Charles J. Ryan

Charles J. Ryan, MD holds the B.J. Kennedy Chair in Clinical Medical Oncology and serves as Director of the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation at the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, having previously led the prostate cancer program at UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center for over a decade. Dr. Ryan is internationally recognized for his foundational role in the clinical development of abiraterone acetate and for leading the landmark LATITUDE trial, one of the most practice-changing studies in prostate cancer history. While at UCSF, he co-led pivotal early-phase abiraterone trials that elucidated its mechanism (CYP17 lyase inhibition blocking adrenal and intratumoral androgen synthesis), establishing proof-of-concept for post-chemotherapy mCRPC activity (JCO 2010). He subsequently served as a principal investigator of the phase III LATITUDE trial (NEJM 2017), which randomized 1,199 men with newly diagnosed high-risk metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer to abiraterone plus prednisone or placebo added to androgen-deprivation therapy, demonstrating a 38% reduction in the risk of death (HR 0.62; p<0.001) and 53% reduction in the risk of radiographic progression (HR 0.47). LATITUDE transformed the treatment of mHSPC from ADT monotherapy to combination intensification, now the universal standard of care. Dr. Ryan has also made important contributions to understanding ADT optimization, cardiovascular toxicity of hormonal therapy, and the biology of the transition from hormone-sensitive to castration-resistant disease.