Shizuko Sei, M.D.

Shizuko Sei, M.D., has been Co-Chief of the Chemopreventive Agent Development Research Group (CADRG), Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP), National Cancer Institute (NCI), since 2022.

Dr. Sei has more than 35 years of translational and clinical research experience at NCI. Since joining DCP in 2015, she has served as Medical Officer and Project Officer/Contracting Officer Representative.

Dr. Sei directed the PREVENT Cancer Preclinical Drug Development Program (PREVENT) from 2017 to 2022. She also spearheaded the establishment of NCI’s new research program, Cancer Prevention-Interception Targeted Agent Discovery Program (CAP-IT), which was fully launched in 2023.

Dr. Sei oversees the management of DCP agent development preclinical pipeline programs, including CAP-IT, PREVENT, and other support contract programs, as well as a sizable portfolio of research grants.

Her current research interest centers on better understanding of oncogenic pathways and dynamics of tumor-immune interactions over the course of tumorigenesis, identification of exploitable targets for interventions, and development of novel molecular and immunological agents for cancer prevention and interception tailored for different high-risk populations.

Before joining the DCP, she completed her pediatric oncology fellowship at the NCI Center for Cancer Research (CCR) and went on to direct multidisciplinary research programs as a laboratory director and attending physician in the CCR and the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD), NCI. Her research focused on better understanding of viral oncogenesis and acquired immunodeficiency, and discovery and development of novel agents and vaccines. While conducting laboratory research, she also carried out clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center as a principal or adjunct clinical investigator. She gained extensive experience in collaborating with extramural researchers with expertise in drug development while working for the NCI Experimental Therapeutics Program (NExT) in DCTD.