Dr. Colin Paul Spears, M.D. is a prominent, board-certified hematologist-oncologist and research physician based in Sacramento, California. Over a career spanning more than 50 years, he has made significant contributions to both clinical cancer care and translational oncology research.
🔬 Key Medical & Research Contributions
- Pharmacodynamics & Drug Development: Dr. Spears pioneered nucleophilic selectivity assays and drug kinetic studies. While working as a Senior Research Physician at Eli Lilly in 2000, he played a crucial role in accelerating FDA approval for the lung cancer drug pemetrexed (Alimta) by demonstrating the benefit of adding folate and B-vitamins to reduce toxicity.
- USC & Research Collaborations: For 25 years, he served on the faculty at the University of Southern California Comprehensive Cancer Center (USC-CCC), practicing at the Norris Cancer Hospital. During his career, he collaborated with prominent scientific figures, including Nobel Laureate George Olah, on alkylating agent kinetics.
- Tumor Measurement Innovations: He is the founder and CEO of Fibonacci Phyllotaxis Inc. (dba Fibons), through which he developed specialized interconvertible volume and area doubling rulers used to visually measure tumor growth and treatment response.
🏥 Clinical Leadership & Academic Career
- Mercy General Hospital: Dr. Spears served as the Chairman of the Cancer Committee at Mercy General Hospital Cancer Center in Sacramento from 2004 to 2016, guiding the program through multiple major joint commission approvals before retiring from active practice in 2017.
- Academic Roles: He holds the title of Professor Emeritus of Medical Oncology at California Northstate University College of Medicine.
- Private Practice: He was a long-time partner with Sierra Hematology & Oncology in the greater Sacramento region.
🎓 Background & Education
Dr. Spears earned his medical degree in 1970 from the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University. Early in his career, he completed an internship with the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in San Francisco and served as a NASA research associate in cardiology, studying the physiological effects of prolonged bedrest as an analog for weightlessness in space. He subsequently completed his internal medicine residency and multiple NCI-funded fellowships in medical oncology and hematology at the LAC-USC Medical Center.
For deeper look into his published papers, medical protocols, or his mathematical models regarding generalized Fibonacci numbers applied to biology, you can visit his repository at www.cpspears.com.
Volume Doubling Ruler vs Area Doubling Ruler