Educational Profile
1988 Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Università di Napoli Federico II - Naples
1984 Specialization in Oncology, Università di Napoli Federico II - Naples
1981 Medical Doctor, Università di Napoli Federico II - Naples

Scientific Profile
2009/today Group Leader, IFOM Fondazione Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, Milan, Italy
2004/today Founder and Professor, SEMM (European School of Molecular Medicine), Milan, Italy
2000/today Full Professor of General Pathology, Università di Milano, Milan, Italy
2001/2008 Scientific Director, IFOM Fondazione Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, Milan, Italy
1995/2001 Division Director, Ist.Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy
1994/1995 Chief of Section of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute Bethesda, USA
1992/2000 Associate Professor of Immunology, Università di Bari, Bari, Italy
1991/1992 Contract Professor of General Physiology, Università di Urbino
"Carlo Bo", Urbino, Italy
1991/1992 Contract Professor of Experimental Oncology, Università di Napoli
Federico II, Naples, Italy
1990/1991 Contract Professor of General Physiology, Università di Genova, Genoa, Italy
1988/1994 Visiting Scientist, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, USA
1984/1987 Visiting Fellow, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, USA
1983/1983 Lecturer in Experimental Oncology, Università di Napoli Federico II,
Naples, Italy
1982/1984 Assistant, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Università di Napoli
Federico II, Naples, Italy
1977/1984 Pre- and Post-doctoral Fellow, Institute of General Pathology, Università di Napoli, Federico II, Naples, Italy

The lab is performing both basic and translational cancer research in the fields of endocytosis, stem cells and functional genomics.
A long-standing goal of our group is to elucidate the role of endocytosis in cell signalling and cancer. Our contributions to this field have helped to change the way endocytosis is perceived, from being simply a mechanism for signal attenuation to being a vital component of the cell signalling machinery that provides spatial and temporal dimensions to signalling events. Currently, our ongoing endocytosis projects are aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms governing endocytosis of the EGFR, mapping the endocytic interactome and understanding the functional significance of endocytosis in normal physiological processes and in disease, particularly in cancer.
More recently, our studies on the endocytic protein, Numb, have revealed that it is a tumour suppressor in breast cancer. Numb is also a known regulator of Notch, a protein implicated in stem cell maintenance, and together, these observations have driven the development of new stem cell research projects, ranging from transcriptional profiling analysis of normal and cancer stem cells, to the in-depth characterisation of a number of critical signalling/endocytic pathways involving Numb/Notch/p53.
Finally, our functional genomics-based projects exploit a range of high-throughput technologies to identify new cancer-specific signatures and druggable targets that can be employed in the clinic as diagnostic/prognostic/therapeutic tools.

1.Luise C, Capra M, Donzelli M, Mazzarol G, Jodice MG, Nuciforo P, Viale G, Di Fiore PP, Confalonieri S. (2011) An atlas of altered expression of deubiquitinating enzymes in human cancer. PLoS One. 2011 Jan 25;6(1):e15891.
2.Argenzio E, Bange T, Oldrini B, Bianchi F, Peesari R, Mari S, Di Fiore PP, Mann M, Polo S. (2011) Proteomic snapshot of the EGF-induced ubiquitin network. Mol Syst Biol. Jan 18;7:462.
3.Pece S, Confalonieri S, R Romano P, Di Fiore PP. (2011) NUMB-ing down cancer by more than just a NOTCH. Biochim Biophys Acta. Jan;1815(1):26-43. Review.
4.Scita G, Di Fiore PP. (2010) The endocytic matrix. Nature. Jan 28;463(7280):464-73. Review.
5.Pece S, Tosoni D, Confalonieri S, Mazzarol G, Vecchi M, Ronzoni S, Bernard L, Viale G, Pelicci PG, Di Fiore PP. (2010) Biological and molecular heterogeneity of breast cancers correlates with their cancer stem cell content. Cell. Jan 8;140(1):62-73.
6.Westhoff B, Colaluca IN, D'Ario G, Donzelli M, Tosoni D, Volorio S, Pelosi G, Spaggiari L, Mazzarol G, Viale G, Pece S, Di Fiore PP. (2009) Alterations of the Notch pathway in lung cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Dec 29;106(52):22293-8.
7.Cicalese A, Bonizzi G, Pasi CE, Faretta M, Ronzoni S, Giulini B, Brisken C, Minucci S, Di Fiore PP, Pelicci PG. (2009) The tumor suppressor p53 regulates polarity of self-renewing divisions in mammary stem cells. Cell. Sep 18;138(6):1083-95.
8.Di Fiore PP. (2009) Endocytosis, signaling and cancer, much more than meets the eye. Preface. Mol Oncol. Aug;3(4):273-9. No abstract available.
9.Confalonieri S, Quarto M, Goisis G, Nuciforo P, Donzelli M, Jodice G, Pelosi G, Viale G, Pece S, Di Fiore PP. (2009) Alterations of ubiquitin ligases in human cancer and their association with the natural history of the tumor. Oncogene. Aug 20;28(33):2959-68.
10.Polo S, Di Fiore PP. (2008) Finding the right partner: science or ART? Cell. Nov 14;135(4):590-2.
11.Lanzetti L, Di Fiore PP. (2008) Endocytosis and cancer: an 'insider' network with dangerous liaisons. Traffic. Dec;9(12):2011-21. Review.
12.Sigismund S, Argenzio E, Tosoni D, Cavallaro E, Polo S, Di Fiore PP. (2008) Clathrin-mediated internalization is essential for sustained EGFR signaling but dispensable for degradation. Dev Cell. Aug;15(2):209-19.
13.Palamidessi A, Frittoli E, Garré M, Faretta M, Mione M, Testa I, Diaspro A, Lanzetti L, Scita G, Di Fiore PP. (2008) Endocytic trafficking of Rac is required for the spatial restriction of signaling in cell migration. Cell. Jul 11;134(1):135-47.
14.Bianchi F, Nicassio F, Di Fiore PP. (2008) Unbiased vs. biased approaches to the identification of cancer signatures: the case of lung cancer. Cell Cycle. Mar 15;7(6):729-34. Review.
15.Colaluca IN, Tosoni D, Nuciforo P, Senic-Matuglia F, Galimberti V, Viale G, Pece S, Di Fiore PP. (2008) NUMB controls p53 tumour suppressor activity. Nature. Jan 3;451(7174):76-80.
17.Bianchi F, Nuciforo P, Vecchi M, Bernard L, Tizzoni L, Marchetti A, Buttitta F, Felicioni L, Nicassio F, Di Fiore PP. (2007) Survival prediction of stage I lung adenocarcinomas by expression of 10 genes. J Clin Invest. Nov;117(11):3436-44.

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