Gabriel Lopez-Berestein, M.D.
Director MD Anderson Cancer Center Therapeutic Drug Discovery Program
Professor and Chief, Immunobiology and Drug Carriers Section in the Department of Bioimmunotherapy

Dr. Gabriel Lopez-Berestein, is currently Professor and Chief, Immunobiology and Drug Carriers Section in the Department of Bioimmunotherapy. He also serves as Director of the Bioimmunotherapy Fellowship Training Program. Dr. Lopez-Berestein completed his Premedical degree at the University of Puerto Rico, and his medical studies at the University of Navarro in Spain. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the San Juan City Hospital at the Puerto Rico Medical Center and his fellowship in Developmental Therapeutics at UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 1979-1981. In 1981 he joined the UT M.D. Anderson staff. Dr. Lopez-Berestein is also the Director of the M.D. Anderson CancerTherapeutics Discovery Program (CTDP). The CTDP seeks to promote independence, creativity and collaboration by organizing and conducting a variety of educational events, such as retreats and focus groups. Dr. Lopez-Berestein is a cell biologist, interested in the mechanisms of monocyte, macrophage cell growth and differentiation. His work also focused on the development of lipid cancer based antifungals and antisense compounds. Dr. Lopez-Berestein developed liposomal-amphotericin B (now commercially available as ABELCET) from bench to clinic. During the last 15 years he has introduced more than 7 different antitumor agents from discovery to clinical implementation. At present his major efforts are in signal transduction signaling and molecular targeting. He is also involved in graduate and post graduate education. His has trained more than 40 Ph.D., postdoctoral fellows and M.D.s. He is a member of the Division of Cancer Medicine fellowship Training Program and PI and Director of the Training Grant in Bioimmunotherapy. Dr. Lopez-Berestein lectures in pharmacology, Immunobiology and cancer biology courses.