John Matthew Maris is an American pediatric oncologist. He is the Giulio D’Angio Endowed Professor of Pediatrics at the

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, also known by its acronym CHOP, is a children's hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its primary campus is located in the University City, Philadelphia, University City neighborhood of West Philadelph ...

(CHOP) and Full Professor at the

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania The Perelman School of Medicine (commonly known as Penn Med) is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private, Ivy League research university located in Philadelphia. Founded in 1765, the Perelman School of M ...

Early life and education

Maris completed his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree from

Wheeling Jesuit University Wheeling University (WU, formerly Wheeling Jesuit University) is a private Catholic university in Wheeling, West Virginia, United States. It was founded as "Wheeling College" in 1954 by the Society of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits) and was a ...

in 1983 and his

medical degree A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...

from the

in 1989.

Career

Upon completing his formal education, Maris was appointed an

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1996. While working in this role, Maris and his research team focused on childhood cancer neuroblastoma and the understanding of molecular pathogenesis towards improved survival rates. They used integrative strategy, combining genomic and functional strategies to prioritize molecular targets in order to achieve a comprehensive approach to neuroblastoma. He was eventually promoted to the rank of

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

and elected to the

Society for Pediatric Research A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

. Following this, he was also elected to the

American Society for Clinical Investigation The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), established in 1908, is one of the oldest and most respected medical honor societies in the United States. Organization and purpose The ASCI is an honorary society to which more than 2,800 p ...

in 2007. In 2008, Maris led the team that identified common DNA variations on chromosome 6, the first time researchers found its genetic origin. He also collaborated with physician-scientist Yael Moss to test the drug crizotinib as a possible treatment for neuroblastoma. By 2010, Maris was named chief of Oncology at the

and director of the Hospital’s Center for Childhood Cancer Research. In 2013, Maris and physician Crystal Mackall were named co-chairs of the

Stand Up to Cancer Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is a charitable organization that was established as a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). In 2022, SU2C was separately incorporated and was recognized by the IRS as a Section 501(c)(3) public charit ...

-St. Baldrick’s Foundation Immunogenomics Dream Team. The research group would use genomics to identify targets for CAR T-cell therapy. In January 2013, Maris co-authored ''Combination Therapy Targeting the Chk1 and Wee1 Kinases Shows Therapeutic Efficacy in Neuroblastoma'' which was a combination study of investigational agents slowed the growth of neuroblastomas in mice. Later that year, he tested the investigational medicine LEE011 on slowing the growth of neuroblastomas in mice. The Dream Team later identified several highly specific targets in high-risk neuroblastoma and engineered a cellular therapy directed at these targets with potent killing against tumor cells. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Maris's Dream Team were recognized with the 2021

American Association for Cancer Research The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional association related to cancer research. Based in Philadelphia, the AACR focuses on all aspects of cancer research, including Basic research, basic, ...

Team Science Award.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maris, John M. Living people American oncologists American pediatricians Wheeling University alumni Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania faculty Members of the American Society for Clinical Investigation Year of birth missing (living people)