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Sarah Weiss, MD

Assistant Professor Adjunct; Assistant Professor (Medical Oncology)

Contact Information

Sarah Weiss, MD

Mailing Address

  • PO Box 208032

    New Haven, CT 06520-8028

    United States

Research Summary

Some of Dr. Weiss' ongoing research includes the development of new immunotherapeutic strategies for patients with melanoma and renal cell carcinoma whose disease has progressed on standard immunotherapy.

Extensive Research Description

Dr. Weiss joined the Melanoma and Renal Cell Carcinoma Disease Aligned Research Team at Yale in August 2016 and has a growing clinical practice. Her primary research interests are to develop innovative clinical trials for the management of advanced melanoma, and to identify and integrate prognostic and predictive biomarkers into clinical practice. She is currently the site Principal Investigator on several clinical trials including a study of Apexigen’s CD40 agonist in combination with nivolumab in patients with melanoma who are resistant to PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. This has led to an investigator-initiated clinical trial protocol that Dr. Weiss wrote based off of preclinical work conducted in the Kaech and Bosenberg laboratories here at Yale, aimed at overcoming resistance to PD-1/PD-L1 agents by targeting both the innate and adaptive immune systems with a triple combination of a CD40 agonist, CSF1R inhibitor, and PD-1 inhibitor.

Coauthors

Research Interests

Immunotherapy; Melanoma

Public Health Interests

Cancer

Selected Publications

  • Update on vaccines for high-risk melanoma.Weiss SA, Chandra S, Pavlick AC. Update on vaccines for high-risk melanoma. Current Treatment Options In Oncology 2014, 15: 269-80. PMID: 24788575, DOI: 10.1007/s11864-014-0283-7.
  • Somatic and germline analyses of a long term melanoma survivor with a recurrent brain metastasis.Weiss S, Darvishian F, Tadepalli J, Shapiro R, Golfinos J, Pavlick A, Polsky D, Kirchhoff T, Osman I. Somatic and germline analyses of a long term melanoma survivor with a recurrent brain metastasis. BMC Cancer 2015, 15: 926. PMID: 26597176, PMCID: PMC4657192, DOI: 10.1186/s12885-015-1927-0.
  • Revisiting determinants of prognosis in cutaneous melanoma.Weiss SA, Hanniford D, Hernando E, Osman I. Revisiting determinants of prognosis in cutaneous melanoma. Cancer 2015, 121: 4108-23. PMID: 26308244, PMCID: PMC4666819, DOI: 10.1002/cncr.29634.
  • Phosphorylation of eIF2α triggered by mTORC1 inhibition and PP6C activation is required for autophagy and is aberrant in PP6C-mutated melanoma.Wengrod J, Wang D, Weiss S, Zhong H, Osman I, Gardner LB. Phosphorylation of eIF2α triggered by mTORC1 inhibition and PP6C activation is required for autophagy and is aberrant in PP6C-mutated melanoma. Science Signaling 2015, 8: ra27. PMID: 25759478, PMCID: PMC4580977, DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aaa0899.
  • Impact of aging on host immune response and survival in melanoma: an analysis of 3 patient cohorts.Weiss SA, Han J, Darvishian F, Tchack J, Han SW, Malecek K, Krogsgaard M, Osman I, Zhong J. Impact of aging on host immune response and survival in melanoma: an analysis of 3 patient cohorts. Journal Of Translational Medicine 2016, 14: 299. PMID: 27760559, PMCID: PMC5070187, DOI: 10.1186/s12967-016-1026-2.
  • Immunologic heterogeneity of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte composition in primary melanoma.Weiss SA, Han SW, Lui K, Tchack J, Shapiro R, Berman R, Zhong J, Krogsgaard M, Osman I, Darvishian F. Immunologic heterogeneity of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte composition in primary melanoma. Human Pathology 2016, 57: 116-125. PMID: 27473267, PMCID: PMC5706446, DOI: 10.1016/j.humpath.2016.07.008.
  • Sensitivity of plasma BRAFmutant and NRASmutant cell-free DNA assays to detect metastatic melanoma in patients with low RECIST scores and non-RECIST disease progression.Chang GA, Tadepalli JS, Shao Y, Zhang Y, Weiss S, Robinson E, Spittle C, Furtado M, Shelton DN, Karlin-Neumann G, Pavlick A, Osman I, Polsky D. Sensitivity of plasma BRAFmutant and NRASmutant cell-free DNA assays to detect metastatic melanoma in patients with low RECIST scores and non-RECIST disease progression. Molecular Oncology 2016, 10: 157-65. PMID: 26440707, PMCID: PMC4695284, DOI: 10.1016/j.molonc.2015.09.005.
  • From the Guest Editors: Recent Advances and Evolving Challenges in Treating Unresectable Melanoma.Weiss SA, Kluger HM. From the Guest Editors: Recent Advances and Evolving Challenges in Treating Unresectable Melanoma. Cancer Journal (Sudbury, Mass.) 2017, 23: 1-2. PMID: 28114248, PMCID: PMC5526070, DOI: 10.1097/PPO.0000000000000244.
  • Melanoma brain metastases: correlation of imaging features with genomic markers and patient survival.Bordia R, Zhong H, Lee J, Weiss S, Han SW, Osman I, Jain R. Melanoma brain metastases: correlation of imaging features with genomic markers and patient survival. Journal Of Neuro-oncology 2017, 131: 341-348. PMID: 27822597, DOI: 10.1007/s11060-016-2305-8.
  • Corrigendum to "Immunologic heterogeneity of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte composition in primary melanoma" (Hum Pathol 2016;57:116-25).Weiss SA, Han SW, Lui K, Tchack J, Shapiro R, Berman R, Zhong J, Krogsgaard M, Osman I, Darvishian F. Corrigendum to "Immunologic heterogeneity of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte composition in primary melanoma" (Hum Pathol 2016;57:116-25). Human Pathology 2017, 63: 222. PMID: 28449825, DOI: 10.1016/j.humpath.2017.03.001.
  • Treatment Outcomes for Metastatic Melanoma of Unknown Primary in the New Era: A Single-Institution Study and Review of the Literature.Utter K, Goldman C, Weiss SA, Shapiro RL, Berman RS, Wilson MA, Pavlick AC, Osman I. Treatment Outcomes for Metastatic Melanoma of Unknown Primary in the New Era: A Single-Institution Study and Review of the Literature. Oncology 2017, 93: 249-258. PMID: 28746931, PMCID: PMC5617794, DOI: 10.1159/000478050.
  • Tumor Microvessel Density as a Prognostic Marker in High-Risk Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients Treated on ECOG-ACRIN E2805.Jilaveanu LB, Puligandla M, Weiss SA, Wang VX, Zito CR, Flaherty KT, Boeke M, Neumeister VM, Camp RL, Adeniran A, Pins M, Manola J, DiPaola RS, Haas N, Kluger HM. Tumor Microvessel Density as a Prognostic Marker in High-Risk Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients Treated on ECOG-ACRIN E2805. Clinical Cancer Research : An Official Journal Of The American Association For Cancer Research 2018, 24: 217-223. PMID: 29066509, PMCID: PMC5904512, DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-17-1555.
  • Collateral Damage: Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Induced With Checkpoint Inhibitors.Stamatouli AM, Quandt Z, Perdigoto AL, Clark PL, Kluger H, Weiss SA, Gettinger S, Sznol M, Young A, Rushakoff R, Lee J, Bluestone JA, Anderson M, Herold KC. Collateral Damage: Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Induced With Checkpoint Inhibitors. Diabetes 2018, 67: 1471-1480. PMID: 29937434, PMCID: PMC6054443, DOI: 10.2337/dbi18-0002.
  • Age Correlates with Response to Anti-PD1, Reflecting Age-Related Differences in Intratumoral Effector and Regulatory T-Cell Populations.Kugel CH, Douglass SM, Webster MR, Kaur A, Liu Q, Yin X, Weiss SA, Darvishian F, Al-Rohil RN, Ndoye A, Behera R, Alicea GM, Ecker BL, Fane M, Allegrezza MJ, Svoronos N, Kumar V, Wang DY, Somasundaram R, Hu-Lieskovan S, Ozgun A, Herlyn M, Conejo-Garcia JR, Gabrilovich D, Stone EL, Nowicki TS, Sosman J, Rai R, Carlino MS, Long GV, Marais R, Ribas A, Eroglu Z, Davies MA, Schilling B, Schadendorf D, Xu W, Amaravadi RK, Menzies AM, McQuade JL, Johnson DB, Osman I, Weeraratna AT. Age Correlates with Response to Anti-PD1, Reflecting Age-Related Differences in Intratumoral Effector and Regulatory T-Cell Populations. Clinical Cancer Research : An Official Journal Of The American Association For Cancer Research 2018, 24: 5347-5356. PMID: 29898988, PMCID: PMC6324578, DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-18-1116.
  • Long-Term Survival of Patients With Melanoma With Active Brain Metastases Treated With Pembrolizumab on a Phase II Trial.Kluger HM, Chiang V, Mahajan A, Zito CR, Sznol M, Tran T, Weiss SA, Cohen JV, Yu J, Hegde U, Perrotti E, Anderson G, Ralabate A, Kluger Y, Wei W, Goldberg SB, Jilaveanu LB. Long-Term Survival of Patients With Melanoma With Active Brain Metastases Treated With Pembrolizumab on a Phase II Trial. Journal Of Clinical Oncology : Official Journal Of The American Society Of Clinical Oncology 2019, 37: 52-60. PMID: 30407895, PMCID: PMC6354772, DOI: 10.1200/JCO.18.00204.
  • Ophthalmic Immune-Related Adverse Events of Immunotherapy: A Single-Site Case Series.Kim JM, Materin MA, Sznol M, Kluger H, Weiss S, Chow J, Stoessel K, Kombo N, Del Priore L, Pointdujour-Lim R. Ophthalmic Immune-Related Adverse Events of Immunotherapy: A Single-Site Case Series. Ophthalmology 2019, 126: 1058-1062. PMID: 30735682, PMCID: PMC6933747, DOI: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2019.01.031.
  • Immunotherapy of Melanoma: Facts and Hopes.Weiss SA, Wolchok JD, Sznol M. Immunotherapy of Melanoma: Facts and Hopes. Clinical Cancer Research : An Official Journal Of The American Association For Cancer Research 2019, 25: 5191-5201. PMID: 30923036, PMCID: PMC6726509, DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-18-1550.
  • Patterns of failure after immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors predict durable progression-free survival after local therapy for metastatic melanoma.Klemen ND, Wang M, Feingold PL, Cooper K, Pavri SN, Han D, Detterbeck FC, Boffa DJ, Khan SA, Olino K, Clune J, Ariyan S, Salem RR, Weiss SA, Kluger HM, Sznol M, Cha C. Patterns of failure after immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors predict durable progression-free survival after local therapy for metastatic melanoma. Journal For Immunotherapy Of Cancer 2019, 7: 196. PMID: 31340861, PMCID: PMC6657062, DOI: 10.1186/s40425-019-0672-3.
  • Seronegative autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy from dual immune checkpoint inhibition in a patient with metastatic melanoma.Gao CA, Weber UM, Peixoto AJ, Weiss SA. Seronegative autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy from dual immune checkpoint inhibition in a patient with metastatic melanoma. Journal For Immunotherapy Of Cancer 2019, 7: 262. PMID: 31623673, PMCID: PMC6796437, DOI: 10.1186/s40425-019-0748-0.
  • PLEKHA5 regulates tumor growth in metastatic melanoma.Zhang H, Zhu H, Deng G, Zito CR, Oria VO, Rane CK, Zhang S, Weiss SA, Tran T, Adeniran A, Zhang F, Zhou J, Kluger Y, Bosenberg MW, Kluger HM, Jilaveanu LB. PLEKHA5 regulates tumor growth in metastatic melanoma. Cancer 2020, 126: 1016-1030. PMID: 31769872, PMCID: PMC7147081, DOI: 10.1002/cncr.32611.
  • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy in Patients With Preexisting Inflammatory Bowel Disease.Abu-Sbeih H, Faleck DM, Ricciuti B, Mendelsohn RB, Naqash AR, Cohen JV, Sellers MC, Balaji A, Ben-Betzalel G, Hajir I, Zhang J, Awad MM, Leonardi GC, Johnson DB, Pinato DJ, Owen DH, Weiss SA, Lamberti G, Lythgoe MP, Manuzzi L, Arnold C, Qiao W, Naidoo J, Markel G, Powell N, Yeung SJ, Sharon E, Dougan M, Wang Y. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy in Patients With Preexisting Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Journal Of Clinical Oncology : Official Journal Of The American Society Of Clinical Oncology 2020, 38: 576-583. PMID: 31800340, PMCID: PMC7030892, DOI: 10.1200/JCO.19.01674.
  • Dabrafenib and Trametinib for BRAF-Mutated Conjunctival Melanoma.Kim JM, Weiss S, Sinard JH, Pointdujour-Lim R. Dabrafenib and Trametinib for BRAF-Mutated Conjunctival Melanoma. Ocular Oncology And Pathology 2020, 6: 35-38. PMID: 32002403, PMCID: PMC6984155, DOI: 10.1159/000497473.
  • Survival after checkpoint inhibitors for metastatic acral, mucosal and uveal melanoma.Klemen ND, Wang M, Rubinstein JC, Olino K, Clune J, Ariyan S, Cha C, Weiss SA, Kluger HM, Sznol M. Survival after checkpoint inhibitors for metastatic acral, mucosal and uveal melanoma. Journal For Immunotherapy Of Cancer 2020, 8 PMID: 32209601, PMCID: PMC7103823, DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2019-000341.
  • Prognostic and Predictive Biomarkers in Oligometastatic Disease.Barnum KJ, Weiss SA. Prognostic and Predictive Biomarkers in Oligometastatic Disease. Cancer Journal (Sudbury, Mass.) 2020, 26: 100-107. PMID: 32205533, DOI: 10.1097/PPO.0000000000000438.
  • Neoadjuvant anti-programmed cell death 1 therapy for locally advanced basal cell carcinoma in treatment-naive patients: A case series.Ligtenberg KG, Hu JK, Damsky W, Olino K, Kluger H, Clune J, Cowper SE, Panse G, Leventhal J, Weiss SA. Neoadjuvant anti-programmed cell death 1 therapy for locally advanced basal cell carcinoma in treatment-naive patients: A case series. JAAD Case Reports 2020, 6: 628-633. PMID: 32613057, PMCID: PMC7317689, DOI: 10.1016/j.jdcr.2020.05.010.
  • Melanoma brain metastases have lower T-cell content and microvessel density compared to matched extracranial metastases.Weiss SA, Zito C, Tran T, Heishima K, Neumeister V, McGuire J, Adeniran A, Kluger H, Jilaveanu LB. Melanoma brain metastases have lower T-cell content and microvessel density compared to matched extracranial metastases. Journal Of Neuro-oncology 2021, 152: 15-25. PMID: 32974852, PMCID: PMC7910371, DOI: 10.1007/s11060-020-03619-0.
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