Maria Pia Morelli, M.D., Ph.D.

Peer-Reviewed Articles

1. Hecht JR, Mitchell J, Morelli MP, Anandappa G, Yang JC. Next-Generation Approaches to Immuno-Oncology in GI Cancers. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book 43:e389072, 2023. PMID: 37290032.
2. Zeineddine FA, Zeineddine MA, Yousef A, Gu Y, Chowdhury S, Dasari A, Huey RW, Johnson B, Kee B, Lee MS, Morelli MP, Morris VK, Overman MJ, Parseghian C, Raghav K, Willis J, Wolff RA, Kawaguchi Y, Vauthey JN, Sun R, Kopetz S, Shen JP. Survival improvement for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer over twenty years. NPJ Precis Oncol 7(1):16, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36781990.
3. Zeligs KP, Morelli MP, David JM, Neuman M, Hernandez L, Hewitt S, Ozaki M, Osei-Tutu A, Anderson D, Andresson T, Sudipto D, Lack J, Abdall A, Fantini M, Arlen PM, Tsang KY, Annunziata CM,. NEO-201 binds tumor associated forms of CEACAM5 and 6 to induce anti-tumor activity via activation of NK-mediated ADCC. Frontier Oncology, 2020.
4. Arlen PM, Morelli MP. Rationale, discovery and clinical development of NEO-201. Expert Opin Biol Ther 20(2):105-108, 2020. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31755317.
5. Fantini M, David IM, Annunziata CM, Morelli MP, Arlen PM, Tsang KY,. The Monoclonal Antibody NEO201 Enhances Natural Killer Cell Citotoxiciy Against Tumor Cells Through blockade of the inhibitory CEACAM5/CEACAM1 Immune Checkpoint Pathway. Cancer Biother Radiopharm, 2020. PMID: 31928422.
6. Zeligs KP, Morelli MP, David JM, Neuman M, Hernandez L, Hewitt S, Ozaki M, Osei-Tutu A, Anderson D, Andresson T, Das S, Lack J, Abdelmaksoud A, Fantini M, Arlen PM, Tsang KY, Annunziata CM. Evaluation of the Anti-Tumor Activity of the Humanized Monoclonal Antibody NEO-201 in Preclinical Models of Ovarian Cancer. Front Oncol 10:805, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32637350.
7. Rodriguez-Pacual J, Plaza JC, Alvarez-Gallego R, Morelli MP, Angulo B, Ugidos L, de Vicente E, Lopez de la Guardia U, Cubillo A, Hidalgo M. Implementation of a Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Selection Program Based on a Real-time Biomarker Analysis in Available Biopsies. British Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research, 2019.
8. Floudas C, Brar G, Mabry-Hrones D, Duffy A, Bradford W, Levy E, Krishnasamy V, Walker M, Morelli MP, Steinberg S, Figg WD, Monge-Bonilla C, Fioravanti S, Greten T, Kleiner D. A pilot study of the PD-1 targeting agent AMP-224 cobined with low-dose cyclophosphamide and stereotactic body radiation therapy in patients with metastatic. Clin Colorectal Cancer, 2019.
9. Floudas CS, Brar G, Mabry-Hrones D, Duffy AG, Wood B, Levy E, Krishnasamy V, Fioravanti S, Bonilla CM, Walker M, Morelli MP, Kleiner DE, Steinberg SM, Figg WD, Greten TF, Xie C. A Pilot Study of the PD-1 Targeting Agent AMP-224 Used With Low-Dose Cyclophosphamide and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Clin Colorectal Cancer 18(4):e349-e360, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31351862.
10. Katsiampoura A, Raghav K, Jiang ZQ, Menter DG, Varkaris A, Morelli MP, Manuel S, Wu J, Sorokin AV, Rizi BS, Bristow C, Tian F, Airhart S, Cheng M, Broom BM, Morris J, Overman MJ, Powis G, Kopetz S. Modeling of Patient-Derived Xenograft in Colorectal Cancer”. Mol Cancer Ther, 2017.
11. Pereira AAL, Morelli MP, Overman M, Kee B, Fogelman D, Vilar E, Shureiqi I, Raghav K, Eng C, Manuel S, Crosby S, Wolff RA, Banks K, Lanman R, Talasaz A, Kopetz S, Morris V. Clinical utility of circulating cell-free DNA in advanced colorectal cancer. PLoS One 12(8):e0183949, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28850629.
12. Denise C, Paoli P, Calvani M, Taddei ML, Giannoni E, Kopetz S, Kazmi SM, Pia MM, Pettazzoni P, Sacco E, Caselli A, Vanoni M, Landriscina M, Cirri P, Chiarugi P. 5-fluorouracil resistant colon cancer cells are addicted to OXPHOS to survive and enhance stem-like traits. Oncotarget 6(39):41706-21, 2015. PMID: 26527315.
13. Liao HW, Hsu JM, Xia W, Wang HL, Wang YN, Chang WC, Arold ST, Chou CK, Tsou PH, Yamaguchi H, Fang YF, Lee HJ, Lee HH, Tai Sk, Yang MH, Morelli MP, Sen M, Ladbury JE, Chen CH, Grandis JR, Kopetz S, Hung MC. PRMT1-mediated methylation of the EGF receptor regulates signaling and cetuximab response”. J Clin Invest, 2015.
14. Morelli MP, Overman MJ, Dasari A, Kazmi SM, Mazard T, Vilar E, Morris VK, Lee MS, Herron D, Eng C, Morris J, Kee BK, Janku FL, Garrett C, Maru D, Diehl F, Angenendt P, Kopetz S.. Characterizing the patterns of clonal selection in circulating tumor DNA from patients with colorectal cancer refractory to anti-EGFR treatment”, 2015.
15. enise C, Paoli P, Calvani M, Taddei ML, Giannoni E, Kopetz S, Kazmi SM, Morelli MP, Pettazzoni P, Sacco E, Caselli A, Vanoni M, Landriscina M, Cirri P, Chiarugi P. “5-Fluorouracil resistant colon cancer cells are addicted to OXPHOS to survive and enhance stem-like traits”. Oncotarget, 2015.
16. Pecot CV, Wu SY, Bellister S, Filant J, Rupaimoole R, Hisamatsu T, Bhattacharya R, Maharaj A, Azam S, Rodriguez-Aguayo C, Nagaraja AS, Morelli MP, Gharpure KM, Waugh TA, Gonzalez-Villasana V, Zand B, Dalton HJ, Kopetz S, Lopez-Berestein G, Ellis LM, Sood AK. Therapeutic silencing of KRAS using systemically delivered siRNAs. Mol Cancer Ther 13(12):2876-85, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25281617.
17. Morris VK, Lucas FA, Overman MJ, Eng C, Morelli MP, Jiang ZQ, Luthra R, Meric-Bernstam F, Maru D, Scheet P, Kopetz S, Vilar E. . “Clinicopathologic characteristics and gene expression analyses of non-KRAS 12/13, RAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer”. Ann Oncol, 2014. e-Pub 2014.
18. Pecot CV, Wu SY, Bellister S, Filant J, Rupaimoole R, Hisamatsu T, Bhattacharya R, Maharaj A, Azam S, Rodriguez-Aguayo C, Nagaraja AS, Morelli MP, Gharpure KM, Waugh TA, Gozalez-Villasana V, Zand B, Dalton HJ, Kopetz S, Lopez-Berestein G, Ellis LM, Sood AK. “Therapeutic silencing of KRAS using systemically delivered siRNAs”. Mol Cancer Ther, 2014. e-Pub 2014.
19. Cubillo A, Hernando-Requejo O, García-García E, Rodriguez-Pascual J, De Vicente E, Morelli MP, Rubio C, López-Ríos F, Muro A, López U, Prados S, Quijano Y, Hidalgo M.. A Prospective Pilot Study of Target-guided Personalized Chemotherapy with Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy in Patients with Early Rectal Cancer”. Am J Clin Oncol, 2014.
20. Morelli MP, Kopetz S. Hurdles and complexities of codon 13 KRAS mutations. J Clin Oncol 30(29):3565-7, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22927534.
21. Ruppen MI, Lopes-Casas PP, Garcia F, Ximenez MP, Munoz M, Morelli MP, Real F, Serna A, Ashman K, Hidalgo M. ” Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Assay for Detecting Specific Mutant Proteins”,. Proteomics, 2012.
22. Morelli MP, Calvo E, Ordonez E, Wick MJ, Rubio-Viqueira B, Lopez-Casas PP, Bruckheimer E, Calles-Blanco A, Sidransky D, Hidalgo M.. . “Prioritizing Phase I Treatment Options Thruogh Preclinical Testing on Personalized Tumorgraft”. J Clin Onc, 2012.
23. Morelli MP, Tentler JJ, Kulikowski GN, Tan AC, Bradshaw-Pierce EL, Pitts TM, Brown AM, Nallapareddy S, Arcaroli JJ, Serkova NJ, Hidalgo M, Ciardiello F. SG Eckhardt. “Preclinical Activity of the Rational Combination of Selumetinib (AZD6244) in Combination with Vorinostat in KRAS Mutant Colorectal Cancer Models. Clin Cancer Res, 2012.
24. Spratlin JL, Pitts TM, Kulikwski GN, Morelli MP, Tentler JJ, Serkova NJ, Eckhardt SG.. “Synergistic activity of histone deacetylase and proteasome inhibition against pancreatic and hepatocellular cancer cell lines”,. Anticancer Res, 2011.
25. Tentler JJ, Nallapareddy S, Tan AC, Spreafico A, Pitts TM, Morelli MP, Selby HM, Kachaeva MI, Flanigan SA, Kulikowski GN, Leong S, Arcaroli JJ, Messersmith WA, Eckhardt SG. “Identification of predictive markers of response to the MEK1/2 inhibitor selumetinib (AZD6244) in K-ras-mutated colorectal cancer. Mol Cancer Ther, 2010.
26. Martinelli E, Troiani T, Morgillo F, Rodolico G, Vitagliano D, Morelli MP, Tuccillo C, Vecchione L, Capasso A, Orditura M, De Vita F, Eckhardt SG, Santoro M, Berrino L, Ciardiello F. “Synergistic antitumor activity of sorafenib in combination with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors in colorectal and lung cancer cells”. Clin Cancer Res, 2010.
27. Martinelli E, Troiani T, Morgillo F, Rodolico G, Vitagliano D, Morelli MP, Tuccillo C, Vecchione L, Capasso A, Orditura M, De Vita F, Eckhardt SG, Santoro M, Berrino L, Ciardiello F. Synergistic antitumor activity of sorafenib in combination with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors in colorectal and lung cancer cells. Clin Cancer Res 16(20):4990-5001, 2010. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 20810384.
28. Morelli MP, Brown A, Pitts T, Tentler J, Ciardiello F, Ryan A, Jürgensmeier J and Eckhardt SG. “Targeting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 and -3 With Cediranib (AZD2171): Effects on Migration and Invasion of GI Cancer Cell Lines”. Mol Cancer Ther, 2009.
29. Cascone T, Morelli MP, Morgillo F, Kim WY, Rodolico G, Pepe S, Tortora G, Berrino L, Lee HY, Heymach JV, Ciardiello F. Synergistic anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activity of combined therapy with bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) drugs in human cancer cells. J Cell Physiol 216(3):698-707, 2008. PMID: 18381602.
30. Cascone T, Morelli MP, Morgillo F, Kim WY, Rodolico G, Pepe S, Berrino L, Lee HY, Heymach JV, Ciardiello F. “Synergistic anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activity of combined therapy with bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) drugs in human cancer cells”. J Cell Physiol, 2008.
31. Cascone T, Martinelli E, Morelli MP, Morgillo F, Troiani T, Ciardiello F. Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors in non-small-cell lung cancer. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2(3):335-48, 2007. PMID: 23484645.
32. Morelli MP, Cascone T, Troiani T, Tuccillo C, Bianco R, Normanno N, Romano M, Veneziani BM, Fontanini G, Eckhardt SG, De Pacido S, Tortora G, Ciardiello F. Anti-tumor activity of the combination of cetuximab, an anti-EGFR blocking monoclonal antibody and ZD6474, an inhibitor of VEGFR and EGFR tyrosine kinases. J Cell Physiol 208(2):344-53, 2006. PMID: 16688779.
33. Cascone T, Troiani T, Morelli MP, Gridelli C, Ciardiello F. Antiangiogenic drugs in non-small cell lung cancer treatment. Curr Opin Oncol 18(2):151-5, 2006. PMID: 16462184.
34. Morelli MP, Cascone T, Troiani T, Tuccillo C, Bianco R, Normanno N, Romano M, Veneziani BM, Fontanini G, Eckhardt SG, De Pacido S, Tortora G, Ciardiello F. “Anti-tumor activity of the combination of cetuximab, an anti-EGFR blocking monoclonal antibody and ZD6474, an inhibitor of VEGFR and EGFR tyrosine kinases”,. J Cell Physiol, 2006.
35. Lieto E, Orditura M, Castellano P, La Manna G, Allocca L, Pinto M, Ferraraccio F, Morelli MP, Gascone T, Piccirillo M, De Vita F, Ciardiello F, Catalano G, Galizia G. G “Epidermal growth factor receptor: A novel independent prognostic marker in gastric cancer patients undergoing potentially curative surgery”. Ann Oncol, 2006.
36. Cascone T, Morelli MP, Ciardiello F. “Small molecule epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer”. Ann Oncol, 2006.
37. Cascone T, Troiani T, Morelli MP, Gridelli C, Ciardiello F. Antiangiogenic drugs in non-small cell lung cancer treatment”,. Curr Opin Oncol, 2006.
38. Ciardiello F, Troiani T, Bianco R, Orditura M, Morgillo F, Martinelli E, Morelli MP, Cascone T, Tortora G.. “Interaction between the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathways: a rational approach for multi-target anticancer therapy”. Ann Oncol, 2006.
39. Morelli MP, Cascone T, Troiani T, De Vita F, Orditura M, Laus G, Eckhardt SG, Pepe S, Tortora G, Ciardiello F. “Sequence-dependent antiproliferative effects of cytotoxic drugs and epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors”. Ann Oncol, 2005.

Editorials

1. Arlen PM, Morelli MP. “Rational, discovery and clinical development of NEO-201, 2020.
2. Morelli MP, Kopetz S. Hurdles and complexities of codon 13 mutations. J Clin Oncol, 2012.

Abstracts

1. 1. Morelli MP, Houston N, Lipkowitz S, Lee JM, Zimmer A, Zia F, Nichols E, Pavelova E, Trewitt K, Fantini M, Tsang KY, Arlen PM, Annunziata CM. Phase 1 with expansion cohorts in a study of NEO-201 in adults with chemo-resistant solid tumors: safety data, 2019.
2. 2. Morelli MP, Justin M, Houston N, Lipkowitz S, Lee JM, Zimmer A, Zia F Ekwede I, Nichols E, Pavelova M, Hewitt S, Fantini M, Arlen PM, Tsang KY, Annunziata CM.. “Phase 1 with expansion cohorts in a study of NEO-201 in adults with chemo-resistant solid tumors: Trial in Progress”, 2019.
3. 3. Arlen PM, Fantini M, David J, Annunziata CM, Tsang KY, Morelli MP. , “Mechanisms of action of a neoantigen-targeting antibody NEO-201, 2019.
4. 4. Morelli MP, Xie C, Brar G, Floudas CS, Fioravanti S, Walker M, Hrones-Mabry D, Greten TF. A phase I/II study of pexa-vec oncolytic virus in combination with immune checkpoint inhibition in refractory colorectal cancer: Safety report, 2019.
5. 5. Brar G, McNeel T, McGlynn K, Graubard B, Floudas CS, Morelli MP, Xie C, Greten T, Altekruse S. “Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) survival by etiology: A SEER-Medicare database analysis”, 2019.
6. 6. Floudas CS, Xie C, Brar G, Morelli MP, Fioravanti F, Walker M, Mabry-Hrones D, Wood DJ, Levy EB, Krishnasamy VP, Greten T. Combined immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) with tremelimumab and durvalumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or biliary tract carcinomas (BTC), 2019.
7. Morelli MP, Overman MJ, Kee BK, Vilar-Sanchez E, Morris VK, Fogelman DR, Janku F, Garrett CR, Shureiqi I, Pratap K, Singh R, Eng C, Manuel S, Wolff RA, Eltoukhy H, Lanman RB, Talasar A, Kopetz ES. Predictors of clonal evolution in metastatic colorectal cancer patients, 2015.
8. 8. Morelli MP, Overman MJ, Dasari A, Kazmi SA, Vilar-Sanchez E, Eng C, Kee B, Deaton FL, Garrett C, Diehl F, Angenendt P, Kopetz S. Heterogeneity of acquired KRAS and EGFR mutations in colorectal cancer patients treated with anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies, 2013.
9. Morelli MP, Overman MJ, Dasari A, Kazmi SA, Vilar-Sanchez E, Eng C, Kee B, Deaton FL, Garrett C, Diehl F, Maru D, Angenendt P, Kopetz S. Acquired KRAS mutations after anti-EGFR therapy partially derive from low-frequency clones detectable in the primary tumor” AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference “Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics”, 2013.

Book Chapters

1. Morelli MP, Spratlin J. and Eckhardt, S.G.. Combination of Anti-EGFR Drugs with Anti-Angiogenic or Other Signal Transduction Inhibitors as a Rational Approach to Cancer Therapy. In: Current Cancer Therapy Reviews. Bentham Science Publishers, 2007.