Andrea Facciabene

Andrea Facciabene

faculty photo
Research Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology
co-Director ACC Microbiome shared resource, UPENN
Department: Radiation Oncology

Contact information
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Department of Radiation Oncology
Smilow Center for Translational Research Rm. 8-133
3400 Civic Center Blvd., Bldg 421
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 215-746-7071
Fax: 215-898-0090
Education:
BS (Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Science (summa cum laude))
University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy (Thesis: Centre of Drug Discovery, L'Aquila, Italy) Summa Cum Laude, 2000.
PhD (Molecular and Cellular Biology)
University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. In collaboration with the Univ of California San Diego, San Diego, CA (coursework 11/01-5/06), 2006.
Post-Graduate Training
Research Fellowship, Gene Therapy, IRBM, Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare-"P. Angeletti" (Merck & Co), Rome, Italy, 2000-2001.
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, University of California San Diego, Department of Cancer Research San Diego, CA , 2005-2006.
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania, Ovarian Cancer Research Center , 2006-2007.
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Description of Research Expertise

Dr. Andrea Facciabene is at the forefront of cancer immunotherapy research, leading a dynamic laboratory that seamlessly integrates basic scientific exploration with clinical investigation. His research is dedicated to unraveling the intricate network of immune responses in the context of cancer, with a dual mission: to advance our comprehension of tumor immunology and to translate these groundbreaking insights into highly effective therapeutic strategies.

The Facciabene laboratory has made significant strides in the development of innovative approaches for cancer therapy. These include cutting-edge investigations studying the vital role played by the gut microbiota in regulating anticancer immune responses. This groundbreaking work seeks to illuminate the intricate interplay between the gut microbiome and cancer radiation and immune therapy, offering new avenues for therapeutic intervention.

Our research team has been developing two innovative vaccination strategies in the field of cancer immunotherapy. The first strategy involves harnessing the potential of mitochondrial DNA mutations, known as TAMAs, by using mitochondria isolated from tumor cells. The second approach focuses on emerging tumor vasculature antigens. These pioneering vaccination methods have the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment by mobilizing the body's immune system to target and combat malignancies effectivel


Complementing the laboratory's basic research, clinical investigations are dedicated to the development of preclinical immunotherapies. These translational efforts bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world patient care, with the ultimate goal of bringing innovative and effective immunotherapies to the forefront of cancer treatment.

Selected Publications

Perales-Linares R, Leli NM, Mohei H, Beghi S, Rivera OD, Kostopoulos N, Giglio A, George SS, Uribe-Herranz M, Costabile F, Pierini S, Pustylnikov S, Skoufos G, Barash Y, Hatzigeorgiou AG, Koumenis C, Maity A, Lotze MT, Facciabene A: Parkin Deficiency Suppresses Antigen Presentation to Promote Tumor Immune Evasion and Immunotherapy Resistance. Cancer Research 83(21): 3562-3576, Nov 2023.

Amit U, Facciabene A, Ben-Josef E.: "Radiation Therapy and the Microbiome; More Than a Gut Feeling." Cancer J. 29(2): 84-88, April 2023.

Uribe-Herranz M, Beghi S, Ruella M, Parvathaneni K, Salaris S, Kostopoulos N, George SS, Pierini S, Krimitza E, Costabile F, Ghilardi G, Amelsberg KV, Lee YG, Pajarillo R, Markmann C, McGettigan-Croce B, Agarwal D, Frey N, Lacey SF, Scholler J, Gabunia K, Wu G, Chong E, Porter DL, June CH, Schuster SJ, Bhoj V, Facciabene A.: Modulation of the gut microbiota engages antigen cross-presentation to enhance antitumor effects of CAR T cell immunotherapy. Molecular Therapy 31(3): 686-700, March 2023.

Yegya-Raman N, Wright CM, LaRiviere MJ, Baron JA, Lee DY, Landsburg DJ, Svoboda J, Nasta SD, Gerson JN, Barta SK, Chong EA, Schuster SJ, Maity A, Facciabene A, Paydar I, Plastaras JP: Salvage radiotherapy for relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma following CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CART) therapy. Clin Transl Radiat Oncol. 39, Jan 2023.

Anstadt EJ, Chu B, Yegya-Raman N, Han X, Doucette A, Poirier K, Mohiuddin JJ, Maity A, Facciabene A, Amaravadi RK, Karakousis GC, Cohen JV, Mitchell TC, Schuchter LM, Lukens JN: Moderate Colitis Not Requiring IV Steroids Is Associated with Improved Survival in Stage IV Melanoma after Anti-CTLA4 Monotherapy, But Not Combination Therapy. Oncologist 27(9): 799-808, June 2022.

Chen X, Jin C, Facciabene A, Guo X, Zhang Y.: Deciphering the Microbiome-Immunity-Cancer Axis. Front. Immunol. Apr 2022 Notes: Editorial.

Smith M, Dai A, Ghilardi G, Amelsberg KV, Devlin SM, Pajarillo R, Slingerland JB, Beghi S, Herrera PS, Giardina P, Clurman A, Dwomoh E, Armijo G, Gomes ALC, Littmann ER, Schluter J, Fontana E, Taur Y, Park JH, Palomba ML, Halton E, Ruiz J, Jain T, Pennisi M, Afuye AO, Perales MA, Freyer CW, Garfall A, Gier S, Nasta S, Landsburg D, Gerson J, Svoboda J, Cross J, Chong EA, Giralt S, Gill SI, Riviere I, Porter DL, Schuster SJ, Sadelain M, Frey N, Brentjens RJ, June CH, Pamer EG, Peled JU, Facciabene A*, van den Brink MRM, Ruella M: Gut microbiome correlates of response and toxicity following anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy. Nat Med. *Co-last and Co-Corresponding author, 28(4): 713-723, March 2022.

Pierini S, Tanyi JL, Simpkins F, George E, Uribe-Herranz M, Drapkin R, Burger R, Morgan MA, Facciabene A. : Ovarian granulosa cell tumor characterization identifies FOXL2 as an immunotherapeutic target. JCI Insight. Aug. 2021.

Pierini S, Mishra A, Perales-Linares R, Uribe-Herranz M, Beghi S, Giglio A, Pustylnikov S, Costabile F, Rafail S, Amici A, Facciponte JG, Koumenis C, Facciabene A: Combination of vasculature targeting, hypofractionated radiotherapy, and immune checkpoint inhibitor elicits potent antitumor immune response and blocks tumor progression. J Immunother Cancer 9(2): e001636, Feb 2021.

Uribe-Herranz M, Rafail S, Beghi S, Gil-de-Gómez L, Verginadis I, Bittinger K, Pustylnikov S, Pierini S, Perales-Linares R, Blair IA, Mesaros CA, Snyder NW, Bushman F, Koumenis C, Facciabene A.: Gut microbiota modulate dendritic cell antigen presentation and radiotherapy-induced antitumor immune response. J Clin Invest 130(1): 466-479, Jan 2020

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Last updated: 02/29/2024
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