Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Appoints Dr Alessandro Fatatis Associate Director for Basic Research

Alessandro Fatatis, MD, PhD

Alessandro Fatatis, MD, PhD, has been named Associate Director for Basic Research at Jefferson Health’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center(SKCC). Fatatis previously served as Co-leader for SKCC’s Translational and Cellular Oncology Research Program and is Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology at Drexel University College of Medicine. SKCC is a National Cancer Research (NCI)-recognized consortium cancer center with Drexel University. 

As Associate Director for Basic Research, Fatatis will be responsible for coordinating all cancer-focused basic research at SKCC and aligning these efforts with strategic priorities. He will advance collaborative basic research across the cancer center’s Translational and Cellular Oncology, Immune Cell Regulation and Targeting, and Molecular Oncology Regulation and Approaches Research Programs and promote strong partnerships with the population science-oriented members in the Cancer Research and Control Program.

Additionally, he will work closely with Wm. Kevin Kelly, DO, Associate Director for Clinical Research, to link bench-to-bedside research through the multidisciplinary disease groups, and Amy Leader, DrPH, MPH, Associate Director for Community Integration, to develop research to address the health issues unique to the catchment area. Fatatis succeeds Andrew Aplin, PhD, who held the role until his appointment to SKCC Deputy Director last year.

“I am very excited to assume this role and continue my work with an exceptional team of scientists, clinicians, and healthcare providers,” Fatatis said. “I am also fully committed to join the efforts of SKCC leadership toward the eradication of cancer, focusing on the specific needs of our catchment area and in consultation with patient advocates and local community leaders.”

Fatatis is a recognized expert of metastasis and his research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating the metastatic potential of solid tumors and identifying novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets to treat metastatic disease. He is currently PI of an NCI-funded R01 grant to study interleukin-1beta and AR-negative tumor cells in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer, and Co-PI on a SKCC-Drexel Consortium Collaborative Grant that is examining the atomic structure of the small-molecule antagonist FX-68 bound to CX3CR1 reconstituted in lipid nanodiscs. He is also PI on an R01 multi-PI grant investigating the role of CX3CR1 in breast cancer metastasis.

“Dr. Fatatis is an impactful scientist and leader who will expertly guide basic scientific research efforts at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and promote collaboration across our four research programs, which will enable us to translate our scientific discoveries to more effectively treat, detect, and prevent cancer in our communities,” said Andrew Chapman, DO, SKCC Director and EVP of Oncology Services at Jefferson Health.

Fatatis previously served as Co-director of the Prostate Cancer Working Group of Greater Philadelphia and is currently Chair of the admission and steering committee of the Diversity in Drug Discovery and Development Fellowship, in partnership with Janssen’s Oncology Discovery group. Additionally, he has served as a peer reviewer for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Defense.

His honors and awards include 2016 SKCC Director’s Award for Outstanding Member, the 2016 Mentoring Award from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies at Drexel University, the 2006 Young Scientist Award from Drexel University College of Medicine, and the 1999 Award Biagio Lo Scalzo for Distinguished Pharmacological Research from the Italian Society of Pharmacology. He is also Chair of the Steering Committee for Prostate Cancer Discovery and Development Program Inter-Institutional Award at the Wistar Institute and the University of Pennsylvania 

Fatatis received his medical and doctoral degrees from the University of Naples in Italy, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship, and was a Fogarty Fellow in the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology in the NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Prior to joining Drexel in 2000, he served as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Chicago.