Napoleone Ferrara (born 26 July 1956 in Catania) is an Italian-American molecular biologist who joined University of California, San DiegoMoores Cancer Center in 2013 after a career in Northern California at the biotechnology giant Genentech, where he pioneered the development of new treatments for angiogenic diseases such as cancer, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and diabetic retinopathy.[1] At Genentech, he discovered VEGF—and made the first anti-VEGF antibody—which suppresses growth of a variety of tumors. These findings helped lead to development of the first clinically available angiogenesis inhibitor, bevacizumab (Avastin), which prevents the growth of new blood vessels into a solid tumor and which has become part of standard treatment for a variety of cancers.[citation needed] Ferrara's work led also to the development of ranibizumab (Lucentis), a drug that is highly effective at preventing vision loss in intraocular neovascular disorders.[citation needed]
Ferrara received his medical degree from the University of Catania, Italy, in 1981. He did post-doctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco. He joined Genentech in 1988. ]].[2]
Current research
At UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, Ferrara, a member of the National Academy of Sciences since 2006, is a Distinguished Professor of Pathology in the UC San Diego School of Medicine, where he will continue cancer drug research targeting angiogenesis.[citation needed] He is presently focusing on investigating mechanisms of tumor angiogenesis alternative to VEGF, in particular the role of factors produced by myeloid cells and fibroblasts in mediating resistance to VEGF inhibitors.[citation needed]
In September 2014, Ferrara was awarded the António Champalimaud Vision Award from the Champalimaud Foundation.[6]. In the same year, he received the Canada Gairdner International Award.
In 2023, he received the Keio Medical Science Prize.<ref>第28回（2023年）受賞者 and the Prince Mahidol Award for Biomedical Sciences.
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