Cosimo Commisso

Biography

Dr. Commisso's doctoral studies were focused on various aspects of endocytosis pertaining to Notch signal transduction. Specifically, he analyzed the role of an endocytic protein known as Neuralized, which functions in the internalization of Notch ligands such as Delta and Jagged. As a doctoral trainee he gained extensive experience in cell biological and biochemical techniques pertaining to cellular trafficking. Subsequently, Dr. Commisso received postdoctoral training in pancreatic cancer at New York University School of Medicine. In that capacity he gained expertise in analyzing the complex signaling events mediated by oncogenic Ras during the initiation and progression of the disease. Additionally, he has expertise in the utilization of mouse models of pancreatic cancer including heterotopic/orthotopic xenografts, syngeneic heterotopic/orthotopic implantation and autochthonous models.

Research Interest

Research in the Commisso Lab is focused on biological discoveries that have the potential to lead to novel therapeutic strategies for cancer. Of particular interest to our laboratory are Ras-driven cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, which are extremely aggressive and are in urgent need of new and innovative therapies. The biological process that we study in the lab is called macropinocytosis, a fluid-phase form of bulk endocytic uptake, which we have linked to cancer cell metabolism in Ras-mutated tumors.