Pier Paolo Pandolfi is Professor of Medicine and Pathology
Harvard Medical School; Associate Director, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center; Director, Cancer Genetics Program
Chief, Division of Genetics - Department of Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer pathogenesis (with emphasis on oncogenes and the function of tumor-suppressor genes), as well as on deconstructing the molecular genetics of cancer in the mouse.
The research carried out in Dr. Pandolfi's laboratory has been seminal in defining the molecular mechanisms and the genetics underlying the pathogenesis of APL, lymphomas and solid tumors as well as in modeling these cancers in the mouse. In particular, Dr. Pandolfi and colleagues characterized the function of the fusion oncoproteins of APL, of the genes involved in the chromosomal translocations of APL, as well as of major tumor suppressors such PTEN, PML and p53. The elucidation of the molecular basis underlying APL pathogenesis has led to the development of novel therapeutic strategies that are currently been tested in clinical trials.