University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI)

Leadership

David Roodman, MD, PhD

David Roodman, an internationally renowned researcher in multiple myeloma and bone marrow culture techniques, is director of the Hematologic Malignancies Program of UPCI. Dr. Roodman also is professor of medicine, division of hematology/oncology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director, Center for Bone Biology, UPMC.

At UPCI, Dr. Roodman focuses his research on the investigation of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells that play a vital role in the body’s immune defenses. In addition to multiple myeloma, Dr. Roodman’s research focuses on Paget’s disease of the bone, the second most common bone disease diagnosed in the United States.

Dr. Roodman is studying the mechanisms that control and promote osteoclast formation to limit the breakdown of bone tissue that occurs in both diseases. In patients with multiple myeloma and Paget’s disease, osteoclast activity is increased, resulting in the destruction of bone.

Prior to his position at UPCI, Dr. Roodman was associate chair for research in the department of medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. While there, he identified an enzyme, OIP-2, that appears to be a regulator of osteoclast formation. OIP-2 may be responsible for restricting osteoclast numbers to low levels, and thus holds promise as a treatment for patients with multiple myeloma and Paget’s disease suffering from damaged and weakened bones. Dr. Roodman also is examining MIP1-alpha receptor antagonists to determine their promise as a therapeutic agent for patients with multiple myeloma.