Flavia Pichiorri – Turning Scientific Ideas Into Cancer Therapies
Many scientific discoveries never move beyond the lab. Dr. Flavia Pichiorri has spent her career trying to change that.
A career built on translating big ideas into real medicine
The Los Angeles–based cancer researcher focuses on turning early discoveries into treatments that can eventually reach patients. Her work centers on hematologic cancers such as multiple myeloma and acute leukemia, with research programs targeting proteins like CD38 and CD84 and exploring radiation-based therapies.
Her career sits at the intersection of laboratory science and early clinical trials. The goal is simple, even if the work is not.
“You move ideas from the laboratory to the clinic, and then back again to the laboratory,” she says. “That cycle is how real progress happens.”
But the mindset behind that work started long before she entered a laboratory.
Growing up in Rome: Discipline before science
Flavia Pichiorri was born in Rome and grew up in a family shaped by engineering, statistics, and organizational science.
Her mother worked in finance and statistical analysis. Her father was a mechanical engineer who spent years working on large industrial projects abroad.
The household valued logic and structure. But much of her childhood was spent outdoors.
She grew up in the countryside along the Appia Antica, one of the oldest Roman roads in Italy. Before school, she often rode horses through the hills and ruins that surround the area.
“I practiced show jumping for almost twenty years,” she says. “That sport teaches focus and resilience. You learn very quickly that discipline matters.”
Those early lessons in persistence later carried into her scientific career.
From classical studies to molecular biology
Pichiorri’s academic path did not begin in science. In high school she studied classical literature, focusing on Latin and Greek.
The training sharpened her analytical thinking and attention to detail.
Later she shifted toward science at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, where she studied molecular biology and biochemistry. She earned a Master’s degree in Biochemistry and Enzymology in 1999, graduating with top honors.
Her early laboratory work focused on enzyme polymorphisms and protein interactions. She developed expertise in biochemical techniques such as circular dichroism spectroscopy, FPLC, and HPLC.
Soon after graduating, she joined the Italian National Research Council. There she began studying growth factors involved in multiple myeloma cell growth.
That research sparked a long-term focus on blood cancers.
“At the time, patients with multiple myeloma had very limited treatment options,” she says. “There was a clear need for deeper scientific understanding.”
Moving to the United States for cancer research
In the early 2000s, Pichiorri moved to the United States to expand her research training. She worked at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, then later at The Ohio State University, where she completed doctoral work studying tumor suppressor genes and fragile site DNA regions linked to cancer.
During this period she also worked on a project involving Clusterin, a circulating biomarker linked to colon cancer.
The research led to the development and patenting of a diagnostic screening assay. It was an early example of the type of work that would define her career, identifying biological mechanisms and translating them into clinical tools.
A breakthrough in multiple myeloma research
After completing her PhD, Pichiorri focused on the molecular biology of multiple myeloma. Her research showed that the disease is driven not only by genetic mutations but also by epigenetic changes regulated by oncogenic pathways such as c-Myc.
The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study became one of the most cited papers of its publication period.
“It helped show that plasma cell degeneration involves more than just genetic damage,” she says. “Epigenetic regulation also plays a key role.”
The discovery helped reshape how researchers think about the disease.
Translational science: Moving discoveries toward patients
In 2011, Pichiorri began her independent academic career in internal medicine research. She soon led projects focused on turning laboratory findings into therapies.
Her work contributed to the development of AR-42 (now REC-2282), an HDAC inhibitor studied in hematologic cancers.
She also worked on oncolytic viral therapies, including Pelareorep, designed to infect and destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue.
These projects required close collaboration between laboratory scientists and clinicians. “The most influential people in my career were my clinical myeloma colleagues,” she says. “They were always focused on how to translate new ideas into treatments that could help patients.”
Research leadership at city of hope
In 2016, Pichiorri joined City of Hope, where she expanded her work on antibody-based therapies and targeted cancer treatments.
Her team developed new strategies targeting CD38, a protein commonly expressed on myeloma and leukemia cells.
Some of these therapies involve radiolabeled antibodies, which deliver radiation directly to cancer cells.
The research has already led to clinical trials in multiple myeloma and acute leukemia.
Her group also identified CD84 as a potential therapeutic target in acute myeloid leukemia, opening new research directions for the field.
Another project involves a CD38-directed single-chain T-cell engager, designed to help immune cells recognize and eliminate leukemia stem cells.
A different definition of scientific success
Despite a long list of grants and publications, Pichiorri does not measure success by volume of work.
Her focus is on durability.
“In science, success is reaching conclusions that stand the test of time,” she says. “It is not about speed or how quickly something is published.”
She believes meaningful progress often requires questioning accepted ideas. “Scientific progress has always relied on challenging assumptions,” she says. “That is how new knowledge is created.”
Looking ahead
Today, Pichiorri continues working on translational cancer therapies targeting CD38, CD84, and radiation-based approaches for hematologic malignancies.
Her research connects laboratory models, emerging technologies, and early-phase clinical trials. Outside the lab she enjoys hiking, horseback riding, gardening, and reading scientific papers. But curiosity remains her strongest motivation.
“I rarely dwell on past success,” she says. “What keeps me going is the next scientific question.”
