David Duggan, PhD
Translational Genomics Research Institute, a part of City of Hope
David Duggan, Ph.D., is a renowned scientist, market and technical analyst, and early-stage commercialization strategist; with over 30 yrs of scientific expertise, 20 yrs of experience advising equity management firms, and 13 yrs of experience fostering the growth of early-stage ventures. Dr. Duggan is dedicated to conducting collaborative research, forming industry partnerships, and exploring commercialization opportunities that emphasize translating scientific discoveries into practical applications. His work spans family- and population-based research studies, clinical implementation studies, and the evaluation of the utility, cost-benefit and practical use of both existing and emerging technologies. His primary focus is on understanding the genetic underpinnings of complex diseases such as cancer. His research laboratory has generated data for over 300,000 patient samples. Dr. Duggan has authored nearly 200 scientific articles, 6 invited reviews, 4 book chapters, and co-edited a book on Oncogenomics.
Currently, his efforts are focused on the clinical validation and implementation of risk stratification and early detection technologies such as polygenic risk scores. These scores, which estimate an individual’s lifetime risk of developing certain diseases based on their genomic information, can be used to assess personal disease risk, analyze population-level risk, select samples for further investigation, and match patients with drugs most likely to benefit them. Dr. Duggan works closely with the executive and health ventures teams to integrate innovative genomic-based tools into clinical practice. In this capacity, he provides scientific expertise, evaluates staffing needs, develops and oversees logistical planning, and explores strategic partnerships as required. His efforts focus on advancing technologies that (1) pinpoint individuals with a high lifetime risk of certain diseases, (2) facilitate early disease detection - when survival rates are highest, and (3) deliver educational initiatives, such as continuing medical education seminars. These initiatives are often tailored for healthcare partners, including healthcare systems and networks, where novel clinical-genomic insights are shared with physicians, healthcare professionals, and patients.
Dr. Duggan received his Ph.D. from the Human Genetic Department, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh (1997). He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Cancer Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health (1998-2003).
