Dr Lucia Nappi
- Senior Research Scientist, Vancouver Prostate Centre
- M.D. University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
- Medical Oncology Residency, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
- PhD (Molecular Oncology and Endocrinology,) University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
- Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Genito-Urinary Medical Oncology Fellow, British Columbia Cancer Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Medical Oncology Subspecialty Examination Affiliate Program – University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Dr. Nappi is a clinician scientist medical oncologist. Her major research focus involves:
- Study of molecular mechanisms mediating resistance to the targeted and chemotherapy agents in genitourinary tumors;
- Drug discovery
- Identification of new biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment response/resistance in patients with genitourinary malignancies.
Dr. Nappi has been a key person in the discovery of a new anti-Hsp27 small molecule. She has demonstrated that the drug has a high activity in controlling prostate cancer proliferation in vitro and in vivo, modulating different molecular pathways involving AR and its abnormal variants (i.e. AR-V7). She used her expertise as medical oncologist to directly translate these findings into the clinical setting, designing a Phase I clinical trial to assess the tolerability of this new drug alone or in combination to standard therapy in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
Since her residency in Italy, she has been working with patients with germ cell tumours, collaborating with the IGG (Italian Germ cell tumor study Group). In North America and British Columbia, she has been the principal driver of the translational development of plasma-based biomarkers for germ cell tumour patients. She is intimately involved in the clinical development of miR371 as a practice-changing adjunct to management of germ cell tumours and germ cell tumour survivorship. One of her research focusses is the validation, scaling, implementation and dissemination of this promising family of liquid biomarkers across the spectrum of the germ cell tumours. She is the chair of the clinical trial S1823 which has the aim to validate miR371 in early stage germ cell tumours, and has enrolled almost 1,000 patients.
She has several national and international collaborations including: Indiana University (Dr. L. Einhorn), Princess Margaret Hospital (Dr. R. Hamilton), University of South California (Dr. S. Daneshmand), University of Naples (Italy) (Dr. G. Palmieri ) and National Institute of Tumours in Milan (Dr. A. Necchi).
Dr. Nappi has obtained several awards and recognitions including: a SWOG Trial Support (STrS) grant from the Hope Foundation, a 2017 research grant from Kidney Cancer Canada, and a 2017 Astellas Research Grant Award from the Genito-Urinary Medical Oncologists of Canada (GUMOC) association. She became a SWOG Young Investigator in 2017 and was the recipient of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health and Science Trainee award in 2015. Most recently, she received the 2020 Tad Smith & Caroline Fitzgibbons-PCF Young Investigator Award.
- Clinical and Research Scientists