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Carmelo Nucera, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Board Director in the International Thyroid Oncology Group (ITOG)
Member of the Steering Committee at the Center for Vascular Biology and Biomedical Research (CVBR), BIDMC/HMS, Boston

Carmelo Nucera, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Board Director in the International Thyroid Oncology Group (ITOG)
Member of the Steering Committee at the Center for Vascular Biology and Biomedical Research (CVBR), BIDMC/HMS, Boston

Dr. Nucera is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School in the field of Thyroid Cancer, and he was recently awarded from the American Thyroid Association and from the NIH/NCI for Thyroid Cancer Research and BRAFV600E.

Dr. Nucera is developing his own independent research program in the CVBR at the BIDMC/HMS, focused on preclinical models of human thyroid cancer with an emphasis on mechanisms of metastatic networks, new models of in vitro angiogenesis, tumor microenvironment, and metabolic regulations, using and dissecting new targeted therapies anti-BRAFV600E (e.g. Vemurafenib/PLX4032, Sorafenib, etc.).

In particular, his research interests are in elucidating mechanisms by which the oncogene BRAFV600E leads to the invasive behavior in aggressive, metastatic, and iodine-refractory thyroid cancers.

Dr. Nucera is highly committed to applying his research to patient care, to facilitate innovation to solve unmet clinical needs, and improve public health.

Dr. Nucera genuinely dedicated to advancing translational Thyroid Cancer Research.

Dr. Nucera's translational research and mentoring program is aimed: 

  1. To determine the prognostic role of long intergenic non-coding RNA (LincRNA) in thyroid cancer.
  2. To identify new prognostic biomarkers and validate therapeutics for treating metastatic/refractory thyroid cancers. 
  3. To identify pro-metastatic/-angiogenic and metabolic pathways in the microenvironment of thyroid cancer.
  4. To determine the function of blood vessels in thyroid cancer and identify driver clones in the angiogenic and immune microenvironment of thyroid tumors (tumor heterogeneity).
  5. To investigate pathogenesis and molecular basis of “orphan and rare’ endocrine diseases. 
  6. To characterize the role of the pericyte lineage in the cancer microenvironment.

Award: 

2018 Van Meter Award "Drug resistance and iodine metabolism in BRAFV600E thyroid cancer” to Carmelo Nucera, MD, PhD

The Van Meter Award recognizes outstanding contributions to research on the thyroid gland or related subjects by an investigator who is age 45 or under. Dr. Nucera has given the prestigious Van Meter Lecture on October 4 at 8:05 am, during this year’s ATA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC from October 3 to 7 2018. The award winner and the title of his lecture are kept secret until the time of the presentation.