Dana Zakalik, M.D. // Photograph by Matt LaVere
Every year Hour Detroit publishes a list of the Top Doctors in metro Detroit. This year’s list contains more than 1000 physicians in 94 specialties — all nominated by their peers. With so many doctors at our fingertips we’d be remiss not to share some of their insights with you. Below is one of the eight interviews with a 2025 Top Doctor.
What recent innovations in your field are you most excited about, and why?
I am very excited about research in gene editing or gene replacement therapy, whereby we may be able to correct the underlying gene “defect” or “mutation” and cure certain genetic diseases, thus eliminating the risk that someone would get a cancer diagnosis (or other disease). Another most exciting innovation is in the area of immunotherapy for cancer, where we are able to get amazing responses in multiple tumor types (colon, breast, uterine, melanoma, etc.), often lifesaving.
Can you share details about some of the recent studies you’ve been involved in?
We worked on a trial of a novel precision-targeted treatment for breast cancer caused by BRCA1/2 mutations — we enrolled the first patient in the U.S. in this trial, which was a “home run” in that it changed the way we practice and led to a rapid FDA approval of this novel and innovative treatment (PARP inhibitor) of breast cancer. This research was a game changer and is helping us save lives. Another trial is for pancreatic cancer early detection, with discovery of novel blood biomarkers and using AI to improve imaging.
This story originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.