E-Newsletter - November 2025
Spotlight on Alliance Leadership
 


In Memoriam: Brian Andrew Van Tine, Md, PHD, Distinguished clinician-scientist in sarcoma and experimental therapeutics and rare tumors

Brian Andrew Van Tine, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine and a nationally recognized leader in sarcoma research and early-phase clinical therapeutics, died November 8, 2025, after a brief illness. He was 53.

"Brian was an amazing leader in the field of sarcoma. He introduced us to metabolomic pathways as drugable targets in sarcoma therapy,” said Gary Schwartz, Co-chair of the Experimental Therapeutics and Rare Tumors Committee (ETRC) for the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology and Director of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. “I learned so much from him over the years. He was passionate in advancing sarcoma therapies within the Experimental and Rare Tumors Committee, as well as a scholar and a good friend. He will be greatly missed, and we all mourn his passing."

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Dr. Van Tine earned dual bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biochemistry with a minor in music from the University of Arizona. He received his MD and PhD at the University of Alabama in Birmingham before going on to complete his internship and residency in internal medicine and his oncology fellowship training at WashU Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

After joining the WashU Division of Oncology in 2011, Dr. Van Tine rose to become a full Professor in Medicine and Pediatrics in 2021. As the Director of the Sarcoma Program at Siteman Cancer Center, he built one of the nation’s leading sarcoma clinical and research programs. His pioneering work in tumor metabolism and novel therapeutic development helped establish new paradigms in the treatment of rare and difficult-to-treat cancers.

He was appointed as the Director of Developmental Therapeutics (Phase I) at the Siteman Cancer Center in 2021. Within four years, he reorganized the phase I unit and substantially expanded the phase I program, including many first-in-human clinical trials.

Dr. Van Tine’s work had national and international impact. Through his work with the Alliance, he served as a member of the ERTC beginning in 2015, becoming the Correlative Science Leader in 2022. He also served on the Translational Research Executive Committee and the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Committee. As an Alliance member, Dr. Van Tine led national trials and authored numerous abstracts and publications that helped change cancer care.

In addition to the Alliance, Dr. Van Tine served on committees and advisory panels for the National Cancer Institute, the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and NRG Oncology. He also served on the editorial boards of several journals, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research and the Annals of Oncology.

Dr. Van Tine’s legacy will live on through his extensive body of research, the clinicians he mentored, the countless patients and families whose lives were impacted by his care, and by his many colleagues, friends, and loved ones. He is survived by his husband and many family members.

Learn more about Dr. Van Tine’s legacy from WashU. 

 

 

 


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