BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for the key personnel and other significant contributors.
Follow this format for each person. DO NOT EXCEED FOUR PAGES.
NAME
POSITION TITLE
Diccianni, Mitchell B.
Associate Project Scientist
eRA COMMONS USER NAME (credential, e.g., agency login)
MDiccianni
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, include postdoctoral training and
residency training if applicable.)
DEGREE
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
YEAR(s)
FIELD OF STUDY
(if applicable)
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Tokyo University
Univ. of Calif. San Diego
B.S.
Ph.D.
-
1983
1989
1992
1995
Biochemistry
Pharmacology
Molecular Biology
Molecular Oncology
A. PERSONAL STATEMENT
This proposal seeks to understand markers of efficacy and toxicity of anti-GD2 immunotherapy developed
by Dr. Yu. I have been a scientist at UCSD and a long time associate of Dr. Yu. I have 20 years experience in
the molecular biology of pediatric cancers, investigating the relationships between molecular alterations, the
pathogenesis of disease, and outcome. I have implemented many of Dr. Yu’s laboratory research projects
involving tumor suppressor genes in childhood cancer, as evidenced by my authorship on many of these
publications. I have also taken the lead to develop new research directions for the laboratory, as evidence by
my senior authorship status on several of the publications coming out of Dr. Yu’s group, as well as several
review articles I have authored in collaboration with Dr. Yu or by myself. My background is in pharmacology
and cell biology, and I am experienced in the in vitro design and analysis of molecular-targeted therapeutics.
Thus I have the experience to design, implement and interpret the proposed experiments designed to test the
hypotheses put forth in this proposal. I am a member of the Children’s Oncology Group and the UCSD Moores
Cancer Center, and for the last 10 years, I have hosted a multidisciplinary seminar series at the University and
mentor graduate and undergraduate students. I have been the PI on several foundation grants including a
project on microRNAs in leukemia, and have been co-investigator with Dr. Yu on several NIH and FDA-funded
grants. I will be co-investigator on this project and be responsible for the molecular analyses and work closely
with Dr. Yu on the projects direction. I will perform much of the discovery research and will oversee the
technical help.
B. POSITIONS AND HONORS.
Positions and Employment
1985-1989
1990-1992
1992-1995
1995-1999
1995-present
1999-2006
2006-present
Lecturer, Department of Pharmacology, University of Cincinnati,
Visiting Scientist, Department of Biochemistry, University of Tokyo
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego
Postgraduate Research Scientist, Department of Pediatrics, UCSD
Research Advisor, Department of Pediatrics, UCSD
Assistant Research Scientist, Department of Pediatrics, UCSD
Associate Project Scientist, Department of Pediatrics, UCSD
Other Experience and Professional Memberships
1990 -1992
1993 2000
2000-present
2001-present
2003-present
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship
Member, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Biotech All-Star Award from the San Diego Padres
Co-chair, Biomedical and Clinical Research Center Seminar Series
Member, Moores UCSD Cancer Center
Member, Childrens Oncology Group (COG)
2005
Member, American Society of Hematology (ASH)
Honors
1993
2003
2005, 2006
2006
Travel Award Recipient, American Society of Hematology
Recognized as a “Community Partner” San Diego Padres
Honorary Scientist; Easter Parade Fundraiser for Childhood Cancer
IRPC Eminent Scientist of the Year-North America
C. SELECT PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS (selected from 40 peer-reviewed publications)
Most relevant to the current application
1. Diccianni, M.B., (2006) The enigmatic role of p16CDKN2/INK4a in neuroblastoma. Recent Advances and
Research Updates 6(1):113-126 (ISSN-0972-4699). http://www.ajcancer.ippshr.cqu.edu.au/issues/article.php?articleid=207
2. Diccianni, M.B., Chilcote, R.R. and Yu, A.L. (2006) The genes of chromosome 9p21 (p16, p15, ARF,
MTAP) in pediatric acute leukemia: Inactivation and exploitation for tumor-targeted therapeutics. Trends in
Cancer Research 2:135-149. (ISSN: 0973-1040)
http://www.researchtrends.net/tia/abstract.asp?in=0&vn=2&tid=57&aid=2149&pub=2006&type=3
3. Diccianni, MB, Calin, GA, Ferracin, M, Liu, C-G, Negrini, M, Croce, CM, Yu, AL (2006) MicroRNA profiles
of childhood T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Proc. AACR 47:29a (abst #124).
4. Lin‡, Y-C, Diccianni‡, MB, Kim, Y, Lin, H-H, Lee, C-H, Lin, R-J, Joo, SH, Li, J, Chuang, T-J, Yang, A-S,
Kuo, H-H, Tsai, M-D, Yu, AL (2007) Human p16, a novel transcriptional variant of p16INK4A, co-expresses
with p16INK4A in cancer cells and inhibits cell cycle progression. ‡co-first authors. Oncogene 26(49):7017-27.
PMID:17486064
5. Yang HC, Huang MC, Li LH, Lin CH, Yu AL, Diccianni MB, Wu JY, Chen YT, Fann CSJ. MPDA: Microarray
pooled DNA analyzer. BMC Bioinformatics. 9: 196, 2008 PMID: 18412951
6. Lin RJ, Lin YC, Kuo HH, Chen YY, Chang JCH, Chen J, Diccianni MB, London W, Yu AL*. MicroRNA
signature and expression of dicer and drosha can delineate clinical risk groups in neuroblastoma. Cancer
Research 70:7841-50, 2010. PMID: 20805302
Additional relevant publications
1. Batova, A, Diccianni, MB, Nobori, T, Vu, T, Bridgeman, L, and Yu, AL (1996) Frequent Deletion in the
Methylthioadenosine Phosphorylase gene in T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia): Strategies for
Enzyme-Targeted Therapy. Blood, 88:3083-3090. PMID:8874207
2. Diccianni MB, Omura-Minamisawa M, Batova A, Le T, Bridgeman L, Yu AL. Frequent deregulation of p16
and the p16/G1 cell cycle-regulatory pathway in neuroblastoma. Int J Cancer. 1999 Jan 5;80(1):145-54.
PMID:9935245
3. Omura-Minamisawa, M, Diccianni, MB, Batova, A, Chang, RC, Bridgeman, L, Yu, J, Pullen, J, Bowman,
WP, and Yu, AL (2000) Universal Inactivation of Both p16 and p15 but not Downstream Components is an
Essential Event in the Pathogenesis of T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Clin. Can. Res. 6: 12191228 PMID:10778944
4. Omura-Minamisawa, M, Diccianni, MB, Batova, A, Chang, RC, Bridgeman, L, Yu, J, de Wit, E, Kung, FH,
Pullen, J, and Yu, AL (2000) In vitro Sensitivity of T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL) to UCN-01 (7Hydroxystaurosporine) is Dependent on p16 Protein Status: A Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) Study.
Cancer Research, 60: 6573-6576. PMID:11118035
5. Omura–Minamisawa M, Diccianni MB, Chang RC, Batova A, Bridgeman L, Schiff J, Cohn S, London WB,
Yu AL (2001) P16 /p14ARF Cell Cycle Reg. Pathway in Primary Neuroblastoma: p16 Expression is
Associated with Advanced Stage Disease. Clin. Can. Res., 7, 3481-90. PMID:11705866
6. Gebauer, S., Yu, A.L. Omura-Minamisawa, M., Batova, A. and Diccianni, M.B. (2004) Expression Profiles
and Clinical Relationships of ID2, CDKN1B and CDKN2A in Primary Neuroblastoma. Genes, Chrom. and
Cancer 41:297-308. PMID:15390183
7. Diccianni, M.B., Yu, J., Meppelink, G., de Vries, M., Shao, L.-E., Gebauer, S., Shih, H., Roberts, W.,
Kilcoin, N.P., Pullen, J., Carson, D., and Yu, A.L. (2004) 3-amino thioacridone inhibits DNA synthesis and
induces DNA damage in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) in a p16-dependent manner. J Exp
Thera. Oncology 4:223-237. PMID:15724842
8. Batova A, Cottam H, Yu J, Diccianni M.B., Carrera C.J., Yu A.L. (2006) EFA (9-beta-Derythrofuranosyladenine) is an effective salvage agent for methylthioadenosine phosphorylase-selective
therapy of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with L-alanosine . Blood 107(3):898-903 PMID:16234352
9. Nakae, E, Cornell, JE, Calin, GA, Pollock, BH, Croce, CM, Yu, AL, Diccianni, MB (2007) MicroRNAs in T
cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Proc. AACR 48:1071 (abst #4519)
10. Lo TC, Barnhill LM, Kim Y, Nakae EA, Yu AL, Diccianni MB*. Inactivation of SHIP1 in T-cell acute
lymphoblastic leukemia due to mutation and extensive alternative splicing. Leuk Res 33(11): 1562-1566,
2009. PMID:19473701