Carlo Gambacorti-Passerini
Encyclopedia
Carlo Gambacorti-Passerini (born 1957) is an Italian
oncologist
and hematologist known for his contributions to cancer research. He is presently Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Milan Bicocca
in Italy and Director of the Clinical Research Unit at S. Gerardo Hospital, Monza
, Italy. Previously he was Senior Investigator and Head of the Oncogenic Fusion Proteins Unit at the National Cancer Institute, Milan Italy (1990–2003), Professor of Oncology and Hematology at McGill University, Montreal, Canada (2004–2007).
His main scientific contribution relates to the preclinical and clinical development of imatinib
. His publications between 1997 and 2000 are among the earliest original reports on this revolutionary drug. Specifically, he showed that apoptosis
, or programmed cell death, was the predominant mechanism through which imatinib eliminates leukemic cells, that leukemic animals could be cured using imatinib, and that resistance to imatinib could be mediated by gene amplification of BCR-ABL1.
Dr. Gambacorti-Passerini is the Chairman of the ILTE (Imatinib Long Term side Effects, http://www.ilte-cml.org) study, an independent clinical study aimed at assessing the long term effects of imatinib in 948 CML patients worldwide, which showed for the first time that CML patients in remission have a normal life expectancy.
He is also the first researcher who (in June 2010) successfully treated a patient affected by ALK+ lymphoma
with an ALK inhibitor (crizotinib
).
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
oncologist
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
and hematologist known for his contributions to cancer research. He is presently Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Milan Bicocca
University of Milan Bicocca
The University of Milan - Bicocca is a university located in Milan, Italy.The University of Milan-Bicocca was established in 1998. It is located in an area on the northern outskirts of Milan, which was occupied by the Pirelli industrial complex until the late 1980s...
in Italy and Director of the Clinical Research Unit at S. Gerardo Hospital, Monza
Monza
Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
, Italy. Previously he was Senior Investigator and Head of the Oncogenic Fusion Proteins Unit at the National Cancer Institute, Milan Italy (1990–2003), Professor of Oncology and Hematology at McGill University, Montreal, Canada (2004–2007).
His main scientific contribution relates to the preclinical and clinical development of imatinib
Imatinib
Imatinib is a drug used to treat certain types of cancer. It is currently marketed by Novartis as Gleevec or Glivec as its mesylate salt, imatinib mesilate . It is used in treating chronic myelogenous leukemia , gastrointestinal stromal tumors and some other diseases...
. His publications between 1997 and 2000 are among the earliest original reports on this revolutionary drug. Specifically, he showed that apoptosis
Apoptosis
Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...
, or programmed cell death, was the predominant mechanism through which imatinib eliminates leukemic cells, that leukemic animals could be cured using imatinib, and that resistance to imatinib could be mediated by gene amplification of BCR-ABL1.
Dr. Gambacorti-Passerini is the Chairman of the ILTE (Imatinib Long Term side Effects, http://www.ilte-cml.org) study, an independent clinical study aimed at assessing the long term effects of imatinib in 948 CML patients worldwide, which showed for the first time that CML patients in remission have a normal life expectancy.
He is also the first researcher who (in June 2010) successfully treated a patient affected by ALK+ lymphoma
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase also known as ALK tyrosine kinase receptor or CD246 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ALK gene.-Function:...
with an ALK inhibitor (crizotinib
Crizotinib
Crizotinib , is an ALK inhibitor, approved for treatment of some non-small cell lung carcinoma in the US, and undergoing clinical trials testing its safety and efficacy in anaplastic large cell lymphoma, neuroblastoma, and other advanced solid tumors in both adults and children.- Mechanism of...
).