GIULIO F. DRAETTA, M.D., PH.D.

​Professor and Sewell Family Chair
Department of Genomic Medicine
Division of Cancer Medicine
MD Anderson Cancer Center

Giulio F. Draetta is Senior Vice President, Discovery Therapeutics, Chief Academic Officer ad interim, and he is Professor and holds the Sewell Family Chair in the Department of Genomic Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He additionally serves as the co-leader of the institution’s Moon Shots Program. Dr. Draetta’s laboratory focuses on using functional genomics approaches to identify cancer-specific dependencies and their underlying mechanisms within defined genetic contexts, particularly in pancreatic and brain cancer. Specific areas of emphasis include cancer cell metabolism, epigenetics, and translational cancer biology. Before joining MD Anderson in 2011, he was Dana-Farber Presidential Scholar, Chief Research Business Development Officer and Deputy Director of the Belfer Institute for Applied Cancer Science at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Prior to returning full-time to academic endeavors, Dr. Draetta spent many years in the pharmaceutical industry, including serving as Executive Director at Pharmacia and Merck, where he developed his passion for addressing the opportunities and challenges inherent within oncology drug discovery. Since 2012, his team at MD Anderson has advanced to clinical development, two novel therapeutic antibodies and IACS-10759, a novel small molecule inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation that is currently being tested in leukemia and solid tumors indications, with a host of molecules positioned along the drug discovery/development continuum. Through his administrative service, Dr. Draetta is responsible for fostering the institutional scientific mission and leveraging multi-disciplinary team science opportunities to serve patients with cancer by improving the speed of delivery and impact of novel cancer therapeutics.