Hassane M. Zarour, M.D.

Hassane M. Zarour, M.D.

Contact

Campus: UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Research Pavilion, 5117 Centre Ave

Office: Suite 1.32a

Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Ph: 412-623-3272

Fax: 412-623-7704

zarourhm@upmc.edu

Education

  • M.D. (Dermatology) - University of Marseille
  • Postdoc - Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels, Belgium
  • Postdoc - University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute

Academic Affiliation

  • Professor of Medicine, Immunology, and Dermatology
  • Endowed Chair in Melanoma Immunotherapy Research
  • Co-leader of the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program
  • Co-leader of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer SPORE

About Research

Our research focuses on translational cancer immunotherapy from the laboratory into the clinic and includes:

1. The mechanisms of tumor-induced immune cell dysfunction, including the role of multiple inhibitory receptor pathways (PD-1, Tim-3, BTLA and TIGIT). 

2. Novel combinatorial immunotherapies in cancer patients, including dual immune checkpoint blockades and intratumoral TLR9 agonist together with PD-1 blockade.

3. Studies of the gut microbiome in cancer Immunotherapy. 

Selected Publications

1 Fourcade J, Sun Z, Benallaoua M, Guillaume P, Luescher IF, Sander C, Kirkwood JM, Kuchroo V,Zarour HM. Upregulation of Tim-3 and PD-1 expression is associated with tumor antigen-specific CD8⁺T cell dysfunction in melanoma patients. J Exp Med. 2010 Sep 27;207(10):2175-86. PMCID:PMC2947081.
 
2 Chauvin JM, Pagliano O, Fourcade J, Sun Z , Hong Wang, Cindy Sanders, Kirkwood JM, Chen TT, Maurer M, Korman A.J, Zarour HM. TIGIT and PD-1 impair tumor antigen-specific CD8⁺ T cells in melanoma patients. J Clin Invest. 2015 May 125(5):2046-58. PMCID: PMC4463210.
 
3 Fourcade J, Sun Z, Chauvin JM, Ka M, Davar D, Pagliano O, Wang H, Saada S, Menna C, Amin R, Sander C, Kirkwood JM, Korman AJ, Zarour HM. CD226 opposes TIGIT to disrupt Tregs in melanoma. JCI Insight. 2018 Jul 25;3(14). pii: 121157. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.121157. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30046006. PMCID: PMC6124410
 
4 Fourcade J, Sun Z, Pagliano O, Guillaume P, Luescher IF, Sander C, Kirkwood JM, Olive D, Kuchroo V, Zarour HM. CD8(⁺) T cells specific for tumor antigens can be rendered dysfunctional by the tumor microenvironment through upregulation of the inhibitory receptors BTLA and PD-1. Cancer Res. 2012 15;72(4):887-96. PMCID: PMC3288235.
 
5 Chauvin JM, Ka M, Pagliano O, Menna C, Ding Q, DeBlasio R, Sanders C, Hou J, Li XY, Ferrone S, Davar D, Kirkwood JM, Johnston RJ, Korman AJ, Smyth MJ, Zarour HM. IL15 Stimulation with TIGIT Blockade Reverses CD155-mediated NK-Cell Dysfunction in Melanoma. Clin cancer Res, 2020 Oct 15;26(20):5520-5533. PMID: 32591463.
 
6 Davar D, Dzutsev AK, McCulloch JA, Rodrigues RR, Chauvin JM, Morrison RM, Deblasio RN, Menna C, Ding Q, Pagliano O, Zidi B, Zhang S, Badger JH, Vetizou M, Cole AM, Fernandes MR, Prescott S, Costa RGF, Balaji AK, Morgun A, Vujkovic-Cvijin I, Wang H, Borhani AA, Schwartz MB, Dubner HM, Ernst SJ, Rose A, Najjar YG, Belkaid Y, Kirkwood JM, Trinchieri G, Zarour HM. Fecal microbiota transplant overcomes resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy in melanoma patients. Science. 2021 Feb 5;371(6529):595-602. doi: 10.1126/science.abf3363. PMID: 33542131
 
7 McCulloch JA, Davar D, Rodrigues RR, Badger JH, Fang JR, Cole AM, Balaji AK, Vetizou M, Prescott SM, Fernandes MR, Costa RGF, Yuan W, Salcedo R, Bahadiroglu E, Roy S, DeBlasio RN, Morrison RM, Chauvin JM, Ding Q, Zidi B, Lowin A, Chakka S, Gao W, Pagliano O, Ernst SJ, Rose A, Newman NK, Morgun A, Zarour HM, Trinchieri G, Dzutsev AK. Intestinal microbiota signatures of clinical response and immune-related adverse events in melanoma patients treated with anti-PD-1. Nat Med. 2022
 
8 Mar;28(3):545-556. doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-01698-2. Epub 2022 Feb 28. PMID: 35228752.73
 
9 Pagliano O, Morrison RM, Chauvin JM, Banerjee H, Davar D, Ding Q, Tanegashima T, Gao W, Chakka SR, DeBlasio R, Lowin A, Kara K, Ka M, Zidi B, Amin R, Raphael I, Zhang S, Watkins SC, Sander C, Kirkwood JM, Bosenberg M, Anderson AC, Kuchroo VK, Kane LP, Koran AJ, Rajpal A, West SM, Han M, Bee C, Deng X, Schebye XM, Strop P, Zarour HM. Tim-3 Mediates T Cell Trogocytosis to Limit Antitumor Immunity.. J Clin Invest. 2022 Mar 22: e152864. doi: 10.1172/JCI152864. Online ahead of print .PMID: 35316223
 

 

Research Interests

  • Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, mechanisms of tumor-induced immune dysfunction, microbiome and cancer immunotherapy

Lab Information

Graduate students interested in rotation opportunities should contact Dr. Zarour.