Mariusz A. Wasik, MD
Emeritus Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology, Fox Chase Cancer Center
Specialty Division
Hematopathology, Cancer and Immunobiology
Research Expertise
I am involved in investigating the oncogenic role of aberrant cell signaling and its reprograming, epigenetic gene silencing and, cell metabolism (SC Lee et al. Mol Cancer Res 2019, Q. Zhang et al. Leukemia 2023) and cell plasticity (Q. Zhang et al. J Immunol 2019, Q. Zhang et al. Blood 2020, J. Pawlicki et al. Cancer Res 2021, Q. Zhang et al. Am J Path 2022) in lymphoid malignancies to understand better the pathogenesis of lymphomas and other malignancies, develop new diagnostic and monitoring tools, and novel therapies targeting the aberrantly activated signaling pathways and capable of activating the epigenetically silenced tumor suppressor genes and metabolic programs.
Education
MD (Medicine), Wroclaw Medical University, Poland, 1979
Specialty Certification
Diplomate in Anatomic Pathology, American Board of Pathology, 1991
Diplomate in Hematology, American Board of Pathology, 1993
Postgraduate Training
Transitional Year (internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics & gynecology), Wroclaw Medical Academy, Poland, 1979-80
Fellow, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School and Laboratory of Immunology, Evans Department of Clinical Research, Boston University Medical Center, 1985-87
Fellow, Division of Tumor Immunology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, 1987-88
Resident and Chief Resident, Anatomic Pathology, Mallory Institute of Pathology, 1988-91
Fellow, Hematopathology, Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 1991-93
Awards and Honors
National Cancer Institute Shannon Award, 1999
D.B. Allanoff Foundation Physician Scientist Recognition Award, 2018
Morel & Bayster Chair, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 2018-present
Memberships and Professional Organizations
American Association for Advancement of Science, 1987-88 and 1993-present
American Society for Investigative Pathology, 1994-present
Abramson Cancer Center, Penn Medicine, 1995-present
International Society for Cutaneous Lymphomas, 1995-present
Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists, 1996-present
Society for Hematopathology, 2000-present
Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT), University of Pennsylvania, 2005-present
Selected Publications
Induction of Transcriptional Inhibitor HES1 and the Related Repression of Tumor-Suppressor TXNIP Are Important Components of Cell-Transformation Program Imposed by Oncogenic Kinase NPM-ALK
Zhang Q, Wang HY, Nunez-¬Cruz S, Nayak A, Slupianek A, Bassappa J, Liu X, Fan J-S, Chekol S, Nejati R, Bogusz AM, Turner SD, Swaminathan K, Wasik MA. Am J Path 192:1186-1198, 2022. PMID: 35640677
Transdifferentiation of lymphoma into sarcoma associated with profound reprogramming of the epigenome
Zhang Q, Orlando EJ, Wang HY, Bogusz AM, Liu X, Lacey SF, Strauser HT, Nunez-Cruz S, Nejati R, Zhang P, Brooks S, Watt C, Melenhorst JJ, June CH, Schuster SJ, Wasik MA. Blood 136:1980-83, 2020. PMID 32518951.
Metabolic Detection of Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition in Mantle Cell Lymphoma Cells
Lee SC, Shestov AA, Guo L, Zhang Q, Roman JC, Liu X, Wang HY, Nath K, Lu P, Hofbauer S, Mesaros C, Wang LY, Nelson DS, Shuster SJ, Blair IA, Glickson JD, Wasik MA. Mol Cancer Res 17:1365-1377, 2019. PMCID 6034642. (Editorial highlight)
Nucleophosmin-Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (NPM-ALK): the ultimate oncogene and therapeutic target
Werner MT, Zhao C, Zhang Q, Wasik MA. Blood 129:823-831, 2017. PMID 27879258.
Addition of BTK inhibitor ibrutinib to anti-CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells (CART19) Improves Responses against Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Ruella M, Kenderian SS, Shestova O, Fraietta JA, Qayyum S, Zhang Q, Maus MV, Liu X, Nunez-Cruz S, Klichinsky M, Kawalekar OU, Milone M, Lacey SF, Mato A, Schuster SJ, Kalos M, June CH, Gill S, Wasik MA. Clin Cancer Res 22: 2684-2696, 2016. PMID 26819453.
Chimeric antigen receptor modified T cells directed against CD19 (CTL019) induce clinical responses in patients with relapsed or refractory CD19+ lymphomas
Levine BL, Svoboda J, Nasta SD, Porter D, Chong EA, Lacey SF, Mahnke YD, Melenhorst JJ, Chew A, Shah GD, Hasskar J, Wasik MA, Landsburg DJ, Mato A, Garfall AL, Frey NV, Shaw PA, Marcucci KT, Shea J, McConville H, Manvar N, O'Rourke DM, Lamontagne A, Bersenev A, Zheng Z, Schuster SJ, June CH. Cytotherapy 17(6): S13, 2015.
Cutaneous T cell lymphoma expresses immunosuppressive CD80 (B7-1) cell surface protein in a STAT5-dependent manner
Zhang Q, Wang HY, Wei F, Liu X, Paterson JC, Roy D, Mihova D, Woetmann A, Ptasznik A, Odum N, Schuster SJ, Marafioti T, Riley JL, Wasik MA. J Immunol 192: 2913-2919, 2014. PMID 24523507.
A potent oncogene NPM-ALK mediates malignant transformation of normal human CD4+ T lymphocytes
Zhang Q, Wei F, Wang HY, Liu X, Roy D, Xiong QB, Jiang S, Medvec A, Danet-Desnoyers G, Watt C, Tomczak E, Kalos M, Riley JL, Wasik MA. Am J Path 183:1971-1980, 2013. PMID 24404580.
Decreased lactate concentration and glycolytic enzyme expression reflect inhibition of mTOR signal transduction pathway in B-cell lymphoma
Lee SC, Marzec M, Liu X, Wehrli S, Kantekure K, Ragunath PN, Delikatny EJ, Glickson JD, Wasik MA. NMR in Biomed 26:106-114, 2013. PMID 22711601.
Malignant transformation of CD4+ T lymphocytes mediated by oncogenic kinase NPM/ALK recapitulates IL-2-induced cell signaling and gene expression reprogramming
Marzec M, Halasa K, Liu X, Wang HY, Cheng M, Baldwin D, Tobias JW, Schuster SJ, Woetmann A, Zhang Q, Turner SD, Ødum N, Wasik MA. J Immunol 191: 6200-6207, 2013. PMID: 24218456.
