University of California San Francisco

Okimoto Ross
Ross Okimoto, MD

Clinical Instructor

Biography

Dr. Okimoto is a medical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of sarcomas and lung cancer. He is a laboratory based physician-scientist who broadly aims to translate basic science discoveries into novel therapies for patients with cancer. He is currently interested in understanding how cancer cells gain transcriptional dependence to drive tumor progression and metastasis.

Awards & Honors

Award Conferred By Date
Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award Finalist 2021
National Cancer Institute R37 MERIT Award 2021
American Society of Clinical Investigation Young Physician-Scientist Award 2019
NIH-NCI Career Development Award (K08) 2018
UCSF DOM Cohort Iniative Award 2018
A.P. Giannini Postdoctoral Fellowship 2015

Education

Education

Creighton University School of Medicine 2009

Residencies

Tufts Medical Center, Internal Medicine 2012

Fellowships

UCSF Medical Center, Medical Oncology 2014

Board Certifications

American Board of Internal Medicine
American Board of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology

Clinical Expertise

Pulmonary Metastases
Soft Tissue Sarcoma 
Bone Sarcoma

Grants and Funding

  • Therapeutic degradation of Capicua (CIC) fused oncoproteins in undifferentiated sarcomas | NIH | 2021-06-17 - 2026-05-31 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Therapeutic rescue of the transcriptional repressor Capicua to inhibit lung cancer metastasis | NIH | 2018-02-01 - 2023-01-31 | Role: Principal Investigator

Research Narrative

A physician-scientist, Okimoto conducts research in addition to providing clinical care. The overall goal of his laboratory-based investigations is to help improve outcomes for cancer patients. His current research work focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that promote tumor cell metastasis.

Publications

MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 42
  1. A platform to deliver single and bi-specific Cas9/guide RNA to perturb genes in vitro and in vivo.
    Li YJ, Chien SH, Huang R, Herrmann A, Zhao Q, Li PC, Zhang C, Martincuks A, Santiago NL, Zong K, Swiderski P, Okimoto RA, Song M, Rodriguez L, Forman SJ, Wang X, Yu H| | PubMed
  2. The Capicua C1 Domain is Required for Full Activity of the CIC::DUX4 Fusion Oncoprotein.
    Luck C, Jacobs KA, Okimoto RA| | PubMed
  3. Molecular and therapeutic advancements in Capicua (CIC)-rearranged sarcoma.
    Ponce RKM, Luck C, Okimoto RA| | PubMed
  4. Quantification of cerebrospinal fluid tumor DNA in lung cancer patients with suspected leptomeningeal carcinomatosis.
    Azad TD, Nanjo S, Jin MC, Chabon JJ, Kurtz DM, Chaudhuri AA, Connolly ID, Hui AB, Liu CL, Merriott D, Ko R, Yoo C, Carter J, Chen E, Bonilla R, Hata A, Katakami N, Irie K, Yano S, Okimoto R, Bivona TG, Newman AM, Iv M, Nagpal S, Gephart MH, Alizadeh AA, Diehn M| | PubMed
  5. Mapping chromatin state and transcriptional response in CIC-DUX4 undifferentiated round cell sarcoma.
    Thomas NJ, Luck C, Shlimon N, Ponce RK, Kosibaty Z, Okimoto RA| | PubMed
  6. The CIC-ERF co-deletion underlies fusion-independent activation of ETS family member, ETV1, to drive prostate cancer progression.
    Gupta N, Song H, Wu W, Ponce RK, Lin YK, Kim JW, Small EJ, Feng FY, Huang FW, Okimoto RA| | PubMed
  7. Capicua suppresses YAP1 to limit tumorigenesis and maintain drug sensitivity in human cancer.
    Kim JW, Luck C, Wu W, Ponce RK, Lin YK, Gupta N, Okimoto RA| | PubMed
  8. Primary and metastatic tumors exhibit systems-level differences in dependence on mitochondrial respiratory function.
    Bennett NK, Nakaoka HJ, Laurent D, Okimoto RA, Sei Y, Horvai AE, Bivona TG, Ten Hoeve J, Graeber TG, Nakamura K, Nakamura JL| | PubMed
  9. Deficiency of the splicing factor RBM10 limits EGFR inhibitor response in EGFR-mutant lung cancer.
    Nanjo S, Wu W, Karachaliou N, Blakely CM, Suzuki J, Chou YT, Ali SM, Kerr DL, Olivas VR, Shue J, Rotow J, Mayekar MK, Haderk F, Chatterjee N, Urisman A, Yeo JC, Skanderup AJ, Tan AC, Tam WL, Arrieta O, Hosomichi K, Nishiyama A, Yano S, Kirichok Y, Tan DS, Rosell R, Okimoto RA, Bivona TG| | PubMed
  10. Clinical genomic profiling in the management of patients with soft tissue and bone sarcoma.
    Gounder MM, Agaram NP, Trabucco SE, Robinson V, Ferraro RA, Millis SZ, Krishnan A, Lee J, Attia S, Abida W, Drilon A, Chi P, Angelo SP, Dickson MA, Keohan ML, Kelly CM, Agulnik M, Chawla SP, Choy E, Chugh R, Meyer CF, Myer PA, Moore JL, Okimoto RA, Pollock RE, Ravi V, Singh AS, Somaiah N, Wagner AJ, Healey JH, Frampton GM, Venstrom JM, Ross JS, Ladanyi M, Singer S, Brennan MF, Schwartz GK, Lazar AJ, Thomas DM, Maki RG, Tap WD, Ali SM, Jin DX| | PubMed
  11. WEE1 kinase is a therapeutic vulnerability in CIC-DUX4 undifferentiated sarcoma.
    Ponce RKM, Thomas NJ, Bui NQ, Kondo T, Okimoto RA| | PubMed
  12. Tumor morphology and location associate with immune cell composition in pleomorphic sarcoma.
    Wustrack RL, Shao E, Sheridan J, Zimel M, Cho SJ, Horvai AE, Luong D, Kwek SS, Fong L, Okimoto RA| | PubMed
  13. Single-cell lineages reveal the rates, routes, and drivers of metastasis in cancer xenografts.
    Quinn JJ, Jones MG, Okimoto RA, Nanjo S, Chan MM, Yosef N, Bivona TG, Weissman JS| | PubMed
  14. Functional screening identifies aryl hydrocarbon receptor as suppressor of lung cancer metastasis.
    Nothdurft S, Thumser-Henner C, Breitenbücher F, Okimoto RA, Dorsch M, Opitz CA, Sadik A, Esser C, Hölzel M, Asthana S, Forster J, Beisser D, Kalmbach S, Grüner BM, Bivona TG, Schramm A, Schuler M| | PubMed
  15. Capicua in Human Cancer.
    Kim JW, Ponce RK, Okimoto RA| | PubMed
  16. Negative MAPK-ERK regulation sustains CIC-DUX4 oncoprotein expression in undifferentiated sarcoma.
    Lin YK, Wu W, Ponce RK, Kim JW, Okimoto RA| | PubMed
  17. CIC-DUX4 oncoprotein drives sarcoma metastasis and tumorigenesis via distinct regulatory programs.
    Okimoto RA, Wu W, Nanjo S, Olivas V, Lin YK, Ponce RK, Oyama R, Kondo T, Bivona TG| | PubMed
  18. Nuclear TARBP2 Drives Oncogenic Dysregulation of RNA Splicing and Decay.
    Fish L, Navickas A, Culbertson B, Xu Y, Nguyen HCB, Zhang S, Hochman M, Okimoto R, Dill BD, Molina H, Najafabadi HS, Alarcón C, Ruggero D, Goodarzi H| | PubMed
  19. Metastasis: From head to tail.
    Okimoto RA, Bivona TG| | PubMed
  20. Inactivation of Capicua drives cancer metastasis.
    Okimoto RA, Breitenbuecher F, Olivas VR, Wu W, Gini B, Hofree M, Asthana S, Hrustanovic G, Flanagan J, Tulpule A, Blakely CM, Haringsma HJ, Simmons AD, Gowen K, Suh J, Miller VA, Ali S, Schuler M, Bivona TG| | PubMed
  21. Preclinical efficacy of a RAF inhibitor that evades paradoxical MAPK pathway activation in protein kinase BRAF-mutant lung cancer.
    Okimoto RA, Lin L, Olivas V, Chan E, Markegard E, Rymar A, Neel D, Chen X, Hemmati G, Bollag G, Bivona TG| | PubMed
  22. An improved CTC isolation scheme for pairing with downstream genomics: Demonstrating clinical utility in metastatic prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer.
    Premasekharan G, Gilbert E, Okimoto RA, Hamirani A, Lindquist KJ, Ngo VT, Roy R, Hough J, Edwards M, Paz R, Foye A, Sood R, Copren KA, Gubens M, Small EJ, Bivona TG, Collisson EA, Friedlander TW, Paris PL| | PubMed
  23. Tracking Down Response and Resistance to TRK Inhibitors.
    Okimoto RA, Bivona TG| | PubMed
  24. RAS-MAPK dependence underlies a rational polytherapy strategy in EML4-ALK-positive lung cancer.
    Hrustanovic G, Olivas V, Pazarentzos E, Tulpule A, Asthana S, Blakely CM, Okimoto RA, Lin L, Neel DS, Sabnis A, Flanagan J, Chan E, Varella-Garcia M, Aisner DL, Vaishnavi A, Ou SH, Collisson EA, Ichihara E, Mack PC, Lovly CM, Karachaliou N, Rosell R, Riess JW, Doebele RC, Bivona TG| | PubMed
  25. AXL receptor tyrosine kinase as a therapeutic target in NSCLC.
    Okimoto RA, Bivona TG| | PubMed
  26. 77-year-old woman with a dural-based mass. Marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (MZBCL).
    Okimoto RA, Perry A, Rubenstein JL| | PubMed
  27. Recent advances in personalized lung cancer medicine.
    Okimoto RA, Bivona TG| | PubMed
  28. Navigating the road toward optimal initial therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia.
    Okimoto RA, Van Etten RA| | PubMed
  29. Mutations in the neutral sphingomyelinase gene SMPD3 implicate the ceramide pathway in human leukemias.
    Kim WJ, Okimoto RA, Purton LE, Goodwin M, Haserlat SM, Dayyani F, Sweetser DA, McClatchey AI, Bernard OA, Look AT, Bell DW, Scadden DT, Haber DA| | PubMed
  30. Regulation of expression of BIK proapoptotic protein in human breast cancer cells: p53-dependent induction of BIK mRNA by fulvestrant and proteasomal degradation of BIK protein.
    Hur J, Bell DW, Dean KL, Coser KR, Hilario PC, Okimoto RA, Tobey EM, Smith SL, Isselbacher KJ, Shioda T| | PubMed
  31. Epidermal growth factor receptor kinase domain mutations in esophageal and pancreatic adenocarcinomas.
    Kwak EL, Jankowski J, Thayer SP, Lauwers GY, Brannigan BW, Harris PL, Okimoto RA, Haserlat SM, Driscoll DR, Ferry D, Muir B, Settleman J, Fuchs CS, Kulke MH, Ryan DP, Clark JW, Sgroi DC, Haber DA, Bell DW| | PubMed
  32. Frequent met oncogene amplification in a Brca1/Trp53 mouse model of mammary tumorigenesis.
    Smolen GA, Muir B, Mohapatra G, Barmettler A, Kim WJ, Rivera MN, Haserlat SM, Okimoto RA, Kwak E, Dahiya S, Garber JE, Bell DW, Sgroi DC, Chin L, Deng CX, Haber DA| | PubMed
  33. Amplification of MET may identify a subset of cancers with extreme sensitivity to the selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor PHA-665752.
    Smolen GA, Sordella R, Muir B, Mohapatra G, Barmettler A, Archibald H, Kim WJ, Okimoto RA, Bell DW, Sgroi DC, Christensen JG, Settleman J, Haber DA| | PubMed
  34. American founder mutation for Lynch syndrome. Prevalence estimates and implications.
    Lynch HT, de la Chapelle A, Hampel H, Wagner A, Fodde R, Lynch JF, Okimoto R, Clark MB, Coronel S, Trowonou A, Fu YX, Haynatzki GR, Gong G| | PubMed
  35. Response of some head and neck cancers to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors may be linked to mutation of ERBB2 rather than EGFR.
    Cohen EE, Lingen MW, Martin LE, Harris PL, Brannigan BW, Haserlat SM, Okimoto RA, Sgroi DC, Dahiya S, Muir B, Clark JR, Rocco JW, Vokes EE, Haber DA, Bell DW| | PubMed
  36. Inherited susceptibility to lung cancer may be associated with the T790M drug resistance mutation in EGFR.
    Bell DW, Gore I, Okimoto RA, Godin-Heymann N, Sordella R, Mulloy R, Sharma SV, Brannigan BW, Mohapatra G, Settleman J, Haber DA| | PubMed
  37. Epidermal growth factor receptor mutations and gene amplification in non-small-cell lung cancer: molecular analysis of the IDEAL/INTACT gefitinib trials.
    Bell DW, Lynch TJ, Haserlat SM, Harris PL, Okimoto RA, Brannigan BW, Sgroi DC, Muir B, Riemenschneider MJ, Iacona RB, Krebs AD, Johnson DH, Giaccone G, Herbst RS, Manegold C, Fukuoka M, Kris MG, Baselga J, Ochs JS, Haber DA| | PubMed
  38. Irreversible inhibitors of the EGF receptor may circumvent acquired resistance to gefitinib.
    Kwak EL, Sordella R, Bell DW, Godin-Heymann N, Okimoto RA, Brannigan BW, Harris PL, Driscoll DR, Fidias P, Lynch TJ, Rabindran SK, McGinnis JP, Wissner A, Sharma SV, Isselbacher KJ, Settleman J, Haber DA| | PubMed
  39. Activating mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor underlying responsiveness of non-small-cell lung cancer to gefitinib.
    Lynch TJ, Bell DW, Sordella R, Gurubhagavatula S, Okimoto RA, Brannigan BW, Harris PL, Haserlat SM, Supko JG, Haluska FG, Louis DN, Christiani DC, Settleman J, Haber DA| | PubMed
  40. A founder mutation of the MSH2 gene and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer in the United States.
    Lynch HT, Coronel SM, Okimoto R, Hampel H, Sweet K, Lynch JF, Barrows A, Wijnen J, van der Klift H, Franken P, Wagner A, Fodde R, de la Chapelle A| | PubMed
  41. Molecular analysis of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer in the United States: high mutation detection rate among clinically selected families and characterization of an American founder genomic deletion of the MSH2 gene.
    Wagner A, Barrows A, Wijnen JT, van der Klift H, Franken PF, Verkuijlen P, Nakagawa H, Geugien M, Jaghmohan-Changur S, Breukel C, Meijers-Heijboer H, Morreau H, van Puijenbroek M, Burn J, Coronel S, Kinarski Y, Okimoto R, Watson P, Lynch JF, de la Chapelle A, Lynch HT, Fodde R| | PubMed
  42. Mytilus mitochondrial DNA contains a functional gene for a tRNASer(UCN) with a dihydrouridine arm-replacement loop and a pseudo-tRNASer(UCN) gene.
    Beagley CT, Okimoto R, Wolstenholme DR| | PubMed