About the Investigator:

Dr. Albert Grinshpun is a dedicated physician-scientist committed to advancing personalized cancer care through translational research. After completing medical oncology residency at Hadassah Medical Center, Dr. Grinshpun pursued research fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, investigating novel applications of liquid biopsies and endocrine resistance mechanisms in advanced breast cancer (mentors: Prof. Rinath Jeselsohn and Nancy Lin). Currently, he is leading the Oncology Breast Cancer Program at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, and directs a translational lab affiliated with the Hebrew University.

About the Research:

New cancer treatments, like immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), are helping patients with advanced cancers live longer. However, some of these treatments can cause serious side effects, such as lung damage (called interstitial lung disease or ILD), which can be life-threatening. Right now, doctors rely on symptoms and scans to diagnose ILD, but these often catch it too late to prevent serious complications.

Dr. Grinshpun’s project focuses on finding drug-induced damage earlier, before symptoms start. His team plans to use a blood test to look for tiny pieces of damaged tissue DNA floating in the blood. This test could, for example, help doctors spot lung damage earlier and adjust treatments to keep patients safe from unnecessary side effects.

His team also wants to create another tool to detect damage in multiple organs, like the brain or intestines, using advanced DNA technology in a single blood test. This could help detect side effects in parts of the body where there are no effective tests today. By making it easier to catch side effects early, Dr. Grinshpun aims to make cancer treatments safer and more effective. This would enable patients to get the best treatments with fewer risks, improving their health and quality of life. His research aims to change how doctors monitor cancer treatments, making care better for patients everywhere.