SUMMARY
Jithma P. Abeykoon, M.D., is a clinician-investigator in the Division of Hematology in the Department of General Internal Medicine. He cares for people with lymphoma and histiocytic cancers and conducts research in basic, translational and clinical sciences.
His research focuses on understanding and delineating disease biology and discovering new treatment strategies for individuals with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma and histiocytic cancers. Dr. Abeykoon has a special interest in initiating early-phase clinical trials. He brings new and effective treatment strategies from the bench to the bedside for people with blood cancers.
Focus areas
- Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage repair in hematologic malignancies. Dr. Abeykoon focuses on understanding how lymphoma cells use specific DNA damage repair pathways to mend DNA. He explores how to exploit specific dependencies of the cancer cells for therapeutic benefits.
- Replication stress in non-Hodgkin lymphoma and histiocytic cancers. Dr. Abeykoon studies how TP53 deficiency affects cell replication in blood cancers.
- New treatment for histiocytic cancers. Dr. Abeykoon focuses on identifying new biological pathways and fresh therapeutic approaches for people with histiocytic cancers.
- Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Dr. Abeykoon studies the course and treatment outcomes of individuals with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia.
- Histiocytic cancers. Dr. Abeykoon explores the treatment and outcomes of people with histiocytic cancers.
Significance to patient care
Dr. Abeykoon's basic and translational science research focuses on studying new biological pathways in lymphoma. He discovers new treatment strategies for people with difficult-to-treat cancers. Dr. Abeykoon discovered a new drug combination, CRM1 inhibitor combined with choline salicylate, with antitumor activity. This combination therapy induces homologous recombination repair (HRR) deficiency in HRR-proficient cells by decreasing the expression of RAD51, a critical protein involved in HRR.
Dr. Abeykoon guided these findings from the bench to the bedside with an investigator-initiated phase 1 clinical trial for people with relapsed lymphoma and histiocytic malignancies. Dr. Abeykoon does active research on exploiting other pathways associated with DNA damage and cell proliferation. He strives to bring new and efficacious treatments from the bench to the bedside for early-phase clinical trials.
Professional highlights
- Division of Hematology, Department of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic:
- Senior associate consultant, 2023-present.
- Merit Award, 2024.
- Mayo Clinic scholar, 2022-2023.
- Member, editorial board, Frontiers in Medicine, 2023-present.
- Co-chair, Mayo Clinic and University of Alabama at Birmingham Histiocytosis Working Group, 2021-present.
- Member, editorial board, Biomolecules, 2021-present.
- Robert A. Kyle Career Development Award, International Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation, 2023.
- Young Investigator Draft award, Uplifting Athletes, 2023.
- Mayo Brothers Distinguished Fellowship Award, Mayo Clinic, 2022.
- Outstanding Hematology-Oncology Trainee, Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, 2021.
- Paul Carbone, M.D., Fellowship Award, ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, 2021.