Valsamo (Elsa) Anagnostou, MD, PhD

Professional Titles

• Co-Director, Upper Aerodigestive Cancers Program, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center
• Leader, Precision Oncology Analytics
• Leader, Molecular Tumor Board, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center
• Director, Thoracic Oncology Biorepository
• Co-Director, Lung Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence

Primary Academic Title

Associate Professor of Oncology

Background

Centers and Institutes

• Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• The Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• The Johns Hopkins Molecular Tumor Board, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
• Lung Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,

LinkedIn

https://linkedin.com/in/valsamo-anagnostou-350353135

Clinical Trial Keywords

Biomarker-driven immuno-oncology clinical trials

Find a Clinical Trial

Videos

Integrated Tumor and Immune Cell Multiomic Analyses Predict ICB Response in Advanced

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

• Friends of Cancer Research Annual Meeting Day 1: Charting the Path for ctDNA as an Early Endpoint, Friends of Cancer Research (November 9, 2021)
• Blood Tests and Immunotherapy: New Approaches to Diagnosing and Treating Cancer Patients, Cancer Research Institute (April 1, 2021)
• 2022 CRI-ENCI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference (CICON22) Highlights from Day 2, Cancer Research Institute (September 30, 2022)
• Valsamo Anagnostou, WCLC 2021: A Biomarker-Directed, Multi-Center Phase II Study of Molecular Response Adaptive Immuno-Chemotherapy in Lung Cancer, Touch Oncology (October 1, 2021)
• Early ctDNA Molecular Response Enhanced Through Integrated Analyses of Cell-Free DNA and Matched White Blood Cells, Lab Roots (June 15, 2023)
• Immunotherapy Minute video, X (Twitter) June 27, 2023
• Evolving Role of Liquid Biopsy for Lung Cancer, IASLC (June 20, 2023)
• Valsamo Anagnostou - FDA CERSI Lecture Series (March 2023)
• Johns Hopkins scientists zero in on how cancers resist immunotherapy treatment, JHU The Hub (January 6, 2017)
• How Cancers Lose Something to Gain Immunotherapy Resistance, American Association for Cancer Research (January 23, 2017)

Research Interests

Cancer Genomics, Liquid Biopsies, Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma and Esophageal Cancer Translational Research, Multi-Omics Integrative Analyses, Precision Oncology, Biomarker-adaptive clinical trials

Lab Website

Molecular Oncology Laboratory

• Our Molecular Oncology lab seeks to understand the genomic wiring of response and resistance to immunotherapy through integrative genomic, transcriptomic, single-cell and liquid biopsy analyses of tumor and immune evolution. Through comprehensive exome-wide sequence and genome-wide structural genomic analyses we have discovered that tumor cells evade immune surveillance by elimination of immunogenic mutations and associated neoantigens through chromosomal deletions. Additionally, we have developed non-invasive molecular platforms that incorporate ultra-sensitive measurements of circulating cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) to assess clonal dynamics during immunotherapy. These approaches have revealed distinct dynamic ctDNA and T cell repertoire patterns of clinical response and resistance that are superior to radiographic response assessments. Our work has provided the foundation for a molecular response-adaptive clinical trial, where therapeutic decisions are made not based on imaging but based on molecular responses derived from liquid biopsies.

Research Summary

The Molecular Oncology Laboratory is dedicated to advancing cancer research by unraveling the genomic landscape of response and resistance to cancer therapies, with a focus on immunotherapies.

Our mission is to comprehensively study the genomic wiring of tumor and immune system interactions and bridge scientific discoveries with clinical cancer care. Through cutting-edge integrative genomic, transcriptomic, single-cell, and liquid biopsy analyses, we aim to capture tumor evolution as the cancer cells undergo therapy-imposed bottlenecks and translate the lessons learned into interventions that improve the clinical outcomes of individuals with cancer. We have a keen interest in developing and applying analyses of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for cancer charactrization, minimal residual disease detection and therapy monitoring.   

Ultimately, our efforts strive to redefine how oncologists select patients for immunotherapies, ushering in a new era of precision oncology. The Molecular Oncology Laboratory is committed to driving transformative changes in cancer care through rigorous scientific research and innovative clinical applications.

Google Scholar

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=MNxXQnYAAAAJ

PubMed

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1l5n2ITrgxa/bibliography/public/

Selected Publications

• Anagnostou V, Smith KN, Forde PM, Niknafs N, Bhattacharya R, White J, Zhang T, Adleff V, Phallen J, Wali N, Hruban C, Guthrie VB, Rodgers K, Naidoo J, Kang H, Sharfman W, Georgiades C, Verde F, Illei P, Li QK, Gabrielson E, Brock MV, Zahnow CA, Baylin SB, Scharpf RB, Brahmer JR, Karchin R, Pardoll DM, Velculescu VE. Evolution of Neoantigen Landscape during Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Cancer Discov. 2017 Mar;7(3):264-276

• Anagnostou V, Ho C, Nicholas G, Juergens RA, Sacher A, Fung AS, Wheatley-Price P, Laurie SA, Levy B, Brahmer JR, Balan A, Niknafs N, Avrutin E, Zhu L, Sausen M, Bradbury PA, O'Donnell-Tormey J, Gaudreau PO, Ding K, Dancey J. ctDNA response after pembrolizumab in non-small cell lung cancer: phase 2 adaptive trial results. Nat Med. 2023;29(10):2559-2569.

• Anagnostou V, Forde PM, White JR, Niknafs N, Hruban C, Naidoo J, Marrone KA, Sivakumar IKA, Bruhm DC, Rosner S, Phallen J, Leal A, Adleff V, Smith KN, Cottrell TR, Rhymee L, Palsgrove DN, Hann CL, Levy B, Feliciano J, Georgiades C, Verde F, Illei P, Li QK, Gabrielson E, Brock MV, Isbell JM, Sauter JL, Taube J, Scharpf RB, Karchin R, Pardoll DM, Chaft JE, Hellmann MD, Brahmer JR, Velculescu VE. Dynamics of tumor and immune responses during immune checkpoint blockade in non-small cell lung cancer. Cancer Res. 2019 Mar 15;79(6):1214-1225.

• Anagnostou V, Niknafs, N, Marrone K, Bruhm D, White J, Naidoo J, Hummelink K, MOnkhorst K, Lalezari F, Lanis M, Rosner S, Reuss J, Smith K, Adleff V, Rodgers K, Belcaid Z, Rhymee L, Levy B, Feliciano J, Hann C, Ettinger D, Georgiades C, Verde F, Illei P, Li Q, Baras A, Gabrielson E, Brock M, Karchin R, Pardoll D, Baylin S, Brahmer J, Scharpf R, Forde P, Velculescu V. Multimodal Genomic Features Predict Outcome of Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer. Nature Cancer, 2020;1(1):99-111.

• Kelly RJ, Landon BV, Zaidi AH, Singh D, Canzoniero JV, Balan A, Hales RK, Voong KR, Battafarano RJ, Jobe BA, Yang SC, Broderick S, Ha J, Marrone KA, Pereira G, Rao N, Borole A, Karaindrou K, Belcaid Z, White JR, Ke S, Amjad AI, Weksler B, Shin EJ, Thompson E, Smith KN, Pardoll DM, Hu C, Feliciano JL, Anagnostou V, Lam VK. Neoadjuvant nivolumab or nivolumab plus LAG-3 inhibitor relatlimab in resectable esophageal/gastroesophageal junction cancer: a phase Ib trial and ctDNA analyses. Nat Med. 2024 Apr;30(4):1023-1034.

Patents

• Non-invasive Detection of Response to Immunotherapy, US serial number 62/657,600
• Mechanisms of Acquired Resistance to Immunotherapy, US serial number 16/312,152
• Matched white blood cell and cell-free DNA analyses for prediction of therapeutic response in patients with cancer, pending
• MANAFEST - A novel sensitive, specific, scalable and simple method to identify functional anti-tumor T cell responses, US serial number 62/407,820
• Immunohistochemical quantitation of tumor mTOR levels provides prognostic information on disease progression and outcome, US serial number 61/275,784
• Genomic Drivers of Response to Immunotherapy, US serial number 62/824,807

• Genomic Features of Response to Immunotherapy and Chemo-Immunotherapy for Malignant Mesothelioma, US serial number 63/276,525

• BigMHC, a deep learning tool for predicting MHC-I (neo)epitope presentation and immunogenicity (internally filed with Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, Invention ID: D17765).

• Machine Learning Model to Distinguish Clonal Hematopoiesis versus Tumor Origin Variants in Liquid Biopsy (internally filed with Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, Invention ID: C17554)

• An objective quantitative method to predict histological subtype in non-small cell lung cancer, US serial number 13/502,079
• A protein expression-based classifier for prediction of recurrence in lung adenocarcinomas, US serial number 61/463,715

Honors

• International Society Liquid Biopsy Research Award, 1/1/23
• 2020 Johns Hopkins Catalyst Award, 1/1/20
• Cigarette Restitution Fund Award, 1/1/18
• Swim Across America Translational Award, Swim Across America, 1/1/18
• AACR Next Generation Star Award, AACR, 1/1/17
• Best of AACR Journal Collection, most cited paper for Cancer Discovery in 2017, AACR, 1/1/17
• Accelerated Translational Incubator Pilot Program Award, Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, 1/1/17
• Career Development Award for Lung Cancer Translational Research, LUNGevity Foundation, 1/1/17
• V Foundation Scholar, The V Foundation for Cancer Research, 1/1/17
• Richard C. Devereaux Award, IASLC/Prevent Cancer Foundation, 1/1/16
• McMillan Scholar, McMillan Pathway to Independence Award, 1/1/16
• Paul Carbone, MD Fellowship Award, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Research and Education Foundation, 1/1/15
• ASCO Merit Award, ASCO, 1/1/10
• Early Career Oncologists/Scientists Award, EORTC-NCI-ASCO, 1/1/06
• Scholarship for Academic Excellence, Greek National Institute of Scholarships, 1/1/99

Graduate Program Affiliations

• Cellular and Molecular Medicine Program, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
• Human Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
• Master's Program, Biomedical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
• Graduate Program, Biomedical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

Memberships

• American Association for Cancer Research
• American Society of Clinical Oncology

Professional Activities

Johns Hopkins Molecular Tumor Board, Co-Leader