Alfredo Pontecorvi
Alfredo Pontecorvi
e-mail:
affiliation: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
research area(s): Experimental Medicine
Course: Experimental Endocrinology, Metabolism and Endocrine Surgery
University/Istitution: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
1983 Assistant Professor in Endocrinology, Chieti University
1983-1986 Visiting Fellow, Clinical Endocrinology Branch, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
1986-1987 Visiting Researcher, Laboratory of Developmental Biochemistry, National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, UK.
1987-1990 Research Expert, Clinical Endocrinology Branch and Diabetes Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA.
1990-1992 Assistant Professor, Genetic & Metabolic Diseases Section, Dept. of Experimental Medicine, University "La Sapienza", Rome.
1992-2002 Associate Professor of Endocrinology, Institute of Medical Pathology, Catholic University, Rome.
1992-2002 Coordinator, Molecular Endocrinology Unit, Laboratory of Molecular Oncogenesis, “Regina Elena” Cancer Institute, IRCCS, Roma.
2002-today Full Professor of Endocrinology, Institute of Medical Pathology, Catholic University, Rome.
2002-today Director, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Policlinico Gemelli, Catholic University, Rome
2007-2009 Clinical Director, Department of Internal, Specialized & Occupational Medicine, Policlinico Gemelli, Catholic University, Rome.
2003-today Director, Post-graduate School of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Catholic University, Rome.
2003-today Director, Ph.D. Program in Experimental Endocrinology and Endocrine Surgery Sciences, Catholic University, Rome.
2004-today Director, Ph.D. Program in Experimental Physiopathology and Endocrine-Metabolic Sciences (includes 5 Ph.D. Programs), Catholic University, Rome
2011 Director, Postgraduate and Ph.D. programs, Catholic University, Rome
2007-today Secretary General, Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE)
2007-today Expert, Consiglio Superiore di Sanità, Italian Health Ministry, Rome.
2007-today Member, Scientific Committee “Cesare Serono Foundation”, Rome.
2009-today Coordinator, Italian NET management clinical & research group
Clinical and molecular analysis of thyroid hormone action; screening of congenital hypothyroidism; genetic alterations in thyroid cancer; orthotopic mouse models and tissue microarrays in thyroid cancer; molecular oncogenesis of prostate and adrenal cancer, clinical interests on thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary and adrenal diseases, and neuroendocrine tumors
Selected recent publications


1 Mancini A, Festa R, Di Donna V, Leone E, Littarru GP, Silvestrini A, Meucci E, Pontecorvi A. 2010 Hormones and antioxidant systems: role of pituitary and pituitary-dependent axes. J Endocrinol Invest. 33: 422-33

2 Carmelo Nucera, Alessandro Porrello, Zeus Andrea Antonello, Michal Mekel, Matthew A. Nehs, Thomas J. Giordano, Damien Gerald, Laura E. Benjamin, Carmen Priolo, Efisio Puxeddu, Stephen Finn, Barbara Jarzab, Richard A. Hodin, Alfredo Pontecorvi, Vânia Nose, Jack Lawler, Sareh Parangi 2010 B-RafV600E and thrombospondin-1 promote thyroid cancer progression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 107: 10649-54

3. Berl T, Quittnat-Pelletier F, Verbalis JG, Schrier RW, Bichet DG, Ouyang J, Czerwiec FS; SALTWATER Investigators. Collaborators: Pontecorvi A., 2010. Oral tolvaptan is safe and effective in chronic hyponatremia J Am Soc Nephrol. 21:705-12

4. Papi G, Guidetti G, Corsello SM, Di Donato C, Pontecorvi A 2010. The association between benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and autoimmune chronic thyroiditis is not related to thyroid status. Thyroid. 20: 237-8

5. Nucera C, Muzzi P, Tiveron C, Farsetti A, La Regina F, Foglio B, Shih SC, Moretti F, Pietra LD, Mancini F, Sacchi A, Trimarchi F, Vercelli A, Pontecorvi A. 2009 Maternal thyroid hormones are transcriptionally active during embryo-fetal development: results from a novel transgenic mouse model. J Cell Mol Med.

6. Papi G, Rossi G, Corsello SM, Corrado S, Fadda G, Di Donato C, Pontecorvi A. 2010 Nodular disease and parafollicular C-cell distribution: results from a prospective and retrospective clinico-pathological study on the thyroid isthmus. Eur J Endocrinol. 162:137-43

7. Corsello SM, Fintini D, Lovicu RM, Paragliola RM, Rufini V, Simonetti G, Pontecorvi A. 2009 Ectopic ACTH syndrome due to occult bronchial carcinoid. Clin Nucl Med. 34: 459-61

8. Nucera C, Eeckhoute J, Finn S, Carroll JS, Ligon AH, Priolo C, Fadda G, Toner M, Sheils O, Attard M, Pontecorvi A, Nosè V, Loda M, Brown M. 2009 FOXA1 is a Potential Oncogene in Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma. Clinical Cancer Res 15(11):3680-9.

9. Papi G, Corsello SM, Milite MT, Zanni M, Ciardullo AV, Donato CD, Pontecorvi A. 2009 Association between benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and autoimmune chronic thyroiditis. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 70 : 169-70

10. Papi G, Fadda G, Corsello SM, Corrado S, Rossi ED, Radighieri E, Miraglia A, Carani C, Pontecorvi A. 2007 Metastases to the thyroid gland: prevalence, clinicopathological aspects and prognosis: a 10-year experience. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 66:565-71

11. Robert W. Schrier, M.D., Peter Gross, M.D., Mihai Gheorghiade, M.D., Tomas Berl, M.D., Joseph G. Verbalis, M.D., Frank S. Czerwiec, M.D., Ph.D., and Cesare Orlandi, M.D., for the SALT Investigators* Collaborators: Pontecorvi A. etc. 2006 Tolvaptan, a Selective Oral Vasopressin V2-Receptor Antagonist, for Hyponatremia. N Engl J Med 355:2099-112
Project Title:
Mechanisms of thyroid tumorigenesis: role of estrogens
The incidence of thyroid cancer, in particular well-differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), is higher in women than in men, suggesting a potential role of sex steroids, particularly estrogens.
P53 oncosuppressor is involved in the tumorigenic process of PTC. We previously demonstrated that p53 regulation by MDM family members is altered in thyroid cancer and that estrogens appear to antagonize the MDM4 proapoptotic-antitumoral activity. In this research project we aim to investigate the clinical and molecular features of PTC, in respect to estrogen status particularly focusing on the role of the p53-MDM4 pathway.