Medical College of Wisconsin
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John Smestad PhD, BS, MD

Assistant Professor

Institution: Medical College of Wisconsin
Department: Medicine
Division: Medicine Hematology Oncology

image of /images/ORCIDiD_icon16x16.png   https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7922-3319


I am willing to collaborate on research projects.

View Curriculum Vitae

Research Areas of Interest

  • Clinical Trial
  • Extracellular Matrix
  • Immunotherapy
  • Melanoma
  • Oncolytic Virotherapy
  • Oncolytic Viruses
  • Sarcoma
  • Tumor Microenvironment

    • Research Experience

  • Acylation
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Epigenomics
  • Melanoma
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  • Sarcoma
  • Transcriptome

    • Clinical Expertise

  • Melanoma
  • Sarcoma

    • Publications (17)

  • A phase 1b/2 study of cabozantinib in combination with pembrolizumab in advanced cutaneous melanoma. (Zakharia Y, Kim D, Freesmeier M, Frees M, Mott S, Monga V, Laux D, Javed A, Rieth J, Smestad J, Milhem M) Cancer 2026 Feb 15;132(4):e70326 PMID: 41701511 PMCID: PMC12912253 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105030268320 02/17/2026    
  • Phase Ib/II Trial of Pharmacologic Ascorbate With Concurrent Preoperative Radiation in Patients With Locally Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Trunk and Extremities (Varun Monga, John Rieth, Benjamin Miller, Hisakazu Hoshi, Carlos Chan, Bryan Allen, Carryn Anderson, Kristen Plichta, Munir Tanas, Jonathan Davick, Steven Varga, Laura Stephens, Sarah L. Mott, John Smestad, Gustavo Fernandes Godoy Almeida, Mohammed Milhem) JCO Oncology Advances Phase Ib/II Trial of Pharmacologic Ascorbate With Concurrent Preoperative Radiation in Patients With Locally Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Trunk and Extremities Varun Monga, John Rieth, Benjamin Miller, Hisakazu Hoshi, Carlos Chan, Bryan Allen, Carryn Anderson, Kristen Plichta, Munir Tanas, Jonathan Davick, Steven Varga, Laura Stephens, Sarah L. Mott, John Smestad, Gustavo Fernandes Godoy Almeida, Mohammed Milhem JCO Oncology Advances 2025 :2 12/11/2025    
  • The Evolution, Current Landscape, and Future Prospects of Oncolytic Virotherapy in Melanoma: Talimogene Laherparepvec and Beyond. (Smestad J, Rieth J, Laux D, Milhem M) Cells 2025 Oct 17;14(20) PMID: 41148835 PMCID: PMC12563648 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105020080741 10/28/2025       8 Citations
  • An in Vitro Selection Strategy Identifying Naked DNA That Localizes to Cell Nuclei. (Smestad J, Wilbanks B, Maher LJ 3rd) J Am Chem Soc 2019 Nov 20;141(46):18375-18379 PMID: 31702902 PMCID: PMC7047663 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85075154862 11/09/2019       7 Citations
  • Master regulator analysis of paragangliomas carrying SDHx, VHL, or MAML3 genetic alterations. (Smestad JA, Maher LJ 3rd) BMC Cancer 2019 Jun 24;19(1):619 PMID: 31234811 PMCID: PMC6591808 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85068167385 06/27/2019       10 Citations
  • Optimization of a 40-mer Antimyelin DNA Aptamer Identifies a 20-mer with Enhanced Properties for Potential Multiple Sclerosis Therapy. (Wilbanks B, Smestad J, Heider RM, Warrington AE, Rodriguez M, Maher LJ 3rd) Nucleic Acid Ther 2019 Jun;29(3):126-135 PMID: 30855209 PMCID: PMC6555174 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85066628371 03/12/2019       17 Citations
  • Chromatin Succinylation Correlates with Active Gene Expression and Is Perturbed by Defective TCA Cycle Metabolism. (Smestad J, Erber L, Chen Y, Maher LJ 3rd) iScience 2018 Apr 27;2:63-75 PMID: 29888767 PMCID: PMC5993049 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85050316335 06/12/2018       138 Citations
  • An Assay that Predicts In Vivo Efficacy for DNA Aptamers that Stimulate Remyelination in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis. (Heider RM, Smestad JA, Lemus HN, Wilbanks B, Warrington AE, Peters JP, Rodriguez M, Maher LJ 3rd) Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2018 Jun 15;9:270-277 PMID: 29707601 PMCID: PMC5918178 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85045699819 05/01/2018       5 Citations
  • Characterization and metabolic synthetic lethal testing in a new model of SDH-loss familial pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. (Smestad J, Hamidi O, Wang L, Holte MN, Khazal FA, Erber L, Chen Y, Maher LJ 3rd) Oncotarget 2018 Jan 19;9(5):6109-6127 PMID: 29464059 PMCID: PMC5814199 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85040683247 02/22/2018       17 Citations
  • A comparison of human natural monoclonal antibodies and aptamer conjugates for promotion of CNS remyelination: where are we now and what comes next? (Perwein MK, Smestad JA, Warrington AE, Heider RM, Kaczor MW, Maher LJ 3rd, Wootla B, Kunbaz A, Rodriguez M) Expert Opin Biol Ther 2018 May;18(5):545-560 PMID: 29460650 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85047371379 02/21/2018       20 Citations
  • Outcomes of patients with metastatic phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (Hamidi O, Young WF Jr, Gruber L, Smestad J, Yan Q, Ponce OJ, Prokop L, Murad MH, Bancos I) Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2017 Nov;87(5):440-450 PMID: 28746746 PMCID: PMC5854189 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85032191988 07/27/2017       109 Citations
  • Hyperglycemia Increases Interstitial Cells of Cajal via MAPK1 and MAPK3 Signaling to ETV1 and KIT, Leading to Rapid Gastric Emptying. (Hayashi Y, Toyomasu Y, Saravanaperumal SA, Bardsley MR, Smestad JA, Lorincz A, Eisenman ST, Cipriani G, Nelson Holte MH, Al Khazal FJ, Syed SA, Gajdos GB, Choi KM, Stoltz GJ, Miller KE, Kendrick ML, Rubin BP, Gibbons SJ, Bharucha AE, Linden DR, Maher LJ 3rd, Farrugia G, Ordog T) Gastroenterology 2017 Aug;153(2):521-535.e20 PMID: 28438610 PMCID: PMC5526732 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85024927473 04/26/2017       73 Citations
  • Whole Exome Sequencing, Familial Genomic Triangulation, and Systems Biology Converge to Identify a Novel Nonsense Mutation in TAB2-encoded TGF-beta Activated Kinase 1 in a Child with Polyvalvular Syndrome. (Ackerman JP, Smestad JA, Tester DJ, Qureshi MY, Crabb BA, Mendelsohn NJ, Ackerman MJ) Congenit Heart Dis 2016 Sep;11(5):452-461 PMID: 27452334 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-84990236244 07/28/2016       16 Citations
  • Relationships between putative G-quadruplex-forming sequences, RecQ helicases, and transcription. (Smestad JA, Maher LJ 3rd) BMC Med Genet 2015 Oct 08;16:91 PMID: 26449372 PMCID: PMC4599794 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-84943548714 10/10/2015       41 Citations
  • Quantitative PCR analysis of DNA aptamer pharmacokinetics in mice. (Perschbacher K, Smestad JA, Peters JP, Standiford MM, Denic A, Wootla B, Warrington AE, Rodriguez M, Maher LJ 3rd) Nucleic Acid Ther 2015 Feb;25(1):11-9 PMID: 25536292 PMCID: PMC4296750 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-84921522841 12/24/2014       27 Citations
  • Ion-dependent conformational switching by a DNA aptamer that induces remyelination in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. (Smestad J, Maher LJ 3rd) Nucleic Acids Res 2013 Jan;41(2):1329-42 PMID: 23175609 PMCID: PMC3553947 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-84875458259 11/24/2012       27 Citations
  • Remyelination induced by a DNA aptamer in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. (Nastasijevic B, Wright BR, Smestad J, Warrington AE, Rodriguez M, Maher LJ 3rd) PLoS One 2012;7(6):e39595 PMID: 22761835 PMCID: PMC3384608 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-84862984026 07/05/2012       54 Citations
    • Last update: 08/24/2026