Carlo V. Catapano

Carlo V. Catapano is an Adjunct Professor at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) within the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences. He currently leads the Experimental Therapeutics Lab and serves as Head of the Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapeutics program. Previously, he was Director of the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR) from 2003 to 2023. His roles include former Director of the Laboratories of Experimental Oncology at the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI).

Education: MD (summa cum laude) from the University of Naples (1983), specialization in Oncology (1986), and PhD in Biochemistry from Wake Forest University (1993). He held professorships at the Medical University of South Carolina (1993–2003) before moving to Switzerland.

Research focuses on epigenetic mechanisms in cancer progression, cancer stem cell biology, and novel therapeutic strategies. Key areas include targeting epigenetic regulators (e.g., BRD4, EZH2) to counter treatment resistance and metastasis, mitochondrial dynamics in CSCs, and nanomedicine for drug delivery. Current projects are supported by SNSF and KLS funding.

His lab integrates genomic data, preclinical models, and clinical insights to develop therapies addressing tumor plasticity and CSC-driven recurrence. Notable contributions include defining mitochondria as central hubs in CSC maintenance and identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities in cancer stem cells.