Dr. Valerie De Luca obtained her PhD in Pharmacology & Toxicology in an effort to develop novel therapeutic strategies for cancer patients. Her current research aims to leverage drug-induced functional states in glioblastoma to create more effective combinatorial treatments that can be translated to the clinic. A significant portion of her work is dedicated to developing extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a liquid biopsy tool, which can capture drug-induced changes in residual tumors. This approach has the potential to provide real-time insights into treatment efficacy, tumor progression, and patient-specific responses, ultimately improving personalized care.
Dr. De Luca is committed to bridging the gap between basic science and clinical application, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams in both academic and clinical settings. By advancing new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, she seeks to enhance current treatment regimens and push for more targeted, effective therapies for brain cancer patients. She was the inaugural fellow for the Lori Lane/Andy Spyrow brain tumor fellowship, and is currently supported by the American Cancer Society.
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