Rate My Professor Anthony Faber

Anthony C. Faber, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology within the Philips Institute for Oral Health Research at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry. He serves as Co-Leader of the Developmental Therapeutics program at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and holds the Natalie N. and John R. Congdon, Sr. Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. Faber joined VCU in 2014 and has advanced to the rank of tenured Professor. His research centers on developing targeted therapies for aggressive cancers, with a focus on mechanisms of drug resistance, apoptosis regulation through the BCL2 family proteins, and synthetic lethal interactions such as combined BCL-XL and MEK inhibition. He has pioneered the use of patient-derived models to identify effective drug combinations against cancers resistant to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Current projects target pediatric malignancies including MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma using ferroptosis inducers and inhibitors of the System Xc-/glutathione axis, as well as synovial sarcoma driven by the SS18-SSX fusion protein via SUMOylation inhibition. In 2023, Faber received four grants totaling more than $6.3 million from the National Cancer Institute and the Department of Defense to advance these therapies toward clinical trials.

Faber is a highly cited researcher in cancer therapeutics, with influential publications including 'Tumor cells can follow distinct evolutionary paths to become resistant to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition' (Nature Medicine, 2016), 'Patient-derived models of acquired resistance can identify effective drug combinations for cancer' (Science, 2014), and 'The BCL2 family: key mediators of the apoptotic response to targeted anticancer therapeutics' (Cancer Discovery, 2015). His work has shaped understanding of adaptive resistance in lung, breast, and other cancers. Faber has been recognized as Scientist of the Year at VCU Massey Cancer Center (2023) and received the 2024 National/International Recognition Award. He contributes as an editor for PeerJ and leads international collaborations to translate preclinical findings into treatments complementing chemotherapy and radiation.