Cancer Pharmacology
Lab

The Cancer Pharmacology Lab aims at improving cancer therapeutics either by the development/optimization of new antitumor agents and more effective drug combinations (including chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy) as well as by tailoring existing and new therapies.

Elisa Giovannetti

To achieve these goals, we conduct translational research on key molecular mechanisms of drug activity and resistance, and we evaluate new drugs and combinations to be (1) tested in appropriate preclinical models (including primary cells, organoids, organotypic slices, CAM, and in vivo models), and (2) assessed with validated tests for predictive and prognostic biomarkers in both tissues and liquid biopsies.

Our research primarily focuses on the mechanisms of action and efficacy of anticancer agents, particularly in pancreatic, hepatobiliary (HBP), and thoracic cancers.

Collaboration and diversity are our strengths: Collaboration and diversity are our strengths: our team is multinational, multicultural, and multidisciplinary, working in partnership with academic networks, national and international associations, and pharmaceutical/biotech companies.

Our main lines of research (supported by KWF, NWO, EU-Horizon/MSCA, COST, EORTC, AIRC, MIUR and FPS), include:

  1. Unlocking anticancer drug resistance (role of microbiome, glycolytic metabolism, mechanical stress and cell-cell communication in chemoresistance)
  2. Omics profile-guided new drugs & combination strategies
  3. Pharmaco-genetics/genomics

Group members

PhD students:
Mahsoem Ali1
Cecilia Bergonzini2
Lenka Boyd1
Pei Pei Che3
Juan Deng
Alessandro Gregori
Marika Franczak
Jisce Puik1
Francesca Terrana,
Eleni Tzortzopoulou
Bing Wang
Geng Xu

PhD students in Pisa:
Annalisa Comandatore
Benoit Immordino
Giulia Lencioni

Postdocs:
Tetianka Makhnii
Mahrou Vahabi

1 co-promotor in collaboration with Prof. Kazemier
2 co-promotor in collaboration with Prof. Danen
3 co-promotor in collaboration with Prof. Slotman

          Key publications

          Exploring Splicing Modulation as an Innovative Approach to Combat Pancreatic Cancer: SF3B1 Emerges as a Prognostic Indicator and Therapeutic Target.
          Sciarrillo R, Terrana F, Comandatore A, Supadmanaba IGP, Wang B, Hassouni BE, Mantini G, Jansen G, Avan A, Carbone D, Diana P, Peters GJ, Morelli L, Cloos J, Assaraf YG,Giovannetti E. Int J Biol Sci. 2024 Jun 3;20(8):3173-3184. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.92671. eCollection 2024.PMID:38904016

          Unlocking the diagnostic power of plasma extracellular vesicle miR-200 family in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
          Liu DSK, Puik JR, Patel BY, Venø MT, Vahabi M, Prado MM, Webber JP, Rees E, Upton FM, Bennett K, Blaker C, Immordino B, Comandatore A, Morelli L, Sivakumar S, Swijnenburg RJ, Besselink MG, Jiao LR, Kazemier G,Giovannetti E, Krell J, Frampton AE. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2024 Jul 8;43(1):189. doi: 10.1186/s13046-024-03090-z.PMID:38978141(Co-last author)

          Deciphering the performance of macrophages in tumour microenvironment: a call for precision immunotherapy.
          Toledo B, Zhu Chen L, Paniagua-Sancho M, Marchal JA, Perán M,Giovannetti E. J Hematol Oncol. 2024 Jun 11;17(1):44.

          Differential Sensitivity to Ionizing Radiation in Gemcitabine-Resistant and Paclitaxel-Resistant Pancreatic Cancer Cells.
          Che PP, Gregori A, Bergonzini C, Ali M, Mantini G, Schmidt T, Finamore F, Rodrigues SMF, Frampton AE, McDonnell LA, Danen EH, Slotman BJ, Sminia P,Giovannetti E.Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2024 Apr 1;118(5):1328-1343. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.10.035. Epub 2023 Oct 31.PMID:37914140

          Prediction Model for Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer Using Routinely Measured Blood Biomarkers.
          Boyd LNC, Ali M, Comandatore A, Garajova I, Kam L, Puik JR, Fraga Rodrigues SM, Meijer LL, Le Large TYS, Besselink MG, Morelli L, Frampton A, van Laarhoven HWM,Giovannetti E, Kazemier G.JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Aug 1;6(8):e2331197. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.31197.PMID:37639271(Co-last author)

          Role of exosomes in transferring chemoresistance through modulation of cancer glycolytic cell metabolism.
          Vahabi M, Comandatore A, Franczak MA, Smolenski RT, Peters GJ, Morelli L,Giovannetti E.Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 2023 Oct;73:163-172. doi: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2023.07.004. Epub 2023 Jul 29.PMID:37541790

          Phosphoproteomics guides effective low-dose drug combinations against pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
          Vallés-Martí A, Mantini G, Manoukian P, Waasdorp C, Sarasqueta AF, de Goeij-de Haas RR, Henneman AA, Piersma SR, Pham TV, Knol JC,Giovannetti E, Bijlsma MF, Jiménez CR.Cell Rep. 2023 Jun 27;42(6):112581. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112581. Epub 2023 Jun 2.PMID:37269289(Co-last author)

          Role of drug catabolism, modulation of oncogenic signaling and tumor microenvironment in microbe-mediated pancreatic cancer chemoresistance.
          Capula M, Perán M, Xu G, Donati V, Yee D, Gregori A, Assaraf YG,Giovannetti E, Deng D.Drug Resist Updat. 2022 Sep;64:100864. doi: 10.1016/j.drup.2022.100864. Epub 2022 Sep 6.PMID:36115181(Co-last author)

          Lactate Dehydrogenase and its clinical significance in pancreatic and thoracic cancers.
          Comandatore A, Franczak M, Smolenski RT, Morelli L, Peters GJ,Giovannetti E. Semin Cancer Biol. 2022 Nov;86(Pt 2):93-100. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2022.09.001. Epub 2022 Sep 9.PMID:36096316

          Diagnostic accuracy and added value of blood-based protein biomarkers for pancreatic cancer: A meta-analysis of aggregate and individual participant data.
          Boyd LNC, Ali M, Leeflang MMG, Treglia G, de Vries R, Le Large TYS, Besselink MG, Giovannetti E, van Laarhoven HWM, Kazemier G.EClinicalMedicine. 2022 Nov 24;55:101747. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101747. eCollection 2023 Jan.PMID:36457649(co-corresponding author)

          Contact

          e.giovannetti@amsterdamumc.nl
          elisa.giovannetti@gmail.com

          0031204442267

          Keywords

          pharmacology | chemoresistance | mechanism of action | translational research | pancreatic cancer | thoracic cancers