Established by Stefania and Vito Campese in 2011, this award is in memory of their young, talented and generous daughter Paola.
Congratulations to the exceptional finalists of the 2024 edition:
Gabriele Casirati
Clarissa Corinaldesi
Carmelo Gurnari
The finalists will showcase their groundbreaking research at the Symposium on October 29, 12pm PST, before a jury chaired by Prof. Alessandra Ferrajoli. Register here!
The winner of the Award will be announced during the ISSNAF 2023 Annual Event on November 14, in Washington DC.
GABRIELE CASIRATI
I earned my M.D. from Università degli Studi di Milano in Italy and completed my hematology training at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milan. During the final two years of my residency, I joined Dr. Bernhard Gentner's lab to pursue a career in basic and translational research. There, I investigated the role of miRNA-126 in acute myeloid leukemia and explored intratumoral heterogeneity using single-cell RNA sequencing of primary patient samples.
From 2020 to 2023, I served as a research fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where I developed an epitope editing approach to enhance immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (published in Nature). I also obtained a Ph.D. in molecular and translational medicine from Università Milano-Bicocca. Currently, I am a postdoctoral research fellow at Boston Children's Hospital in Massachusetts. My research focuses on developing innovative gene-editing strategies to improve targeted immunotherapies for hematological malignancies, enhance non-genotoxic conditioning regimens for bone marrow transplantation, and devise new methods to eradicate acute myeloid leukemia cells.
Research Focus My research leverages cutting-edge advances in genome engineering and synthetic biology to enhance cellular immunotherapies for acute leukemias and other challenging cancers. These innovative therapies hold significant promise in overcoming the limitations of traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
In my most recent work, I have demonstrated the ability to target antigens that are shared with normal hematopoietic tissue through precise gene editing of the stem cells used in bone marrow transplantation. Acute myeloid leukemia, among other tumors, poses a challenge for targeting because its surface antigens are also present on healthy bone marrow cells, including stem cells. My innovative approach, known as “epitope editing,” equips blood-forming stem cells with selective resistance to monoclonal antibodies or CAR-T cells. This strategy addresses one of the major barriers to the safe clinical application of targeted immunotherapies for acute myeloid leukemia. Additionally, we observed enhanced anti-tumor efficacy by de-targeting healthy bone marrow cells, which helps reduce T cell exhaustion and over-activation.
Beyond this project, I am actively exploring several new strategies to improve non-genotoxic conditioning regimens for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, target previously unexplored antigens in acute leukemias, and enhance gene engineering tools to make them safer and more precise for clinical application.
About me I am excited and deeply honored to have been selected as a finalist for the 2024 ISSNAF Young Investigator Campese Award. I am really looking forward to the Symposium, share my research and to learn about other investigators' discoveries.
CLARISSA CORINALDESI
I am currently an Associate Research Scientist at the Institute for Cancer Genetics at Columbia University in New York City. I obtained my bachelor's and master's degrees in Human Biology and Biology of Human Evolution from the University of Rome Tor Vergata. In 2018, I completed my Ph.D. in Integrated Biology of Human Movement and Sport from the University of Rome Foro Italico, during which I spent my final year at the University of Leeds to further explore my interest in immunology, particularly in the realm of autoimmune diseases.
Following my Ph.D., I joined Dr. Riccardo Dalla-Favera's laboratory at Columbia University as a postdoctoral fellow, where I have been researching the pathogenesis of human B-cell lymphomas using advanced technologies, including single-cell transcriptomic analysis. My work has been supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Lymphoma Research Foundation and has resulted in multiple publications in esteemed international peer-reviewed journals.
Research Focus
My research centers on the pathogenesis of B-cell lymphomas and their relationship with normal germinal center B cells, which are the precursors of these tumors. We specifically investigate Burkitt lymphoma (BL), an aggressive B-cell cancer that predominantly affects children. While most patients respond favorably to chemotherapy, approximately 10% develop therapy-resistant disease, resulting in poor outcomes. The biological factors contributing to this resistance are not yet fully understood, complicating our ability to predict which patients may not benefit from current treatment regimens.
To address this challenge, we have initiated a collaborative effort within our lymphoma team at Columbia University, led by Dr. Basso, to explore tumor heterogeneity and identify specific markers that can predict therapy resistance in pediatric BL patients. Utilizing single-cell transcriptomics of primary samples, we have observed variations in immune composition and identified several genes that are differentially expressed between responders and non-responders, highlighting these crucial biological distinctions.
Among these genes, TPM2 has emerged as a significant protein, with high expression levels in therapy-refractory pediatric BL. This discovery positions TPM2 as a potential prognostic biomarker. Our findings, coupled with the development of an immunohistochemistry-based assay for its detection, have considerable promise for clinical translation. Ultimately, this research could facilitate personalized treatment approaches and improve survival rates for children facing therapy-resistant BL.
About me
I want to express to the ISSNAF members my deep commitment to advancing our understanding of the mechanisms underlying B-cell lymphomas and translating these findings into meaningful clinical applications. I firmly believe in the power of collaborative science and am dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary partnerships to expedite progress in cancer research.
Having had the privilege of working internationally, I have gained valuable insights into scientific collaboration across borders. I am also passionate about creating a supportive environment for emerging researchers, particularly women in science, and actively encourage them to pursue careers in research.
Lastly, I want to highlight my commitment to lifelong learning and adaptability. Science is constantly evolving, and I am always eager to embrace new technologies, methodologies, and ideas to expand the boundaries of our knowledge.
CARMELO GURNARI
Carmelo Gurnari, MD, PhD, is a dedicated hematologist currently serving as a Research Associate in the Department of Translational Hematology and Oncology Research at the Cleveland Clinic (USA) and as an Assistant Professor of Hematology at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome, Italy.
Dr. Gurnari earned his medical degree from the University of Pavia, Italy, in 2015, and completed his Hematology training at Tor Vergata University in 2020. He joined the Cleveland Clinic in 2019, where he also completed a Ph.D. in "Immunology, Molecular Medicine, and Applied Biotechnology," subsequently being appointed to the faculty.
His long-term research interests focus on unraveling the ontogenetic mechanisms of leukemia using cutting-edge molecular biology sequencing platforms, with the ultimate goal of informing early therapeutic interventions. Specifically, he studies the genomics of bone marrow failure disorders and myeloid neoplasia, including germline predisposition, while pioneering efforts to translate genomic information into clinical practice.
Dr. Gurnari has made significant contributions to his field, having authored over 150 papers in prestigious journals. He has secured national and international grants from organizations such as the EvansMDS Foundation, the American-Italian Cancer Foundation, and the European Hematology Association. Additionally, he has received several accolades, including the Tito Bastianello Prize at the 2021 International MDS Symposium and the ASH-IPIG Award on two occasions.
Research Focus
My research focuses on myeloid malignancies and bone marrow failure disorders, including the role of germline predisposition. As a physician-scientist, my primary objective is to elucidate the genetic underpinnings of these disorders and define the molecular mechanisms that drive the evolution of leukemia. This knowledge aims to inform the development of new strategies for more effective patient management.
Given the poor outcomes for certain patient subgroups, my current work integrates genomics and transcriptomics with experimental therapeutics to identify agents targeting immunological and pathophysiological mechanisms in myeloid malignancies. Ultimately, my goal is to enable informed and personalized therapeutic choices.
Our research group was among the first to investigate the role of the HLA genomic landscape in these disorders. We have also characterized the complex clonal architecture of bone marrow failure syndromes, suggesting that subclonal mutations may drive evolution to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and could serve as alternative targets for early intervention. Recently, we have expanded our research to explore HLA and its influence on disease predisposition—examining risk alleles, genomic constellations, evolutionary divergence metrics, and immunopeptidomic analysis—as well as mechanisms of cancer immune evasion in myeloid neoplasia.
About me
My motivation for pursuing a career in medicine was profoundly shaped by my personal experience with lymphoma at the age of 19. This transformative journey inspired my shift to onco-hematology, granting me a unique perspective that I strive to share with my patients. It fuels my commitment to raising awareness about the impact of these life-threatening disorders. My unwavering objective is to advance our understanding of leukemia evolution, an area of research that holds the potential to significantly improve health outcomes for patients. I aim to provide others with the same opportunity for remission and a renewed lease on life that I was fortunate to receive.
Comments