developmental Therapeutics for the Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer & Blood Disorders at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and as the site PI for the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Pediatric Early Phase-Clinical Trial Network (PEP-CTN). His overarching goal is to improve outcomes for children with brain tumors by developing and improving novel, targeted immunotherapies in the lab and then translating these therapies to clinical trials. His research is focused on determining mechanisms of cancer cell therapeutic resistance to novel therapies by exploring the role of the tumor microenvironment and cellular defense mechanisms to circumvent resistance mechanisms. His experience in managing pediatric neuro-oncology patients and in conducting clinical oncology research complements his laboratory experience, which has enabled his team to develop a greater understanding of the tumor microenvironment and translate innovative immunotherapies from bench-to-bedside. He was the Principal Investigator (PI) for the first completed oncolytic virotherapy (G207) pediatric brain tumor trial (NCT02457845; published in New England Journal of Medicine in 2021), and he is the PI for an ongoing first-in-human trial of G207 in recurrent cerebellar tumors (NCT03911388). In addition, he developed and leads a Phase 2 trial of G207 through the NCI-supported Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium in recurrent pediatric high-grade glioma. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Defense, and numerous pediatric cancer foundations
