USA Mitchell Cancer Institute - Aurelio Lorico, M.D., Ph.D.

Aurelio Lorico, M.D., Ph.D.

Senior Staff Scientist and Associate Professor
of Cell Biology and Neuroscience

Contact Information:

USA-Mitchell Cancer Institute
1660 Springhill Avenue, Mobile, AL 36607
Telephone: (251) 461-1636
Fax: (251) 460-6994
Email: alorico@usouthal.edu

Background:

Research Fellow, Dept. Experimental Oncology, Aviano Cancer Center, Aviano, Italy 1984-1990
Post-doctoral Associate, Dept. of Pharmacology, Yale University Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, USA 1991-1993
Junior Research Faculty, Dept. of Pharmacology, Yale University Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, USA 1993-1997
Senior Research Scientist, Norwegian Cancer Center, Oslo, Norway, Nov. 1997-today
Visiting Professor, Cancer Institute, USA, Mobile, AL August 2003-January 2005
Senior Staff Scientist , USA Mitchell Cancer Institute, USA , Mobile, AL, January 2005

Research Interests:

Dr. Lorico's work at USA is mainly on gene therapy projects based on hematopoietic and neural stem cells. Different strategies for selection of gene-transduced stem cells are tested in vitro and in vivo. A newly developed protocol of culture and gene transduction of neural stem cells will be utilized for gene therapy of primary and metastatic brain tumors.

Selected Recent Publications :

Rappa, G., Lorico, A. , Liu, M-C., Kruh, G. D., Cory, A. H., Cory, J. G., and Sartorelli, A. C. Overexpression of the multidrug resistance genes MDR1, MDR3 and MRP in L1210 leukemia cells resistant to inhibitors of ribonucleotide reductase. Biochem. Pharmacol., 54: 649-655 (1997).

Rappa, G., Lorico, A. , Flavell, R. A., and Sartorelli, A. C. Evidence that the multidrug resistance protein (MRP) functions as a co-transporter of glutathione and natural product toxins. Cancer Res., 57: 5232-5237 (1997).

Lorico, A. , Rappa, G., Finch, R. A., Yang, D., Flavell, R. A., and Sartorelli, A. C. Disruption of the murine MRP (multidrug resistance protein) gene leads to increased sensitivity to etoposide (VP-16) and increased levels of glutathione. Cancer Res., 57: 5238-5242 (1997).

Rappa, G., Finch, R., Sartorelli, A.C. and Lorico, A. New Insights into the Biology and Pharmacology of the Multidrug Resistance Protein (MRP) from Gene Knockout Studies. Biochem. Pharmacol.,58: 557-562 (1999).

Rappa, G., Shyam, K., Lorico, A. , Fodstad, O., and Sartorelli, A. C. Structure-activity studies of novobiocin analogs as modulators of VP-16 cytotoxicity. Oncology Research, 12, 113-119, 2001.

Rappa, G., Lorico, A. , Hildinger, M., Fodstad, O.., and Baum C. Novel Bicistronic Retroviral Vector Expressing ?-Glutamyl Cysteine Synthetase And The Multidrug Resistance Protein 1 (MRP1) Protects Cells From MRP1-Effluxed Drugs And Alkylating Agents. Human Gene Therapy, 12: 1785-96. 2001.

Lorico, A. , Nesland, J., Emilsen, E., Fodstad, O., and Rappa, G. Role of the Multidrug Resistance Protein 1 (MRP1) gene in the carcinogenicity of aflatoxin B1: investigations using mrp1-null mice. Toxicology 171, 201-205, 2002.

Lorico, A. , Bertola, A., Baum, C., Fodstad, O., and Rappa, G. Role of the Multidrug Resistance Protein 1 (MRP1) in protection from heavy metal oxyanions: investigations in vitro and in MRP1-deficient mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 291: 617-622, 2002 .

Rappa, G, Gamcsik, M P., Mitina, R. L., Baum, C., Fodstad, O., and Lorico A. Retrovirus-Mediated Transfer of the Human Multidrug Resistance Protein 1 (MRP1) cDNA leads to decreased intracellular glutathione and hypersensitivity to L-buthionine-R, S-sulfoximine (BSO). Eur. J. Cancer, 39, 120-128, 2003.

Rappa, G., Kunke, D., Holter, J., Diep, D. B., Meyer, J., Baum, C., Fodstad, O., Krauss, S., and Lorico, A. Efficient expansion and gene transduction of mouse neural stem/progenitor cells on recombinant fibronectin. Neuroscience, in press.

Lorico, A. , Bratbak, D., Meyer, J., Kunke, D., Krauss, S., Baum, C., Fodstad, O., and Rappa, G. g-glutamyl cysteine synthetase and L-buthionine-S,R-sulfoximine (BSO): a new selection strategy for gene-transduced neural and hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Gene Therapy, submitted.

Rappa, G., Kunke, D., Holter, J., Diep, D.B., Meyer, J., Baum, C., Fodsta, O., Krauss, S., and Lorico, A.: Efficient expansion and gene transduction of mouse neural stem/progenitor dells on recombinant fibronectin. Neuroscience, 124: 823-830, 2004.

Lorico, A., Bratbak, D., Meyer, J., Kunke, d., Krauss, S., Baum, C., Fodstad, O., and Rappa, G.: Gamma-glutamyl cysteine synthetase and L-buthionine-S, R-sulfoximine (BSO): A new selection strategy for gene-transduced neural land hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Human Gene Therapy, 16(6):711-724, 2005.

Rappa, G., Anzanello F, Alexeyev M, Fodstad O, Lorico, A. Gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase-based selection strategy for gene therapy of chronic granulomatous disease and graft-vs.-host disease. Eur J Haematol. 78 (5): 440-448, 2007.

Rappa, G., Mercapide, J., Anzanello, F., Prasmickaite, L., Xi, Y., Ju, J. Fodstad, O., and Lorico, A. Growth of cancer cell lines under stem cell-like conditions has the potential to unveil therapeutic targets. Exp. Cell Res., 314 (10), 2110-2122, 2008.

Lorico, A., Mercapide, J., Soloduschko, V., Alexeyev, M., Fodstad, O., and Rappa, G. Neural stem/progenitor cells expressing endostatin or cytochrome P450 for gene therapy of malignant gliomas. Cancer Gene Therapy, 15 (9), 605-615, 2008.

Rappa, G., Fodstad, O., and Lorico, A. The stem cell-associated antigen CD133 (Prominin-1) is a Molecular Therapeutic Target for Metastatic Melanoma. Stem Cells, in press.