January 28, 2009

NEW YORK — Michele Pagano, M.D., has been appointed deputy director of the NYU Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center.  The announcement was made today by William L. Carroll, M.D., the Julie and Edward Minskoff Professor of Pediatrics and director of the NYU Cancer Institute.

Dr. Pagano, the May Ellen and Gerald Ritter Professor of Oncology in the Department of Pathology,  has led the NYU Cancer Institute's Growth Control Program since 2000.  In his new role as deputy director, Dr. Pagano will work with Dr. Carroll and other members of the senior leadership team of NYU Langone Medical Center to develop a cohesive agenda for cancer research and therapy and to speed the translation of the laboratory findings into more effective approaches to cancer prevention and treatment.

Dr. Pagano studies the cell division cycle and how the lack of regulation of this process contributes to cancer development.  In particular, his research focuses on "ubiquitin ligases," a family of enzymes that regulate cell proliferation.  If cells can't properly regulate their own growth, they begin to multiply without control, contributing to the formation of tumors.

In 2008, Dr. Pagano was also appointed an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), joining an elite group of approximately 350 biomedical researchers who constitute this prestigious institution.  The HHMI offers its investigators the resources and freedom to explore their own lines on inquiry. Scientists are selected for their creativity, innovative ideas, and productivity.

"Dr. Pagano's extraordinary scientific advances in the field of cancer biology and proven visionary leadership in our Growth Control Program make him eminently qualified to serve in this critical position," said Dr. Carroll. "His vision and commitment to collaborative science will catalyze our efforts to further speed the process of translating basic discovery into new therapies for our patients."

Dr. Pagano was born, raised, and educated in Naples, Italy, and in 1989 received his M.D. and research degree from Federico II University (which, founded in 1224, is the first public university and one of the oldest schools of medicine in the western world).  In 1990, Pagano left Naples to pursue a basic research career at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany.  After two years, he moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to continue his postdoctoral studies at Mitotix, a biotechnology company that he co-founded, concentrating on the study of diseases resulting from inappropriate cell proliferation.  In late 1996, Pagano was recruited to the NYU School of Medicine.

Dr. Pagano has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific articles, is the recipient of many prestigious grants, and in 2006 obtained a MERIT Award from the National Cancer Institute in recognition of his outstanding achievements in cancer biology.  He serves on the editorial board of Cancer Research, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Cell Cycle, and BMC-Cell Biology, and is a regular reviewer for many scientific journals, including Cell, Science, and Nature.  He is an ad hoc member of NIH study sections, as well as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation and various international agencies.  Dr. Pagano has been invited to present more than 150 seminars at international conferences, universities, and research institutions in the United States and abroad.

Contact:
Office of Communications and Public Affairs
NYU Langone Medical Center
(212) 404-3555

About NYU Langone Medical Center
Located in the heart of New York City, NYU Langone Medical Center is a premier center for health care, biomedical research, and medical education.  For over 167 years, NYU physicians and researchers have contributed to the practice and science of medicine.  Today the Medical Center consists of NYU School of Medicine; Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, the first and largest facility of its kind; NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, a leader in musculoskeletal care; and such nationally recognized programs as the NYU Cancer Institute, the NYU Child Study Center, and the NYU Cardiac and Vascular Institute. 

About NYU Cancer Institute
The mission of the NYU Cancer Institute is to discover the origins of human cancer and to use that knowledge to eradicate the personal and societal burden of cancer in our community, the nation and the world. NYU Cancer Institute is an NCI-designated Cancer Center.