Roberto Chiarle

Roberto Chiarle is a Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston, where he leads the Chiarle Laboratory. His research focuses on the mechanisms and therapy of cancers, particularly lymphoma and chromosomal translocations.

• Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital Boston
• Harvard Medical School

Dr. Chiarle received his M.D. from the University of Turin, Italy, completed his residency in Anatomic Pathology at the same institution, and pursued fellowship training in Hematology and Molecular Pathology at New York University Medical Center. His academic career includes appointments as Assistant Professor (1999) and Associate Professor (2006) in Pathology at the University of Turin, followed by a Visiting Professorship at Children's Hospital Boston (2008-2010), before joining Harvard Medical School as Associate Professor in 2012 and being promoted to Professor.

Dr. Chiarle's research interests center on cancer mechanisms, with particular focus on lymphoma, chromosomal translocations, and oncogenic alterations involving the ALK gene. His laboratory has made significant contributions to understanding the formation of chromosomal translocations in normal and neoplastic cells, studying tumors driven by oncogenic alterations of the ALK gene, and discovering novel mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapy in lymphoma and solid cancers. His team has developed innovative approaches including ALK inhibitors, ALK-targeted siRNA, and ALK-specific cancer immunotherapy, including an ALK vaccine and ALK-specific CAR T cells.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on ALK-driven cancers, mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies, and novel immunotherapeutic approaches. The research spans multiple cancer types including lymphoma, neuroblastoma, and lung cancer, with particular emphasis on developing combination therapies and understanding molecular mechanisms of treatment response.

Dr. Chiarle's work has been recognized with numerous awards including the Italian National "Premio Sapio" Junior Investigator Award, the Italian National prize "Carlo Chianello" Foundation Research Award, the ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council, and a research award from the Association for International Cancer Research, UK.

• Italian National "Premio Sapio" Junior Investigator Award
• Italian National prize "Carlo Chianello" Foundation Research Award
• ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council
• Research award from the Association for International Cancer Research, UK

His laboratory maintains dual locations in Boston and Torino, supporting translational research efforts that bridge basic science discoveries with clinical applications. The lab's work on ALK-specific immunotherapies holds significant promise for patients with ALK-driven cancers, including lymphoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and neuroblastoma.