Massimiliano Mazzone

Massimiliano Mazzone

Professor at Faculty of Medicine, KULeuven & Head of Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Angiogenesis

“Novel insights into the function of MET-proto-oncogene might lead to optimizing cancer treatment”

Education and Career Record

2006 to 2009: Postdoctoral Fellow, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium. Topics: study of oxygen sensors in mouse models of ischemia and cancer, validation of small molecules and antibodies in mouse models of cancer.

2002 to 2007: PhD in Cell Science and Technology, Division of Molecular Oncology, IRCC, School of Medicine, University of Torino, Italy. Topics: lentiviral vector-based gene-therapy strategies and validation of blocking antibodies in mouse models of cancer and metastasis, validation of recombinant proteins in mouse models of iatrogenic damage.

1997 to 2002: Master (5-year course) in Medical Biotechnology (full marks and exceptional honors), School of Medicine, University of Torino, Torino, Italy

1992 to 1997: Scientific Lyceum (60/60 first class honors), Institute Marie Curie, Pinerolo, Torino, Italy

Research Experience & Positions

2014 to present: Tenured Professor, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

2009 to present: Group Leader, Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Angiogenesis, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium (from March 2009).

2009 to 2014: Associate Professor, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

1999 to 2002: Undergraduate Student, Division of Molecular Oncology, IRCC, School of Medicine, University of Torino, Italy. Topics: lentiviral vector-based gene-therapy strategies in mouse models of cancer and metastasis, study of hypoxia on metastatic behavior of cancer cells in vitro and in mice.

1998: Undergraduate Student, Molecular Biotechnology Center, School of Medicine, University of Torino, Italy. Topics: generation and screening of transgenic mouse lines lacking for the gene Citron-Kinase (Citron K). 2 | P a g e

Academic Activity

June 2013: CBCS International Summer School on Cardiovascular Sciences (Nice, France, June 16th-20th) April 2013: Invited Speaker, Biomedical Congress, KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium, April 23rd). April 2012: SEMM PhD Course at IFOM-IEO, University of Milano, Italy, on “Cancer-associated inflammation”. March 2012: PhD Course at the School in Cardiovascular Medicine, KU Leuven, Belgium. June 2011: CBCS International Summer School on Cardiovascular Sciences (Nice, France, June 12th-16th). March 2011: SEMM PhD Course at IFOM-IEO, University of Milano, Italy, on “Cancer-associated inflammation”. December 2010: Molecular and Developmental Genetics PhD Course at KU Leuven, Belgium. November 2010: DIMET PhD Course at Milano-Bicocca University (Milano, Italy) on Tumor Microenvironment. May 2010: Oncoforum PhD Course at the School in Cancer, Cancer Institute of Leuven. September 2009: ESHRE International Summer School on Cancer (Leuven, Belgium, September 25th-26th). October 2008: Interuniversity course on Angiogenesis to graduate students at the University of Brussels (Belgium). October 2011 to present: Course in Cardiovascular Biology, Master in Biomedical Science, KU Leuven, Belgium. October 2010 to present: Jury member of 3 Master Thesis defenses, KU Leuven, Belgium. October 2010 to present: Promoter of 6 Erasmus Students from different European Universities. October 2009 to present: Selected jury member of 6 international PhD defenses. October 2009 to present: Promoter of 5 PhD Students (School in Oncology and School in Cardiovascular Medicine, KU Leuven, Belgium). January 2007 to present: Course in Oncology, Master in Biomedical Science, KU Leuven, Belgium. October 2004 to November 2006: Course in Cell Biology and Human Histology to nursing and physiotherapy undergraduate students, University of Torino, Italy. 2004 to present: Supervisor of 7 Postdoctoral Fellows, 5 PhD Students, and 20 Master Students from different European and extra-European Universities.

Awards & Honors

December 2015: Award Foundation AstraZeneca (Oncology), December 14th, Brussels.

July 2015: Chiara D’Onofrio Award (Senior category) from the Foundation Chiara D’Onofrio and the Italian Association for Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Torino, July 1st).

November 2014: EMBO Young Investigator Award 2014

November 2014: André Vander Stricht-Emile Carpentier Prize, King Baudouin Foundation (Brussels, November 11th).

August 2012: ERC Starting Grant Award.

May 2012: Lorini Award 2011, Foundation Andrea and Libi Lorini (Bovara Palace, Milano, May 7th).

September 2010: Prof. Karel-Lodewijk Verleysen Award, Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine.

May 2010: Research Council Award 2010, KU Leuven.

April 2010: Burgen Award, Academy of Europe.

November 2009: Rimaux-Bartier Schenking 2010 award for incurable diseases.

May 2008: Science Award for the best abstract, 8th ESH conference on angiogenesis (Paris, May 9th-12th). 3 | P a g e

January 2007: Selected for the FEBS Long-Term Fellowship.

December 2006: Selected for the EMBO Long-Term Fellowship.

May 2005: Giulia Colletta Award, Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC).