A scientist who focuses on what helps patients
Dr. Flavia Pichiorri has spent much of her career asking a central question: How can laboratory discoveries help patients more quickly?
Based in Los Angeles, she works at the interface between translational science and clinical research, focusing on blood cancers such as multiple myeloma and acute leukemia. Her work explores therapeutic targets such as CD38 and CD84, as well as radiation-based treatment strategies to improve patient outcomes.
But her journey into cancer research did not begin in a hospital or laboratory. It began in the Roman countryside.
“I grew up riding horses every morning before school,” she remembers. “This environment taught me discipline and concentration very early on.”
These lessons would later shape her approach to science.
Growing up in Rome: discipline and curiosity
Pichiorri was born in Rome in 1974 and grew up in a family closely linked to analytical fields. Her mother worked in statistics and organizational science. Her father was a mechanical engineer who worked on large industrial projects throughout Europe and the Middle East.
The home environment valued structure and problem solving. But her childhood also included many hours outdoors.
She lived for years near the historic Appia Antica, an ancient Roman road lined with archaeological ruins. Before school she often rode through the surrounding countryside. She also competed in show jumping for almost twenty years.
“This experience taught me resilience,” she says. “In science, just like in horseback riding, you have to stay focused and keep going, even when things don’t go as planned.”
From ancient science to molecular biology
Pichiorri’s academic path began with classical literature. In high school she learned Latin and Greek, which sharpened her analytical thinking.
She later turned to science and studied molecular biology and biochemistry at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome. She earned a master’s degree in biochemistry and enzymology in 1999, graduating with honors.
Her early research focused on enzyme polymorphisms and protein interactions. She trained in advanced biochemical techniques such as circular dichroism spectroscopy, FPLC and HPLC.
Shortly after graduating, she joined the Italian National Research Council, where she began studying growth factors that influence the growth of multiple myeloma cells.
This work introduced her to the disease that would determine much of her scientific career.
“Back then, patients with multiple myeloma often only survived for a short time after diagnosis,” she explains. “There was a great need to understand the biology of the disease.”
Moved to the USA for cancer research
In the early 2000s, Pichiorri joined research teams in the United States. She worked at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and later at Ohio State University, where she completed her doctoral thesis on tumor suppressor genes and cancer biology.
Their studies examined fragile site genes and the molecular mechanisms involved in tumor development.
During this time, she helped develop a diagnostic test based on clusterin, a circulating biomarker to detect colorectal cancer.
The project led to a patented screening method and initial clinical applications.
However, the turning point in her career came during her postdoctoral period.
A breakthrough in multiple myeloma research
After completing her doctoral research, Pichiorri focused on understanding how multiple myeloma cells develop and survive.
Their research revealed that the disease is influenced not only by genetic mutations, but also by epigenetic changes triggered by oncogenic signaling pathways such as c-Myc.
The results were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The article quickly became one of the most cited publications in its field.
“It turned out that the degeneration of plasma cells is not just about genetic mutations,” she says. “Epigenetic regulation also plays a major role.”
The discovery helped open new avenues for therapeutic research.
Establishing translational research programs
In 2011, Pichiorri began her independent research career as an assistant professor of internal medicine. She received several major grants and began leading translational programs focused on new therapies for blood cancers.
Her work helped advance the clinical development of AR-42 (REC-2282), an HDAC inhibitor being studied for hematologic malignancies.
She also contributed to research on oncolytic viral therapy, including pelareorep, which aims to target cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue.
“In translational research, the goal is always the same,” she says. “You transport ideas from the lab to the clinic and then back again to refine them.”
Further development of targeted CD38 and CD84 therapies
In 2016, Pichiorri moved to City of Hope, where she expanded her research programs and received several federal grants.
Her team developed new antibody-based therapies that target CD38, a protein that is widely expressed on myeloma cells. Some of these therapies combine antibodies with radioactive isotopes to target cancer cells.
The work has already led to clinical trials in multiple myeloma and acute leukemia.
Her group also identified CD84 as a therapeutic target in acute myeloid leukemia, leading to the development of an antibody that was later licensed to a biotechnology company.
Another project involves a single-chain CD38-driven T cell engager, a therapeutic approach designed to help immune cells recognize and destroy leukemia stem cells.
A philosophy focused on scientific rigor
Despite a long list of grants, publications and clinical programs, Pichiorri measures success in other ways.
“I rarely think about success,” she says. “In science, it can be fleeting.”
Instead, she focuses on the durability of scientific knowledge.
“The true scientific value comes when the results stand the test of time,” she explains. “It requires patience and careful validation.”
She believes that meaningful progress often requires questioning established ways of thinking.
“Scientific progress relies on challenging assumptions,” she says. “This is how new knowledge is created.”
Looking ahead
Today, Pichiorri continues to work on translational therapies for CD38, CD84 and radiation-based treatments for blood cancers.
Her research includes laboratory experiments, animal models and early-stage clinical trials. The goal remains the same: to make new treatments available to the patients who need them.
Outside of the lab, she finds balance hiking, gardening, horseback riding, and writing about science.
During challenging times, she keeps her priorities simple.
“In times of change, I focus on what matters most to me,” she says. “Academic writing and being present with my family.”
For Pichiorri, curiosity remains the driving force.
“Every day brings new questions,” she says. “Dealing with these questions is what drives science forward.”
