Profile

Luigi Strizzi M.D., Ph.D.
	CMRC, Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Research Assistant Professor, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Education
	Year 2004 1994	Degree Ph.D. M.D.	Institution Department of Oncology and Neurosciences, Univeristy of Chieti, Italy University of Chieti, Italy

Work Experience
	Period	Position and Area of Research	Organization
	Nov 2007 - Present	Research Assistant Professor - embryonic morphegens in cancer	Children's Memorial Research Center, Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
	Jan 2002 - Nov 2007	Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Physiscian - breast cancer	National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
	May 2001 - Dec 2001	Fogarty Research Scholar - viruses and tumorigenesis	U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Rockville, MD
	1994 - 1999	Residency in Clinical Pathology - cancers of the lung and pleura	University of Chieti, Faculty of Medicine, Italy

Research Interests

Tumor recurrence and metastasis represent the major causes of cancer related deaths. Studies aimed at understanding how cancer cells spread can help identify novel anti-cancer targets. In the past, Dr. Strizzi has studied how biological mechanisms like remodeling of the extracellular matrix, angiogenesis and epithelial to mesenchymal transition are involved during the metastatic spread of cancers of the lung and pleura, breast and gastrointestinal tract. More recently, Dr. Strizzi has focused his work on the role of the EGF-like protein, Cripto-1 during tumorigenesis of the mammary epithelial cell. Cripto-1 is the co-receptor for the TGF-beta related growth factor and embryonic morphogen Nodal. Both Cripto-1 and Nodal are vital for proper development and have been shown to be expressed in different human cancers including melanoma and breast cancer. Here, at the Hendrix Lab, Dr. Strizzi is studying how Cripto-1 and Nodal signaling affect differentiation, migration and invasion of cancer cells and identify molecules and molecular pathways capable of regulating these activities.

Selected Publications:

1) Margaryan NV, Strizzi L, Abbott DE, Seftor EA, Sambasiva Rao M, Hendrix MJC, Hess RA. EphA2 as a promoter of melanoma tumorigenicity. Cancer Biol Ther. 2009;3:275-284.

2) Mancino M, Esposito C, Watanabe K, Nagaoka T, Gonzales M, Bianco C, Normanno N, Salomon DS, Strizzi L. Neuronal guidance protein Netrin-1 induces differentiation in human embryonal carcinoma cells. Cancer Res. 2009;69:1717-21.

3) Strizzi L, Postovit LM, Margaryan NV, Lipavsky A, Gadiot J, Blank C, Seftor REB, Seftor EA, Hendrix MJC. Nodal as a biomarker for melanoma progression and a new therapeutic target for clinical intervention. Exp Rev Dermatol. 2009;4:67-78.

4) Strizzi L, Postovit LM, Margaryan NV, Seftor EA, Abbott DE, Seftor RE, Salomon DS, Hendrix MJ. Emerging roles of Nodal and Cripto-1: from embryogenesis to breast cancer progression. Breast Dis. 2008;29:91-103.

5) Strizzi L, Abbott DE, Salomon DS, Hendrix MJ. Potential for Cripto-1 in defining stem cell-like characteristics in human malignant melanoma. Cell Cycle. 2008;7:1931-5.

6) Strizzi L, Mancino M, Bianco C, Raafat A, Gonzales M, Booth BW, Watanabe K, Nagaoka T, Mack DL, Howard B, Callahan R, Smith GH, Salomon DS. Netrin-1 can affect morphogenesis and differentiation of the mouse mammary gland. J Cell Physiol. 2008: 216: 824-34.

7) Watanabe K, Hamada S, Bianco C, Mancino M, Nagaoka T, Gonzales M, Bailly V, Strizzi L, Salomon DS. Requirement of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor of Cripto-1 for trans activit as a Nodal co-receptor. J Biol Chem. 2007 ;282:35772-86.

8) Watanabe K, Bianco C, Strizzi L, Hamada S, Mancino M, Bailly V, Mo W, Wen D, Miatkowski K, Gonzales M, Sanicola M, Seno M, Salomon DS. Growth factor induction of Cripto-1 shedding by glycosylphosphatidylinositol-phospholipase D and enhancement of endothelial cell migration. J Biol Chem. 2007;282:31643-55.

9) Strizzi L, Bianco C, Hirota M, Watanabe K, Mancino M, Hamada S, Raafat A, Lawson S, Ebert AD, D’Antonio A, Losito S, Normanno N, Salomon DS. Development of leiomyosarcoma of the uterus in MMTV-CR-1 transgenic mice. J Pathol 2007; 211: 36-44.

10) Bianco C, Strizzi L, Mancino M, Rehman A, Hamada S, Watanabe K, De Luca A, Jones B, Balough G, Russo J, Mailo D, Palaia R, D’Aiuto G, Botti G, Perrone F, Salomon DS, Normanno N. Identification of Cripto-1 as a novel serological marker for breast and colon cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2006; 12: 5158-5164.

11) Strizzi L, Bianco C, Raafat A, Abdallah W, Chang C, Raafat D, Hirota M, Hamada S, Sun Y, Normanno N, Callahan R, Hinck L, Salomon D. Netrin-1 regulates invasion and migration of mouse mammary epithelial cells overexpressing Cripto-1 in vitro and in vivo. J Cell Sci. 2005; 118:4633-43.

12) Strizzi L, Bianco C, Normanno N, Salomon D. Cripto-1: a multifunctional modulator during embryogenesis and oncogenesis. Oncogene. 2005; 24: 5731-5741.

13) Strizzi L, Sun Y, Raafat A, Hirota M, Bianco C, Feigenbaum L, Kenney N, Wechselberger C, Callahan R, Salomon DS. Overexpression of human Cripto-1 in transgenic mice delays mammary gland development and differentiation and induces mammary tumorigenesis. Am J Pathol. 2005; 167: 585-597.

14) Wechselberger C, Strizzi L, Kenney N, Sun Y, Ebert A, Orozco O, Hirota M, Bianco C, Khan NI, Normanno N, Salomon DS, Sanicola M. Human Cripto-1 overexpression in the mouse mammary gland results in the formation of ductal hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma. Oncogene 2005; 24: 4094-4105.

15) Bianco C, Strizzi L, Ebert A, Chang C, Rehman A, Normanno N, Guedez L, Salloum R, Ginsburg E, Sun Y, Khan N, Hirota M, Wallace-Jones B, Wechselberger C, Vonderhaar BK, Tosato G, Stetler-Stevenson WG, Sanicola M and Salomon DS. Human Cripto-1 stimulates tumor angiogenesis. J Natl Cancer Inst 2005; 97:132-141.

16) Strizzi L, Bianco C, Normanno N, Seno M, Wechselberger C, Wallace-Jones B, Khan NI, Hirota M, Sun Y, Sanicola M, Salomon DS. Epithelial mesenchymal transition is a characteristic of hyperplasias and tumors in mammary gland from MMTV-Cripto-1 transgenic mice J Cell Physiol. 2004; 201: 266-276.

Lab Affiliations
	M.J.C. Hendrix Research Laboratory

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