Douglas Yee, MD

I am a medical oncologist with a specialty in breast cancer. My laboratory has been interested in the regulation of cancer cells by the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and insulin. I also maintain an active clinical practice in the medical management of breast cancer. As part of my clinical care, I also serve as the site principal investigator on several clinical trials that employ experimental therapies targeted against IGF receptor and the PI3K pathway. I am chair in of the Agent Selection Committee of I-SPY2 and I also serve on the Executive Committee of this trial designed to validate investigational therapies in the neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer. I have been the director of the Masonic Cancer Center since 2007. I have maintained these clinical, translational, and research activities to best identify strategies for improved outcomes in cancer.

• "Top Doctor" Mpls. St. Paul Magazine (2012-2015, 2020)
• "Best Doctors for Women," Minnesota Monthly Magazine (2011, 2014)
• Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences (1990)

• Senior Editor, Clinical Cancer Research
•  Editorial Board, NPJ Precision Oncology, Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, HemeOnc Today
• Faculty member, AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Research (2019-2020)
  
• Director, Masonic Cancer Center (2007-present)
• Tickle Family Land Grant Chair in Breast Cancer Research (1999-2009)
• John H. Kersey Chair in Cancer Research (2008-present)
• Komen for the Cure Scientific Advisory Council (2010)

My laboratory has been interested in the regulation of cancer cells by insulin and the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). Our laboratory was one of the first to show a role for this pathway in Ewing’s sarcoma and breast cancer. The laboratory remains focused on the signaling pathways regulated by the IGFs that are relevant to cancer biology. We have shown that IGF signaling is dependent on activation of specific adaptor proteins and downstream signaling molecules. Our lab is also evaluating the role for the fetal isoform of the insulin receptor (IR-A) in breast cancer biology. Interactions between estrogen receptor expressing breast cancers and insulin/IGFs result in enhanced growth and increased survival. While some anti-IGF strategies have been tested in clinical trials, toxicities and lack of targeting of IR-A has limited the clinical efficacy and the laboratory is working on strategies to target IR-A specifically without inhibition of the adult isoform of insulin receptor (IR-B).