Charles’ research focuses on the development of more effective, less toxic therapies for childhood cancers. His special interest is advanced disease that has spread beyond the initial location of the cancer or which makes the tumor unresectable. Charles has co-chaired the brain tumor developmental therapeutics committee (CNS-DVL) of the Children’s Oncology Group and is a member of the soft tissue sarcoma (STS) committee of Children’s Oncology Group. He has also regularly been a standing or ad hoc member of NIH/NCI Study Sections.
Charles attended Tulane University where he received a degree in Biomedical Engineering prior to attending Baylor College of Medicine where he received his M.D. degree. After completing his internship and residency in Pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital, Charles trained in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at the University of Utah and with 2007 Nobel laureate, Mario Capecchi. Charles has authored over 100 scientific publications and is a recognized expert in the biology of childhood sarcomas and the preclinical investigation of childhood cancers. Charles is also a co-founder of First Ascent Biomedical (a company developing personalized medical approaches to therapy for canine and human solid tumor patients), Artisan Biopharma (a company helping translate drug discoveries to clinical use) and Tio Companies that improves drug safety and cancer drug effectiveness*. In their spare time, Charles and his daughters enjoy outdoor adventures, as well as designing and building treehouses and Japanese Teahouses.
* overlap between cc-TDI, FirstAscent, Artisan Biopharma and Tio Companies is overseen by a conflict of interest management committee.
