Steven Shak, M.d.
Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Officer
immunology
pharma
Cyprus
Biography
"We urgently need new and more effective approaches to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. In the 20th century, with few diagnostic tests to select the right treatment for individual cancers, physicians treated cancer with a “one-size-fits-all” approach. At Genomic Health, we have developed innovative, standardized, quantitative methods for profiling individual cancers. Cancer drugs can be (targeted) if we are able to discover and develop diagnostic tests to identify which patients are likely to benefit from them. We are using the same rigorous approach used in the clinical development and validation of the Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Assay to develop tests for other tumor types. We passionately believe that cancer molecular diagnostics will play an indispensable role in treatment planning for all cancer patients and will help turn cancer into a manageable, and ultimately preventable, disease. " Dedicated to optimizing cancer treatment outcomes and bringing the patient voice into product development, Steve Shak, M.D. has served as Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Officer since 2012 and was Chief Medical Officer from 2000 to 2013. Under Steve's leadership Genomic Health used innovative molecular diagnostic methods and rigorous clinical studies to develop the Oncotype DX® breast cancer and colon cancer assays and has maintained an 80% product development success rate. Steve has been a leader in personalized medicine for more than two decades. Prior to co-founding Genomic Health in 2000, Steve served for 14 years in various roles in discovery research and medical affairs at Genentech, Inc., a biotechnology company dedicated to using human genetic information to discover, develop, manufacture and commercialize medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. Steve led the clinical team that gained approval for Herceptin®, a targeted biologic treatment for breast cancer. He also initiated the cancer clinical trials of the anti-angiogenesis agent, Avastin®. In addition, Steve discovered Pulmozyme®, a mucus-dissolving enzyme that is approved worldwide for the treatment of the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. Prior to joining Genentech, Steve was an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at New York University School of Medicine. In 2017, Steve was recognized for his contributions to precision medicine and named one of the Top 100 Innovators in the country by PharmaVOICE. Steve holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Amherst College and an M.D. degree from New York University School of Medicine, and completed his post-doctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco.
Research Interest
"We urgently need new and more effective approaches to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. In the 20th century, with few diagnostic tests to select the right treatment for individual cancers, physicians treated cancer with a “one-size-fits-all” approach. At Genomic Health, we have developed innovative, standardized, quantitative methods for profiling individual cancers. Cancer drugs can be (targeted) if we are able to discover and develop diagnostic tests to identify which patients are likely to benefit from them. We are using the same rigorous approach used in the clinical development and validation of the Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Assay to develop tests for other tumor types. We passionately believe that cancer molecular diagnostics will play an indispensable role in treatment planning for all cancer patients and will help turn cancer into a manageable, and ultimately preventable, disease. " Dedicated to optimizing cancer treatment outcomes and bringing the patient voice into product development, Steve Shak, M.D. has served as Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Officer since 2012 and was Chief Medical Officer from 2000 to 2013. Under Steve's leadership Genomic Health used innovative molecular diagnostic methods and rigorous clinical studies to develop the Oncotype DX® breast cancer and colon cancer assays and has maintained an 80% product development success rate. Steve has been a leader in personalized medicine for more than two decades. Prior to co-founding Genomic Health in 2000, Steve served for 14 years in various roles in discovery research and medical affairs at Genentech, Inc., a biotechnology company dedicated to using human genetic information to discover, develop, manufacture and commercialize medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. Steve led the clinical team that gained approval for Herceptin®, a targeted biologic treatment for breast cancer. He also initiated the cancer clinical trials of the anti-angiogenesis agent, Avastin®. In addition, Steve discovered Pulmozyme®, a mucus-dissolving enzyme that is approved worldwide for the treatment of the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. Prior to joining Genentech, Steve was an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at New York University School of Medicine. In 2017, Steve was recognized for his contributions to precision medicine and named one of the Top 100 Innovators in the country by PharmaVOICE. Steve holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Amherst College and an M.D. degree from New York University School of Medicine, and completed his post-doctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco.
