Human Oncology & Pathogenesis Program

The Piro Lito Lab

Research

Piro Lito, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Our group studies the properties of oncoproteins that drive cancer cell growth, focusing on lung cancer and other solid tumors. We are interested in understanding how these are activated, their regulatory mechanisms, and how they modulate the behavior of cancer cells. To answer these questions we utilize small molecule inhibitors coupled with biochemical and genetic approaches in patient-derived cell line or xenograft model systems. We aim to provide insight into the fundamental processes that govern tumor biology and to identify therapeutic interventions that will prolong survival and improve the quality of life in patients with cancer.

Research Projects

Featured News

In the Clinic

Promising Results from the First-Ever Trial of a Drug that Blocks Cancer Gene KRAS

Sunday, September 20, 2020

In the Lab

Giving Drugs Together — Rather than in Sequence — May Be Key to Halting Tumor Resistance

Thursday, July 27, 2017

In the Lab

New Lung Cancer Therapy May Target Previously Untreatable Tumors

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Publications

Xue JY, Zhao Y, Aronowitz J, Mai TT, Vides A, Qeriqi B, Kim D, Li C, de Stanchina E, Mazutis L, Risso D, Lito P. Rapid non-uniform adaptation to conformation-specific KRAS(G12C) inhibition. Nature. 2020;577(7790):421-5. doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1884-x. PMID: 31915379

Hong DS*, Fakih MG, Strickler JH, Desai J, Durm JA,Shapiro GI, Falchook GS, Price TJ, Denlinger CS, Bang YJ, Dy GK, Krauss JC, Kuboki Y, Kuo JC, Coveler AL, Park K, Kim TW, Barlesi F, Munster PN, Burns TF, Meric-Bernstam F, Henary H, Ngang J, Ngarmchamnanrith G, Kim J, Houk BE, Canon J, Lipford JR, Lito P*, Govindan R*, Li BT*. KRAS G12C inhibition in advanced solid tumors. New England Journal of Medicine, 2020. Sep 24;383(13):1207-1217. PMID: 32955176* Equal contribution/co-senior authors

Xue Y, Martelotto L, Baslan T, Vides A, Solomon M, Mai TT, Chaudhary N, Riely GJ, Li BT, Scott K, Cechhi F, Stierner U, Chadalavada K, de Stanchina E, Schwartz S, Hembrough T, Nanjangud G, Berger MF, Nilsson J, Lowe SW, Reis-Filho JS, Rosen N, Lito P. An approach to suppress the evolution of resistance in BRAF(V600E)-mutant cancer. Nature Medicine. 2017;23(8):929-37. doi: 10.1038/nm.4369. PMID: 28714990

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