Dr. Bannerji came to Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) in 2012 following six years of conducting clinical research in drug development in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, he was in full-time clinical practice as a hematologist-oncologist on active duty in the U.S. Army. This included four years as an attending physician at Madigan Army Medical Center preceded by three years of hematology-oncology fellowship training at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital after obtaining a PhD and MD from Cornell.
"I strongly feel my role as a member of an academic medical center is the ability to offer new treatments in the context of clinical trials. My clinical research is focused on the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and on the development of new treatments for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. At CINJ, we participated in the nationwide clinical studies that resulted in the first FDA approvals for two new medications, ibrutinib and venetoclax, which changed the face of CLL treatment from chemotherapy to targeted oral medications. Harnessing the patient’s own immune system to fight their cancer is a rapidly expanding field of oncology research."
Dr. Bannerji is the lead investigator of an international study of an immunotherapy agent, REGN 1979, being studied in the treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphomas.
While working in the pharmaceutical industry, he led the clinical development of a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor from the first-in-human Phase I trial through multiple Phase I and Phase II studies. At CINJ, Dr. Bannerji works with a number of pharmaceutical companies to develop new treatments for hematological malignancies. With the resources available that can only be found at a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, he is also developing his own investigator-initiated clinical study, participating in studies with national academic oncology cooperative groups, and working with a small start-up biotech company spun off from a Rutgers lab, to help them bring their molecule to a first-in-human study.
"This rich and fertile clinical research environment gives our patients access to clinical studies and novel treatments," he says.
Dr. Bannerji is the author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed publications and research meeting presentations (abstracts), as well as a book chapter. He has presented clinical trial results and given invited lectures at both national and international scientific meetings.
He is also affiliated with RWJ University Hospital.
Novel Bispecific Antibody Induces Encouraging Activity in B-Cell NHL
Is Odronextamab a Feasible Option for Patients with NHL Who Are Refractory to CAR T-Cell Therapy?
VIDEO from American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2020 Meeting: Dr. Bannerji Speaks About Abstract Entitled: 400 Odronextamab (REGN1979), a Human CD20 x CD3 Bispecific Antibody, Induces Durable, Complete Responses in Patients with Highly Refractory B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Including Patients Refractory to CAR T TherapyListen Now - Dr. Bannerji EBC Radio Interview About Blood Cancers
Leukemia, Lymphoma, Blood Cancers, Blood and Marrow Transplant, Clinical Trials
Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY
The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Silver Spring, MD