Gabriel Griffin

Gabriel Griffin earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at Duke University and completed his residency and fellowship training in hematopathology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In his post-doctoral research, Gabe is studying the epigenetic regulation of immune sensitivity in cancer. Gabe is a recipient of the Physician-Scientist Training Award from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

Immunotherapy drugs, which spur the body's own immune system to attack tumors, hold great promise but still fail in many patients. Dr. Griffin aims to identify therapeutic targets that can enhance the efficacy and scope of immunotherapy in melanoma and other cancer types. His unique approach focuses on retrotransposons, repetitive sequences of DNA that are evolutionary remnants of viruses and comprise upwards of 50% of the human genome. These genetic elements are usually silenced via DNA methylation but can activate an immune response at certain times. Dr. Griffin’s research will characterize the epigenetic pathways that silence these repetitive elements in cancer cells, thus helping tumors evade surveillance by the immune system. This basic understanding may guide the development of epigenetic therapies capable of triggering anti-tumor immunity.

Education

Medical School

• Duke

Residency

• Brigham and Women's Hospital, 2013 - 2016

Board Certifications

• Anatomic Pathology, 2017
• Hematopathology, 2017

Fellowship

• Brigham and Women's Hospital, 2016 - 2017