Earlier this week, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) welcomed its 18th Director, the highly esteemed Dr. Anthony Letai. Dr. Letai, a graduate of Princeton University with a degree in Physics, furthered his education with an MD and PhD from the University of Chicago. His extensive training includes a residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a fellowship in hematology and oncology, and postdoctoral training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Letai most recently served as a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and practiced as a medical oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr. Letai’s research has focused on improving treatment options for patients with hematological malignancies, including leukemia. His work on pathways related to cell death, particularly apoptosis, a biological process involving a series of molecular steps that result in a cell dying, has greatly benefited basic and translational research around the world.
He contributed to an impressive body of work on venetoclax, a B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) inhibitor that blocks signals that help leukemia cells survive, which has become a standard of care for different types of hematological malignancies. This research has informed the development of a class of inhibitory drugs currently under investigation in over 100 clinical trials for their efficacy against various cancer types.
The Letai team's groundbreaking work also includes the development of Dynamic BH3 Profiling (DBP), a technique that has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment. DBP measures how well a drug promotes cancer cells to undergo apoptosis, providing a quick and accurate way to predict a patient's response to chemotherapy. This technology, known as functional precision medicine, has the potential to significantly improve cancer survivorship.
On September 29, 2025, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. swore Dr. Letai in as the NCI Director. Secretary Kennedy praised Letai, stating, “… Dr. Letai’s leadership of NCI will drive American innovation by focusing squarely on the best science to find causes and cures.” Similarly, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya lauded the talents Dr. Letai will bring to the NCI, saying, “His drive, integrity, and expertise make him the right leader to harness the resources and talent at NCI to reverse America’s cancer crisis.” Their confidence in Dr. Letai's abilities asserts his potential to make a significant impact on the health of the country.
Dr. Letai stated, “It is a great honor to join Secretary Kennedy and Director Bhattacharya at this watershed moment for our nation’s public health. We will work around the clock to identify cancer’s root causes, predictive biomarkers, and most effective treatments. Advances in understanding cell death and replication are essential to realizing President Trump’s vision for a healthy America.”
As Dr. Letai takes on his new role at the NCI, I look forward to seeing how he shapes the next era of translational cancer research!
Sources: NCI, NIH, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, NEJM, Cancer Cell
