David Guy Kirsch

Barbara Levine University Distinguished Professor
My clinical interests are the multi-modality care of patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas and developing new sarcoma therapies. My laboratory interests include utilizing mouse models of cancer to study cancer and radiation biology in order to develop new cancer therapies in the pre-clinical setting.
Appointments and Affiliations
- Barbara Levine University Distinguished Professor
- Professor of Radiation Oncology
- Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
- Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
- Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center
Contact Information
- Office Location: LSRC Building, Room B327, Durham, NC 27710
- Office Phone: (919) 681-8586
- Email Address: david.kirsch@duke.edu
Education
- Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2000
- M.D. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2000
Courses Taught
- PHARM 393: Research Independent Study
- PHARM 394: Research Independent Study
- PHARM 493: Research Independent Study
- PHARM 494: Research Independent Study
- PHARM 495: Research Independent Study
In the News
- Why Some Cancers Become Resistant to Therapy (Jan 27, 2023 | Duke Today)
- Three Faculty Elected Fellows of AAAS (Nov 21, 2017)
- Duke Awards Distinguished Professorships, Inducts New Bass Society Members (May 5, 2016)
- Duke Awards Distinguished Professorships, Inducts New Bass Society Members (May 5, 2016 | Duke Today)
- Cancer Research David Kirsch Receives NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (Mar 18, 2016)
- Cancer Research David Kirsch Receives NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (Mar 18, 2016 | Duke Today)
- New imaging technique ‘lights up’ cancer cells (Jan 8, 2016 | CBS News)
- New imaging technique ‘lights up’ cancer cells (Jan 8, 2016 | CBS News)
- New injection illuminates cancer cells, 'making it easier for surgeons to locate and remove tumors’ (Jan 7, 2016 | The Daily Mail)
- Researchers find a way to light up cancer cells (Jan 7, 2016 | TIME)
- New injection illuminates cancer cells, 'making it easier for surgeons to locate and remove tumors’ (Jan 7, 2016 | The Daily Mail)
- Researchers find a way to light up cancer cells (Jan 7, 2016 | TIME)
- Early Trial Shows Injectable Agent Illuminates Cancer During Surgery (Jan 6, 2016)
- Early Trial Shows Injectable Agent Illuminates Cancer During Surgery (Jan 6, 2016 | Duke Today)
- Komen grants $3.6 million to Duke, UNC breast cancer research (Aug 1, 2013 | WRAL.com)
- Komen grants $3.6 million to Duke, UNC breast cancer research (Aug 1, 2013 | WRAL.com)
Representative Publications
- Eward, WC; Mito, JK; Eward, CA; Carter, JE; Ferrer, JM; Kirsch, DG; Brigman, BE, A novel imaging system permits real-time in vivo tumor bed assessment after resection of naturally occurring sarcomas in dogs., Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, vol 471 no. 3 (2013), pp. 834-842 [10.1007/s11999-012-2560-8] [abs].
- Mito, JK; Min, HD; Ma, Y; Carter, JE; Brigman, BE; Dodd, L; Dankort, D; McMahon, M; Kirsch, DG, Oncogene-dependent control of miRNA biogenesis and metastatic progression in a model of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma., J Pathol, vol 229 no. 1 (2013), pp. 132-140 [10.1002/path.4099] [abs].
- Mito, JK; Ferrer, JM; Brigman, BE; Lee, C-L; Dodd, RD; Eward, WC; Marshall, LF; Cuneo, KC; Carter, JE; Ramasunder, S; Kim, Y; Lee, WD; Griffith, LG; Bawendi, MG; Kirsch, DG, Intraoperative detection and removal of microscopic residual sarcoma using wide-field imaging., Cancer, vol 118 no. 21 (2012), pp. 5320-5330 [10.1002/cncr.27458] [abs].
- Cuneo, KC; Riedel, RF; Dodd, LG; Harpole, DH; Kirsch, DG, Pathologic complete response of a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor in the lung treated with neoadjuvant Ifosfamide and radiation therapy., Journal of Clinical Oncology, vol 30 no. 28 (2012), pp. e291-e293 [10.1200/JCO.2012.42.8797] [abs].
- Lee, C-L; Moding, EJ; Cuneo, KC; Li, Y; Sullivan, JM; Mao, L; Washington, I; Jeffords, LB; Rodrigues, RC; Ma, Y; Das, S; Kontos, CD; Kim, Y; Rockman, HA; Kirsch, DG, p53 functions in endothelial cells to prevent radiation-induced myocardial injury in mice., Sci Signal, vol 5 no. 234 (2012) [10.1126/scisignal.2002918] [abs].
- Lee, C-L; Moding, EJ; Huang, X; Li, Y; Woodlief, LZ; Rodrigues, RC; Ma, Y; Kirsch, DG, Generation of primary tumors with Flp recombinase in FRT-flanked p53 mice., Dis Model Mech, vol 5 no. 3 (2012), pp. 397-402 [10.1242/dmm.009084] [abs].
- Sullivan, JM; Jeffords, LB; Lee, C-L; Rodrigues, R; Ma, Y; Kirsch, DG, p21 protects "Super p53" mice from the radiation-induced gastrointestinal syndrome., Radiat Res, vol 177 no. 3 (2012), pp. 307-310 [10.1667/rr2545.1] [abs].
- Badea, CT; Athreya, KK; Espinosa, G; Clark, D; Ghafoori, AP; Li, Y; Kirsch, DG; Johnson, GA; Annapragada, A; Ghaghada, KB, Computed tomography imaging of primary lung cancer in mice using a liposomal-iodinated contrast agent., Plos One, vol 7 no. 4 (2012) [10.1371/journal.pone.0034496] [abs].
- Belyea, B; Kephart, JG; Blum, J; Kirsch, DG; Linardic, CM, Embryonic signaling pathways and rhabdomyosarcoma: contributions to cancer development and opportunities for therapeutic targeting., Sarcoma, vol 2012 (2012) [10.1155/2012/406239] [abs].
- Kim, S; Dodd, RD; Mito, JK; Ma, Y; Kim, Y; Riedel, RF; Kirsch, DG, Efficacy of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase inhibitors in a primary mouse model of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma., Sarcoma, vol 2012 (2012) [10.1155/2012/680708] [abs].
- Wang, D; Bosch, W; Kirsch, DG; Al Lozi, R; El Naqa, I; Roberge, D; Finkelstein, SE; Petersen, I; Haddock, M; Chen, Y-LE; Saito, NG; Hitchcock, YJ; Wolfson, AH; DeLaney, TF, Variation in the gross tumor volume and clinical target volume for preoperative radiotherapy of primary large high-grade soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity among RTOG sarcoma radiation oncologists., Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, vol 81 no. 5 (2011), pp. e775-e780 [10.1016/j.ijrobp.2010.11.033] [abs].
- Newton, J; Oldham, M; Thomas, A; Li, Y; Adamovics, J; Kirsch, DG; Das, S, Commissioning a small-field biological irradiator using point, 2D, and 3D dosimetry techniques., Medical Physics, vol 38 no. 12 (2011), pp. 6754-6762 [10.1118/1.3663675] [abs].
- Yoon, SS; Duda, DG; Karl, DL; Kim, T-M; Kambadakone, AR; Chen, Y-L; Rothrock, C; Rosenberg, AE; Nielsen, GP; Kirsch, DG; Choy, E; Harmon, DC; Hornicek, FJ; Dreyfuss, J; Ancukiewicz, M; Sahani, DV; Park, PJ; Jain, RK; Delaney, TF, Phase II study of neoadjuvant bevacizumab and radiotherapy for resectable soft tissue sarcomas., Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, vol 81 no. 4 (2011), pp. 1081-1090 [10.1016/j.ijrobp.2010.07.024] [abs].
- Wang, D; Bosch, W; Roberge, D; Finkelstein, SE; Petersen, I; Haddock, M; Chen, Y-LE; Saito, NG; Kirsch, DG; Hitchcock, YJ; Wolfson, AH; DeLaney, TF, RTOG sarcoma radiation oncologists reach consensus on gross tumor volume and clinical target volume on computed tomographic images for preoperative radiotherapy of primary soft tissue sarcoma of extremity in Radiation Therapy Oncology Group studies., Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, vol 81 no. 4 (2011), pp. e525-e528 [10.1016/j.ijrobp.2011.04.038] [abs].
- Kirsch, DG, Using genetically engineered mice for radiation research., Radiat Res, vol 176 no. 3 (2011), pp. 275-279 [10.1667/rrxx35.1] [abs].
- Weidhaas, JB; Kirsch, DG, The Holman Research Pathway in radiation oncology., Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, vol 80 no. 2 (2011), pp. 321-323 [10.1016/j.ijrobp.2011.01.030] [abs].
- Curtis, SJ; Sinkevicius, KW; Li, D; Lau, AN; Roach, RR; Zamponi, R; Woolfenden, AE; Kirsch, DG; Wong, K-K; Kim, CF, Primary tumor genotype is an important determinant in identification of lung cancer propagating cells., Cell Stem Cell, vol 7 no. 1 (2010), pp. 127-133 [10.1016/j.stem.2010.05.021] [abs].
- Kim, B; Chen, Y-LE; Kirsch, DG; Goldberg, SI; Kobayashi, W; Kung, JH; Wolfgang, JA; Doppke, K; Rosenberg, AE; Nielsen, GP; Raskin, KA; Springfield, DS; Schwab, JH; Gebhardt, MC; Yoon, SS; Hornicek, FJ; DeLaney, TF, An effective preoperative three-dimensional radiotherapy target volume for extremity soft tissue sarcoma and the effect of margin width on local control., Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, vol 77 no. 3 (2010), pp. 843-850 [10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.06.086] [abs].
- Yoon, SS; Chen, Y-L; Kirsch, DG; Maduekwe, UN; Rosenberg, AE; Nielsen, GP; Sahani, DV; Choy, E; Harmon, DC; DeLaney, TF, Proton-beam, intensity-modulated, and/or intraoperative electron radiation therapy combined with aggressive anterior surgical resection for retroperitoneal sarcomas., Annals of Surgical Oncology, vol 17 no. 6 (2010), pp. 1515-1529 [10.1245/s10434-010-0935-1] [abs].
- Williams, JP; Brown, SL; Georges, GE; Hauer-Jensen, M; Hill, RP; Huser, AK; Kirsch, DG; Macvittie, TJ; Mason, KA; Medhora, MM; Moulder, JE; Okunieff, P; Otterson, MF; Robbins, ME; Smathers, JB; McBride, WH, Animal models for medical countermeasures to radiation exposure., Radiat Res, vol 173 no. 4 (2010), pp. 557-578 [10.1667/RR1880.1] [abs].
- Kirsch, DG; Grimm, J; Guimaraes, AR; Wojtkiewicz, GR; Perez, BA; Santiago, PM; Anthony, NK; Forbes, T; Doppke, K; Weissleder, R; Jacks, T, Imaging primary lung cancers in mice to study radiation biology., Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, vol 76 no. 4 (2010), pp. 973-977 [10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.11.038] [abs].
- Kirsch, DG; Santiago, PM; di Tomaso, E; Sullivan, JM; Hou, W-S; Dayton, T; Jeffords, LB; Sodha, P; Mercer, KL; Cohen, R; Takeuchi, O; Korsmeyer, SJ; Bronson, RT; Kim, CF; Haigis, KM; Jain, RK; Jacks, T, p53 controls radiation-induced gastrointestinal syndrome in mice independent of apoptosis., Science, vol 327 no. 5965 (2010), pp. 593-596 [10.1126/science.1166202] [abs].
- Dodd, RD; Mito, JK; Kirsch, DG, Animal models of soft-tissue sarcoma., Dis Model Mech, vol 3 no. 9-10 (2010), pp. 557-566 [10.1242/dmm.005223] [abs].
- Kumar, MS; Pester, RE; Chen, CY; Lane, K; Chin, C; Lu, J; Kirsch, DG; Golub, TR; Jacks, T, Dicer1 functions as a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor., Genes Dev, vol 23 no. 23 (2009), pp. 2700-2704 [10.1101/gad.1848209] [abs].
- Mito, JK; Riedel, RF; Dodd, L; Lahat, G; Lazar, AJ; Dodd, RD; Stangenberg, L; Eward, WC; Hornicek, FJ; Yoon, SS; Brigman, BE; Jacks, T; Lev, D; Mukherjee, S; Kirsch, DG, Cross species genomic analysis identifies a mouse model as undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma/malignant fibrous histiocytoma., Plos One, vol 4 no. 11 (2009) [10.1371/journal.pone.0008075] [abs].
- Yoon, SS; Stangenberg, L; Lee, Y-J; Rothrock, C; Dreyfuss, JM; Baek, K-H; Waterman, PR; Nielsen, GP; Weissleder, R; Mahmood, U; Park, PJ; Jacks, T; Dodd, RD; Fisher, CJ; Ryeom, S; Kirsch, DG, Efficacy of sunitinib and radiotherapy in genetically engineered mouse model of soft-tissue sarcoma., Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, vol 74 no. 4 (2009), pp. 1207-1216 [10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.02.052] [abs].
- Wagner, TD; Kobayashi, W; Dean, S; Goldberg, SI; Kirsch, DG; Suit, HD; Hornicek, FJ; Pedlow, FX; Raskin, KA; Springfield, DS; Yoon, SS; Gebhardt, MC; Mankin, HJ; Delaney, TF, Combination short-course preoperative irradiation, surgical resection, and reduced-field high-dose postoperative irradiation in the treatment of tumors involving the bone., Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, vol 73 no. 1 (2009), pp. 259-266 [10.1016/j.ijrobp.2008.03.074] [abs].
- Niedre, MJ; de Kleine, RH; Aikawa, E; Kirsch, DG; Weissleder, R; Ntziachristos, V, Early photon tomography allows fluorescence detection of lung carcinomas and disease progression in mice in vivo., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol 105 no. 49 (2008), pp. 19126-19131 [10.1073/pnas.0804798105] [abs].
- Lin, NU; Carey, LA; Liu, MC; Younger, J; Come, SE; Ewend, M; Harris, GJ; Bullitt, E; Van den Abbeele, AD; Henson, JW; Li, X; Gelman, R; Burstein, HJ; Kasparian, E; Kirsch, DG; Crawford, A; Hochberg, F; Winer, EP, Phase II trial of lapatinib for brain metastases in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer., Journal of Clinical Oncology, vol 26 no. 12 (2008), pp. 1993-1999 [10.1200/JCO.2007.12.3588] [abs].
- Kirsch, DG; Dinulescu, DM; Miller, JB; Grimm, J; Santiago, PM; Young, NP; Nielsen, GP; Quade, BJ; Chaber, CJ; Schultz, CP; Takeuchi, O; Bronson, RT; Crowley, D; Korsmeyer, SJ; Yoon, SS; Hornicek, FJ; Weissleder, R; Jacks, T, A spatially and temporally restricted mouse model of soft tissue sarcoma., Nature Medicine, vol 13 no. 8 (2007), pp. 992-997 [10.1038/nm1602] [abs].
- Abraham, JA; Hornicek, FJ; Kaufman, AM; Harmon, DC; Springfield, DS; Raskin, KA; Mankin, HJ; Kirsch, DG; Rosenberg, AE; Nielsen, GP; Desphpande, V; Suit, HD; DeLaney, TF; Yoon, SS, Treatment and outcome of 82 patients with angiosarcoma., Annals of Surgical Oncology, vol 14 no. 6 (2007), pp. 1953-1967 [10.1245/s10434-006-9335-y] [abs].
- Delaney, TF; Kepka, L; Goldberg, SI; Hornicek, FJ; Gebhardt, MC; Yoon, SS; Springfield, DS; Raskin, KA; Harmon, DC; Kirsch, DG; Mankin, HJ; Rosenberg, AE; Nielsen, GP; Suit, HD, Radiation therapy for control of soft-tissue sarcomas resected with positive margins., International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, vol 67 no. 5 (2007), pp. 1460-1469 [10.1016/j.ijrobp.2006.11.035] [abs].
- Ventura, A; Kirsch, DG; McLaughlin, ME; Tuveson, DA; Grimm, J; Lintault, L; Newman, J; Reczek, EE; Weissleder, R; Jacks, T, Restoration of p53 function leads to tumour regression in vivo., Nature, vol 445 no. 7128 (2007), pp. 661-665 [10.1038/nature05541] [abs].
- Kirsch, DG; Doseff, A; Chau, BN; Lim, DS; de Souza-Pinto, NC; Hansford, R; Kastan, MB; Lazebnik, YA; Hardwick, JM, Caspase-3-dependent cleavage of Bcl-2 promotes release of cytochrome c., The Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol 274 no. 30 (1999), pp. 21155-21161 [10.1074/jbc.274.30.21155] [abs].
- Cheng, EH; Kirsch, DG; Clem, RJ; Ravi, R; Kastan, MB; Bedi, A; Ueno, K; Hardwick, JM, Conversion of Bcl-2 to a Bax-like death effector by caspases., Science (New York, N.Y.), vol 278 no. 5345 (1997), pp. 1966-1968 [10.1126/science.278.5345.1966] [abs].