Raymond Birge, Ph.D

Dr. Birge currently serves as the Chief Scientific Officer of Targeron Therapeutics, LLC and Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Education

Raymond Birge received a Bachelor of Science (BS) from the University of Connecticut in 1984, and a Ph.D in Biochemical Toxicology in 1989 from the University of Connecticut under the tutelage of Professor Edward Khairallah. He completed postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University in New York City with Professor Hidesaburo Hanafusa from 1989 to1994.

Professional Background

He was Assistant Professor at Rockefeller University from 1994 to 1998, and acting head of the Laboratory of Molecular Oncology from 1998-2000.

Dr. Birge joined Rutgers University-New Jersey Medical in 2000 (formally University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey) and currently holds a position of Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as well as Director of the Center for Cell Signaling at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. Dr. Birge also has an appointment at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey in New Brunswick.

Research and Activities

Dr. Birge’s research focuses on cell death and cancer biology, emphasizing genes and molecular signaling pathways that promote tumor progression, metastasis, and immune escape. He was the founding member (with Richard Lockshin and Zahra Zakeri) of the Cell Death Society at Rockefeller University in 1994 and presently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Cell Death Society.

Dr. Birge serves as a scientific consultant on numerous federal and private grant study sections that includes the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense Congressionally directed Breast Cancer funding programs. He is currently Editor-in-Chief for Cell Communication and Signaling. Dr. Birge has authored over 100 scientific publications in biochemistry, cancer biology, and immunology.