Benjamin Green, MD
Associate Member, Cancer Biology Program, University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center
Academic Appointment(s):
Assistant Professor (Assistant Researcher), University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Assistant Professor Cell and Molecular Biology Department, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Degree(s):
MD, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Fellowship: Surgical Oncology Program, National Cancer Institute, NIH
Research Focus
Liver cancer is a highly prevalent and deadly form of cancer, both worldwide and particularly in the Pacific. Although patients with liver cancer now receive immunotherapy to prolong their survival, immunotherapy is less effective for tumors in the liver compared with other types of cancer, and a cure for liver cancer remains elusive. My lab studies the unique immune cells found in the liver in order to discover ways to improve upon current liver cancer treatment by (1) eliminating pro-cancer cells from the liver microenvironment and (2) boosting anti-cancer immune cells. I collaborate with an outstanding team of basic scientists, surgeons, oncologists, and bioinformaticians. Together, we are creating better immune-directed therapies for all patients with liver cancer.
Selected Publications
Green BL, Myojin Y, Ma C, Ruf B, Ma L, Zhang Q, Rosato U, Qi J, Resvine M, Wabitsch S, Bauer K, Benmebarek M, McCallen J, Nur A, Wang X, Sehra V, Gupta R, Claassen M, Wang XW, Korangy F, Greten TF. (2023). Immunosuppressive CD29+ Treg accumulation in the liver in mice upon checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Gut, Sep 28:gutjnl-2023-330024. Online ahead of print.
Green BL, Gamble LA, Diggs LP, Nousome D, Patterson JC, Joughin BA, Lux SC, Samaranayake SG, Miettinen M, Quezado M, Hernandez JM, Yaffe MB, Davis JL. (2023). Early immune changes support signet ring cell dormancy in CDH1-driven hereditary diffuse gastric carcinogenesis. Mol Cancer Res, Dec 1;21(12):1356-1365.
Green BL, Blumenthaler AN, Gamble LA, McDonald JD, Robinson K, Connolly M, Epstein M, Hernandez JM, Blakely AM, Badgwell BD, Davis JL. (2023). Cytoreduction and HIPEC for gastric carcinomatosis: multi-institutional analysis of two phase II clinical trials. Ann Surg Oncol, Mar, 30:1852–1860.
Green BL, Grant RRC, Richie CT, Chatterjee B, Sampaio De Melo M, Barr FG, Pacak K, Agarwal SK, Nilubol N. (2022). Novel GLCCI1-BRAF fusion drives kinase signaling in a case of pheochromocytomatosis. Eur J Endocrinol, Jul 1;187(1):185-196.
Green BL, Fasaye GA, Samaranayake SG, Duemler A, Gamble LA, Davis JL. (2022). Frequent cleft lip and palate in families with pathogenic germline CDH1 variants. Front Genet, 13:1012025.
Lu X*, Deng S*, Xu J*, Green BL*, Zhang H, Cui G, Zhou Y, Zhang Y, Xu H, Zhang F, Mao R, Zhong S, Cramer T, Evert M, Calvisi DF, He Y, Liu C, Chen X. (2023). Combination of AFP vaccine and immune checkpoint inhibitors slows hepatocellular carcinoma progression in preclinical models. J Clin Invest, Jun 1;133(11):e163291. *co-first author
McVey JC*, Green BL*, Ruf B, McCallen JD, Wabitsch S, Subramanyam V, Diggs LP, Heinrich B, Greten TF, Ma C. (2022). NAFLD indirectly impairs antigen specific CD8+ T cell immunity against liver cancer in mice. iScience, Feb 1;25(2):103847. *co-first author
Complete list of published work in My Bibliography
Active Grants
Green, Benjamin L. (PI)
Ola Hawai’i Pilot Project
NIH/NIMHD U54MD007601
“Targeting CD29+ Tregs for liver cancer immunotherapy”
2023–2024
Benjamin L. Green, MD (PI)
Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation research fellowship award
“A peptide vaccine targeting WT1 for immunotherapy against intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma”
2023–2024
