Q and A: Brain Cancer Scientist Anna Lasorella, M.D.
The Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher discusses brain tumor vulnerabilities and the use of precision medicine to find cancer cures.
In the future, cancer patients will receive treatment based on an intensive and deep molecular understanding of the biology of their tumors.
That’s the vision of Anna Lasorella, M.D., director of the Precision Medicine Initiative at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Dr. Lasorella, a co-director of the Sylvester Brain Tumor Institute (SBTI) and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Miller School, is working toward this goal in her research on brain cancer as head of a lab she co-leads with Antonio Iavarone, M.D., SBTI director, Sylvester deputy director and professor of neurological surgery and biochemistry and molecular biology at the Miller School.
The lab studies some of the deadliest tumors, including the incurable brain cancer glioblastoma, which has a median survival of 15 months. Dr. Lasorella’s research on such cancers may pave the way for more routine, deep analysis of patient tumors.
Dr. Lasorella pivoted to scientific research more than 20 years ago when she moved to the United States from her native Italy, where she previously served as chief of the pediatric neuro-oncology unit at the Catholic University in Rome. She joined Sylvester in 2022, moving from Columbia University with Dr. Iavarone, to whom she is married.
“Research demands a lot from the individual, but when you get something out of your work as a scientist, you are really satisfied,” said Dr. Lasorella in the interview below, lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Tell us about what you study in the lab.
We study the basic mechanism of cancer in the brain: how a brain tumor develops, how the tumors become very aggressive and the mechanisms that drive the resistance to treatment. We study this in cancer models and primary tumors that we receive from patients.
We try to identify potential vulnerabilities in these tumors, and we test drugs in the models. We try to tailor the treatment to the molecular characteristic of the tumors.
What inspired you to go into laboratory research?
While I was treating children with brain cancer, I saw that we were not making any progress and that we were always delivering higher doses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, trying to kill a tumor, which was not understood at all. I decided that I was probably better suited to trying to understand why these tumors were so aggressive and how we could use this knowledge to design more rational treatments rather than keep doing the same thing over and over again and having children dying or being disabled by the treatment.
What is a key research project on the front burner now?
We are now studying the spatial architecture of tumors. We study how the malignant and the normal cells are intermixed and interact to contribute to making a tumor more aggressive or, for example, resistant to immunotherapy.
Using sections of primary tumors from patients, we can also study the genome of each cell and the contribution of both the DNA and the RNA at the spatial level. We ask how different molecular activities create an environment that allows the tumor to grow and become aggressive.
How do your studies fit into your role as director of Sylvester’s Precision Medicine Initiative?
Our goal is to establish a pipeline where we generate reliable, individualized tumor models that are patient specific. With these, we aim to understand patient-specific factors such as tumor genetics, RNA readouts and methylation, a key regulatory event in tumor cells.
Using accurate models, we can test drugs that we think might be effective against the tumor, based on its molecular characteristics. We are aiming initially to establish this system for brain tumors, then expand to other cancer types.
How does this research build on existing ways tumors are characterized at Sylvester and elsewhere?
Every patient’s tumor currently undergoes a comprehensive characterization, and the resulting report already can guide treatment. But right now, the guide provides only general knowledge.
For instance, we can identify a mutation in the EGFR gene and then provide an EGFR inhibitor. Ultimately, the goal is to integrate multiple genomic platforms and proteomic data for a more comprehensive molecular makeup that can better inform targeted treatment for specific tumors.
Tell us a little bit about how your professional partnership with Dr. Iavarone works to create good science.
We started having a professional relationship before it became personal, and it’s always been a very important part of our life together. When we met, I was a new oncologist and Antonio was a neurologist. So, we put our expertise together. We have a lot of trust in each other and we complement each other. It’s been a collaboration that has been going on for many years.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like music and reading. At every possible moment of free time, I have a book in my hand and some sort of classical music to listen to. I look forward to when the music season starts in Miami, and I like to go to concerts, operas and the ballet. I usually read two books at once.
What are you reading now?
I am reading Proust and a history of the age of Athens and Sparta. I studied Greek starting in high school for five years. I found it fascinating. At the time I wanted to be an archeologist, but then I decided to do archeology of the body.
Tags: brain cancer, cancer research, Dr. Anna Lasorella, glioblastomas, Precision Medicine Initiative, Sylvester Brain Tumor Institute, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center