
Owen N. Witte, M.D.
Bio
Owen Witte, M.D. is the founding director of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center. In this role, he advocates for science education funding and creates strategic partnerships that enable collaborative and multidisciplinary groups of clinicians, scientists and engineers to pursue breakthrough research with the shared goal of improving human health.
Witte has made significant scientific contributions to the understanding of human leukemias, immune disorders and epithelial cancers.
After graduating from Cornell University and earning his medical degree at Stanford, Witte did his postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Nobel laureate, David Baltimore.
Witte’s early discovery of the tyrosine kinase activity in the ABL protein and the demonstration of the BCR-ABL oncoproteins in leukemias was one of the preclinical discoveries that led to the development of Gleevec, the first targeted therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Witte also co-discovered the gene for Bruton's tyrosine kinase, a protein essential for normal B-lymphocyte development that, when mutated, causes the onset of X-linked agammaglobulinemia. This finding influenced the development of targeted drugs like Ibrutinib to treat leukemia and lymphoma.
Witte is now pursuing prostate cancer research, taking several independent approaches to pinpoint specific biologic functions of Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer with the intent to improve survival and reduce side effects for men with this aggressive and deadly disease.
In 2016, Witte was appointed a University Professor by the University of California Board of Regents, an honor reserved for scholars of the highest international distinction.
Publications
- HLA-A∗02:01 restricted T cell receptors against the highly conserved SARS-CoV-2 polymerase cross-react with human coronavirusesPublished in Cell Reports on Friday, December 10, 2021
- Development of allogeneic HSC-engineered iNKT cells for off-the-shelf cancer immunotherapyPublished in Cell on Tuesday, November 16, 2021
- Droplet-based mRNA sequencing of fixed and permeabilized cells by CLInt-seq allows for antigen-specific TCR cloningPublished in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on Monday, January 11, 2021
- Transcriptional profiling identifies an androgen receptor activity-low, stemness program associated with enzalutamide resistancePublished in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Wednesday, May 27, 2020
- Pathway-guided analysis identifies Myc-dependent alternative pre-mRNA splicing in aggressive prostate cancersPublished in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Friday, February 21, 2020
- Pan-cancer Convergence to a Small-Cell Neuroendocrine Phenotype that Shares Susceptibilities with Hematological MalignanciesPublished in Cancer Cell on Monday, July 8, 2019
- Reprogramming normal human epithelial tissues to a common, lethal neuroendocrine cancer lineagePublished in Science on Thursday, October 4, 2018
- A Human Adult Stem Cell Signature Marks Aggressive Variants across Epithelial CancersPublished in Cell Reports on Tuesday, September 18, 2018
- Non-invasive imaging of drug-induced liver injury with 18F-DFA PETPublished in Journal of Nuclear Medicine on Thursday, March 1, 2018
- Low CD38 Identifies Progenitor-like Inflammation-Associated Luminal Cells that Can Initiate Human Prostate Cancer and Predict Poor OutcomePublished in Cell Reports on Tuesday, December 6, 2016
- Activation of Notch1 synergizes with multiple pathways in promoting castration-resistant prostate cancerPublished in PNAS on Tuesday, October 18, 2016
- Phosphoproteome Integration Reveals Patient-Specific Networks in Prostate CancerPublished in Cell on Thursday, August 4, 2016
- N-Myc Drives Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer Initiated from Human Prostate Epithelial CellsPublished in Cancer Cell on Thursday, March 31, 2016
- Functional screen identifies kinases driving prostate cancer visceral and bone metastasisPublished in PNAS on Wednesday, November 4, 2015
- A basal stem cell signature identifies aggressive prostate cancer phenotypesPublished in PNAS on Friday, September 11, 2015
- Development of 2-Deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluororibose for Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Liver Function in VivoPublished in Journal of Medicinal Chemistry on Tuesday, June 23, 2015
- Genetic engineering of hematopoietic stem cells to generate invariant natural killer T cellsPublished in PNAS on Tuesday, January 20, 2015
- HSV-sr39TK Positron Emission Tomography and Suicide Gene Elimination of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Their Progeny in Humanized MicePublished in Cancer Research on Friday, July 18, 2014
- Positron emission tomography probe demonstrates a striking concentration of ribose salvage in the liverPublished in PNAS on Tuesday, July 15, 2014
- Adoptive Transfer of MART-1 T-Cell Receptor Transgenic Lymphocytes and Dendritic Cell Vaccination in Patients with Metastatic MelanomaPublished in Clinical Cancer Research on Friday, March 14, 2014
- Low levels of circulating estrogen sensitize PTEN-null endometrial tumors to PARP inhibition in vivoPublished in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics on Tuesday, November 12, 2013
- Progesterone receptor signaling in the microenvironment of endometrial cancer influences its response to hormonal therapyPublished in Cancer Research on Thursday, June 6, 2013
- Estrogen and progesterone together expand murine endometrial epithelial progenitor cellsPublished in Stem Cells on Sunday, March 24, 2013
- Multifunctional T-cell Analyses to Study Response and Progression in Adoptive Cell Transfer ImmunotherapyPublished in Cancer Discovery on Thursday, March 21, 2013
- Allelic Exclusion and Peripheral Reconstitution by TCR Transgenic T Cells Arising From Transduced Human Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor CellsPublished in Molecular Therapy on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
- Long-term in vivo monitoring of mouse and human hematopoietic stem cell engraftment with a human positron emission tomography reporter genePublished in PNAS on Monday, January 14, 2013
- Regulated proteolysis of Trop2 drives epithelial hyperplasia and stem cell self-renewal via β-catenin signalingPublished in Genes and Development on Monday, October 15, 2012
- Stem-like epithelial cells are concentrated in the distal end of the fallopian tube: a known site for injury and serous cancer initiationPublished in Stem Cells on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
- Bmi-1 is a crucial regulator of prostate stem cell self-renewal and malignant transformationPublished in Cell Stem Cell on Friday, December 3, 2010
- Cell-autonomous activation of the PI3-kinase pathway initiates endometrial cancer from adult uterine epitheliumPublished in PNAS on Tuesday, October 5, 2010
- PET probes for distinct metabolic pathways have different cell specificities during immune responses in micePublished in The Journal of Clinical Investigation on Monday, May 17, 2010
- Microfluidic image cytometry for quantitative single-cell profiling of human pluripotent stem cells in chemically defined conditionsPublished in Lab on a Chip on Tuesday, March 16, 2010
- Aging and cancer resistance in lymphoid progenitors are linked processes conferred by p16Ink4a and ArfPublished in Genes & Development on Saturday, November 15, 2008
- Hydrophobic surfaces for enhanced differentiation of embryonic stem cell-derived embryoid bodiesPublished in PNAS on Friday, July 25, 2008
- Enhanced Paracrine FGF10 Expression Promotes Formation of Multifocal Prostate Adenocarcinoma and an Increase in Epithelial Androgen ReceptorPublished in Cancer Cell on Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Honors & Affiliations
Honors
- Kornberg-Berg Lifetime Achievement Award in Biosciences, Stanford Medical School, 2016
- Award for Distinguished Research in Biomedical Sciences, Association of American Medical Colleges, 2016
- G.H.A Clowes Memorial Award, American Association for Cancer Research, 2015
- de Villiers International Achievement Award, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 2003
- Warren Alpert Foundation Prize with D Baltimore, A Matter, N Lydon and B Druker, 2000
- Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award, American Association for Cancer Research, 1991
Affiliations and Memberships
- Appointed Member, President Barack Obama’s President’s Cancer Panel, 2012-2017
- Elected Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Elected Member, Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences
- Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences
- Elected Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology
- Elected Fellow, American Association for Cancer Research Academy
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program
- American Association of Immunologists
- American Society for Clinical Investigation
- American Society of Hematology
- American Society for Microbiology
Funding
Witte’s work is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the W.M. Keck Foundation, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center, including support from the Concern Foundation for Cancer Research, Stanley and Myrna Zimmerman and the S.L. Gimbel Foundation.