I am a dermatologist specialized in cutaneous oncology and melanoma. I co-lead the Melanoma Program at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
My clinical activities focus on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of skin cancers and melanoma. I am also a human cancer immunologist and develop novel clinical trials to evaluate novel immunotherapies of melanoma and other solid tumors.
I co-lead the Melanoma Program of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute together with Dr. John Kirkwood. I organize the monthly Melanoma Program scientific seminars with internal or external speakers to promote intra- and inter-programmatic collaborations and scientific achievements. In the laboratory, I mentor pre- and postdoctoral fellows, oncology fellows, and junior faculties in the field of Cancer Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy.
My contribution to Science include:
1)The identification of novel MHC class II epitopes derived from tumor antigens expressed by melanoma. My laboratory has developed successfully the approach to identify T-helper epitopes derived from a number of human tumor antigens and capable of stimulation antigen-specific CD4+ T cells in patients with advanced cancer.
2)The development of novel melanoma vaccines trial with T-helper epitopes and adjuvants. We have performed clinical trials with MHC class I and MHC class II epitopes derived from the cancer/testis antigen NY-ESO-1 in combination with CPG in patients with advanced melanoma. We have demonstrated the capability of CPG to stimulate potent and ex vivo detectable CD8+ T cell responses to NY-ESO-1.
3)The studies of the mechanisms of melanoma-induced T cell dysfunction including the role of the PD-1, Tim-3, BTLA and TIGIT pathways. These studies serve as rationale for ongoing clinical trials with dual PD1/Tim-3 and PD-1/TIGIT blockade in cancer patients, including melanoma.
4) Studies of the role of the gut microbiome in modulating clinical and immune responses to immune checkpoint blockade in the context of a novel clinical trial with fecal microbiota transplant and anti-PD-1 antibodies in patients with PD1 refractory melanoma.