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David J. Daniels, MD, PhD (he/him/his)

Professor
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota, United States

My name is Dr. David Daniels M.D., Ph.D. I am the Professor of Neurosurgery, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, and Pharmacology at The Mayo Clinic- Rochester, MN.
As a neurosurgeon and a clinician-scientist my research interests revolve around translational pediatric neuro-oncology. The overall goal of my research program is to improve therapy for children with malignant brain tumors. This includes developing new tools to improve surgical resection and decrease surgical morbidity for brain tumor surgery, and the development of novel drugs and delivery mechanisms for molecularly-targeted therapies. My lab is currently studying pediatric high grade brain tumors including Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas (DIPG) that harbor the histone H3K27M mutation to better understand how this mutation drives tumorigenesis. Relevant for our DIPG studies, we are developing patient-derived animal models and tumor cell lines with the H3K27M mutation to further study the mechanism of tumorigenesis and evaluate therapeutic vulnerabilities of this genetic mutation. We also collaborate with other labs that study the H3K27M mutation and have one of the largest collections of xenografts and cell lines with the H3K27M mutation. Using these lines, we have performed numerous screens to identify therapeutic targets for this deadly disease. Ultimately, we are developing targeted therapies and novel delivery platforms for treating malignant pediatric brain tumors.
I am involved with education across all platforms at Mayo Clinic including graduate, post-graduate and fellowship levels. I am the program director for the neurosurgical resident training program and have mentored 21 trainees to their graduation. I am also a part of Mayo Clinic’s medical school career advisor program and have mentored over 20 students to their respective fields. I am also on the MD/PhD and molecular pharmacology admissions committee and have 2 MD/PhD students and 1 PhD student in my lab currently. I have graduated one PhD student from my lab. I have further helped and mentored 4 MD/PhD students and 1 PhD student to their PhDs by being on their thesis committees. I have had a student on a NIH diversity supplement in my lab for 1 year; and have a diversity and inclusion post-bac student in my lab for two years. I also help oversee our NIH T32 Neuro-Oncology Training program and have helped mentored 6 fellows through this program.
I have sought to establish a laboratory environment based upon hard work, collaboration, and creative thinking. Post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and technicians regularly present data at laboratory meetings for discussion and feedback, fostering a mutual understanding of the lab’s current work and the ability for individuals to work together to solve common problems. We also have regular lab social activities, including happy hours and meals where lab members are able to get acquainted and develop relationships that foster greater comfort and teamwork in the laboratory setting. I routinely give didactic lectures across the enterprise and include topics specific to our lab research, neurosurgery, translational research etc. I am deeply committed to education and making sure our students succeed.

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