Dr. Eric Charles Holland, MD

I am a neurosurgeon who specializes in the treatment of gliomas, the most common malignant brain tumor in adults, and metastatic brain tumors. I came to MSKCC in 2001 from MD Anderson Cancer Center, and I am now an Attending in the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, a Member in the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at the Sloan-Kettering Institute. I am also Director of the Brain Tumor Center here at MSKCC. The Brain Tumor Center is a virtual interdepartmental center that spans Memorial Hospital and Sloan-Kettering Institute to support research in brain tumors and promote its translation into clinical trials. In the laboratory, my work focuses primarily on understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie the development of central nervous system tumors and on developing models of these cancers in mice. While working as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the laboratory of Harold Varmus, I helped develop a technique for somatic cell gene …transfer, which has been important for creating mouse models of glioma. My colleagues and I have developed mouse models of eight subtypes of gliomas, including the first truly lifelike model of a glioblastoma -- the most lethal brain tumor in humans. These animal models are essential to making the transition from a scientific concept to understanding the behavior of a human tumor. The mouse modeling experiments we have conducted imply a relationship between the signal transduction abnormalities found in human gliomas and the formation and histologic character of these tumors. My laboratory is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and from private foundations. Most recently, I have served on the NIH's Brain Tumor Process Review Group. Currently, I am a member of the Mouse Models of Human Cancer Consortium and the principal investigator on a research project for MSKCC's Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant in brain cancer. Over the years, I have received several awards, including the Searle Scholars Award, the American Brain Tumor Association Research Award, the Peter Steck Memorial Award, the Bressler Scholars Award, and the Seroussi Award. In addition to serving as an ad hoc reviewer for many scientific journals, I am a member of the editorial boards of Virology, Molecular Cancer Research, the Journal of Molecular Medicine, and Neoplasia.