Lucchesi Research
Advancing precision oncology in genitourinary cancer.
Urologic Surgery Research
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Principal InvestigatorChristopher Lucchesi, Ph.D.
See full researcher biographyLucchesi’s laboratory focuses on advancing precision oncology approaches for genitourinary cancers through the development of patient-derived 3D tumor models and functional therapeutic testing platforms. The lab integrates translational cancer biology, immuno-oncology, and bioengineering to study tumor progression, treatment resistance, and tumor–immune interactions within physiologically relevant microenvironments. Using advanced 3D bioprinting, patient-derived tumoroid systems, multiomic profiling, and computational analytics, the laboratory aims to identify novel therapeutic vulnerabilities and develop predictive models of treatment response to guide precision medicine strategies.
Research Goals
Lucchesi’s research aims to advance precision oncology for genitourinary cancers through the integration of patient-derived 3D tumor models, functional drug testing, and molecular and immune profiling. His work focuses on understanding the mechanisms that drive tumor progression, therapeutic resistance, and tumor–immune interactions, while developing physiologically relevant platforms to predict patient-specific treatment responses. By combining bioengineering, translational cancer biology, and computational analytics, the laboratory seeks to identify novel therapeutic vulnerabilities and accelerate the development of personalized cancer therapies.
Research Focus Areas
Development and validation of patient-derived 3D-bioprinted tumor models incorporating autologous immune and stromal components to study therapeutic response and resistance mechanisms in genitourinary cancers.
Integration of ex vivo drug screening, immunotherapy testing, and multiomic profiling to develop predictive models of patient-specific treatment response and therapeutic vulnerability.
Investigation of tumor–immune interactions, immune checkpoint signaling, and mechanisms of immune evasion within physiologically relevant 3D tumor microenvironments.
Defining the molecular, metabolic, and stress-response pathways that drive tumor progression, lineage plasticity, and resistance to targeted therapies, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and immunotherapy.
Application of advanced bioengineering approaches, high-content imaging, and tumoroid technologies to develop clinically relevant platforms for cancer modeling and therapeutic discovery.
In collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, leveraging computational analytics, image-based biomarkers, and machine-learning approaches to correlate functional tumor responses with molecular and clinical outcomes.