I serve as a Global Product Leader in Late Stage Oncology Research and Development at AstraZeneca. In my role, I lead global development teams for oncology compounds from the start of Phase 3 clinical trials through to launch and beyond.

I am most passionate about science and people. I began my career in academia but have spent the past two decades focused on oncology research and development at AstraZeneca because I am driven to help people living with cancer. My work at AstraZeneca is a perfect combination of my passions – we have an extremely robust product pipeline underpinned by exceptional science, and we take a truly patient-centric approach.

Over the years, I have held bioscience, translational science and project leadership roles in both early and late stage development, across AstraZeneca’s oncology franchises, with recent particular focus in breast cancer. I was the early project leader of the team that discovered a targeted therapy in EGFR+ lung cancer.

I also have significant expertise in breast cancer having led the team which defined strategy for breast cancer therapy development across AstraZeneca and MedImmune. I am currently leading an estrogen receptor targeting project in late oncology and have co-authored more than 35 peer-reviewed publications including papers in Nature, Clinical Cancer Research, Cancer Discovery and J Cell Science.

Before joining AstraZeneca, I gained my PhD in cell biology and embryonic development at the University of Manchester and worked at a start-up biotech focused on wound healing.

 

I am passionate about making a difference by bringing new medicines and innovations to patients, working collaboratively with industry, academia and the patients themselves.

Teresa Klinowska Global Product Leader, Oncology R&D

Honor

2018: Invited panelist for US Food and Drug Administration Public Workshop: Clinical Trials to Optimize Outcomes in Early Breast Cancer, Washington DC.

Shortlisted

2019: Shortlisted for AstraZeneca’s R&D award for delivering a training workshop to China’s Food and Drug Administration / Center for Drug Evaluation

Award

2013: AstraZeneca CEO award for exceptional delivery in ‘Achieving Scientific Leadership’

Teresa Klinowska

CURRENT ROLE

Global Product Leader, Oncology R&D

2014 – 2019

Led global, cross-functional, oncology project teams from preclinical to Phase 3 preparation; also served as the global lead of the AstraZeneca/Medimmune breast cancer tumour strategy team

2011 – 2014

Held increasing levels of responsibility as a Principal Scientist within AstraZeneca’s Oncology Innovation Medicines Unit including building a global, cross-functional breast disease area team to define and execute strategy for breast and female cancers. During these years, also served as pre-clinical lead for Phase 2 assets building the scientific hypotheses and devising the strategy for clinical trials in breast, gastric, colorectal, renal, among others.

2009 – 2011

Served as a Translational Science Strategist within AstraZeneca Oncology and as Early Project Leader of the team that discovered a targeted therapy in EGFR+ lung cancer

 Featured publications

A randomized, window of opportunity study comparing the effects of the novel oral SERD AZD9496 with fulvestrant in patients with ER+ HER2- primary breast cancer.

Robertson JF, Evans A, Henschen S, Kirwan CC, Jahan A, Kenny LM, Dixon JM, Schmid P, Kothari A, Mohamed O, Fasching PA, Cheung KL, Wuerstlein R, Carroll D, Klinowska T, Lindemann JPO, MacDonald A, Mather R, Maudsley R, Moschetta M, Nikolaou M, Roudier MP, Sarvotham T, Schiavon G, Zhou D, Zhou L, Harbeck N. Clinical Cancer Research 2020. Publication link.

 

AZD9291, an irreversible EGFR TKI, overcomes T790M-mediated resistance to EGFR inhibitors in lung cancer.

Cross DA, Ashton SE, Ghiorghiu S, Eberlein C, Nebhan CA, Spitzler PJ, Orme JP, Finlay MR, Ward RA, Mellor MJ, Hughes G, Rahi A, Jacobs VN, Red Brewer M, Ichihara E, Sun J, Jin H, Ballard P, Al-Kadhimi K, Rowlinson R, Klinowska T, Richmond GH, Cantarini M, Kim DW, Ranson MR, Pao W. Cancer Discovery 2014. Publication link.

Overcoming mTOR resistance mutations with a new-generation mTOR inhibitor.

Rodrik-Outmezguine VS, Okaniwa M, Yao Z, Novotny CJ, McWhirter C, Banaji A, Won H, Wong W, Berger M, de Stanchina E, Barratt DG, Cosulich S, Klinowska T, Rosen N, Shokat KM. Nature. 2016 Jun 9;534. Publication link. 

Circulating Biomarkers and Resistance to Endocrine Therapy in Metastatic Breast Cancers: Correlative Results From AZD9496 Oral SERD Phase I Trial.

Paoletti C, Schiavon G, Dolce EM, Darga EP, Carr TH, Geradts J, Hoch M, Klinowska T, Lindemann J, Marshall G, Morgan S, Patel P, Rowlands V, Sathiyayogan N, Aung K, Hamilton E, Patel M, Armstrong A, Jhaveri K, Im SA, Iqbal N, Butt F, Dive C, Harrington EA, Barrett JC, Baird R, Hayes DF. Clin Cancer Res. 2018 Dec 1 24 (23), 5860-5872. Publication link.

Combined Inhibition of PI3Kβ and mTOR Inhibits Growth of PTEN-null Tumors.

Lynch JT, Polanska UM, Hancox U, Delpuech O, Maynard J, Trigwell C, Eberlein C, Lenaghan C, Polanski R, Avivar-Valderas A, Cumberbatch M, Klinowska T, Critchlow SE, Cruzalegui F, Barry ST. Mol Cancer Ther. 2018 Nov 17 (11), 2309-2319. Publication link.

A First-in-Human Study of the New Oral Selective Estrogen Receptor Degrader AZD9496 for ER +/HER2 - Advanced Breast Cancer.

Hamilton EP, Patel MR, Armstrong AC, Baird RD, Jhaveri K, Hoch M, Klinowska T, Lindemann JPO, Morgan SR, Schiavon G, Weir HM, Im SA. Clin Cancer Res. 2018 Aug 1, 24 (15), 3510-3518. Publication link. 

Building bridges in a series of estrogen receptor degraders: an application of metathesis in medicinal chemistry.

Scott JS, Breed J, Carbajo RJ, Davey PR, Greenwood R, Huynh HK, Klinowska T, Morrow CJ, Moss TA, Polanski R, Nissink JWM, Varnes J, Yang B. ACS Med Chem Lett. 2019 10(10):1492-1497. Publication link.

HO-1 drives autophagy as a mechanism of resistance against HER-2 targeted therapies.

Tracey N, Creedon H, Kemp AJ, Culley J, Muir M, Klinowska T, Brunton VG. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2019. Publication link. 

Utilization of Structure-Based Design to Identify Novel, Irreversible Inhibitors of EGFR Harboring the T790M Mutation.

Hennessy EJ, Chuaqui C, Ashton S, Colclough N, Cross DA, Debreczeni JÉ, Eberlein C, Gingipalli L, Klinowska TC, Orme JP, Sha L, Wu X. ACS Med Chem Lett. 2016 Mar 21;7(5):514-9. Publication link.

AZD2014, an Inhibitor of mTORC1 and mTORC2, Is Highly Effective in ER+ Breast Cancer When Administered Using Intermittent or Continuous Schedules.

Guichard SM, Curwen J, Bihani T, D'Cruz CM, Yates JW, Grondine M, Howard Z, Davies BR, Bigley G, Klinowska T, Pike KG, Pass M, Chresta CM, Polanska UM, McEwen R, Delpuech O, Green S, Cosulich SC. Mol Cancer Ther. 2015 Nov;14(11):2508-18. Publication link.