{"id":56393,"date":"2026-04-02T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salk.edu\/?post_type=disclosure&p=56393"},"modified":"2026-04-02T09:07:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:07:29","slug":"top-cancer-scientist-thales-papag-papagiannakopoulos-joins-salk-institute","status":"publish","type":"disclosure","link":"https:\/\/www.salk.edu\/zh\/news-release\/top-cancer-scientist-thales-papag-papagiannakopoulos-joins-salk-institute\/","title":{"rendered":"\u9876\u7ea7\u764c\u75c7\u79d1\u5b66\u5bb6 Thales \u201cPapaG\u201d Papagiannakopoulos \u52a0\u5165\u7d22\u5c14\u514b\u7814\u7a76\u6240"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u6d1b\u6749\u77f6-\u7d22\u5c14\u514b\u7814\u7a76\u6240\u8058\u8bf7\u5168\u7403\u77e5\u540d\u764c\u75c7\u79d1\u5b66\u5bb6\u6cf0\u52d2\u65af-\u5e15\u5e15\u5409\u5b89\u7eb3\u514b\u666e\u6d1b\u65af\uff08Thales \u201cPapaG\u201d Papagiannakopoulos\uff09\u535a\u58eb\u81ea2026\u5e749\u6708\u8d77\u62c5\u4efb\u8be5\u7814\u7a76\u6240\u6559\u6388\u3002Papagiannakopoulos \u81ea 2015 \u5e74\u4ee5\u6765\u4e00\u76f4\u5728\u7ebd\u7ea6\u5927\u5b66\u683c\u7f57\u65af\u66fc\u533b\u5b66\u9662\u4efb\u6559\uff0c\u76ee\u524d\u662f\u7ebd\u7ea6\u5927\u5b66\u683c\u7f57\u65af\u66fc\u533b\u5b66\u9662\u75c5\u7406\u5b66\u7cfb\u548c Perlmutter \u764c\u75c7\u4e2d\u5fc3\u7684\u7ec8\u8eab\u526f\u6559\u6388\u3002\u4ed6\u5c06\u4e3a\u7d22\u5c14\u514b\u5e26\u6765\u764c\u75c7\u4ee3\u8c22\u3001\u764c\u75c7\u514d\u75ab\u5b66\u548c\u80bf\u7624-\u5bbf\u4e3b\u6c9f\u901a\u65b9\u9762\u7684\u66f4\u591a\u4e13\u4e1a\u77e5\u8bc6\uff0c\u4e3a\u7d22\u5c14\u514b\u56fd\u5bb6\u764c\u75c7\u7814\u7a76\u6240\uff08NCI\uff09\u6307\u5b9a\u764c\u75c7\u4e2d\u5fc3\u5185\u90e8\u4ee5\u53ca\u6574\u4e2a\u7814\u7a76\u6240\u7684\u5408\u4f5c\u5f00\u8f9f\u65b0\u7684\u673a\u9047\u3002.<\/p>\n

\"Cancer<\/a>
Cancer research expert Thales \u201cPapaG\u201d Papagiannakopoulos, PhD, joins the Salk Institute.
Click here<\/a> for a high-resolution image.
Credit: Sim Singh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThales is the kind of scientist who starts with fundamental questions about cancer initiation and progression and pursues them with creativity, rigor, and an eye for what the field needs next,\u201d says Salk President Gerald Joyce<\/a>. \u201cHis ability to bridge metabolism and immunology exemplifies Salk\u2019s commitment to foundational research that can pave the way for future breakthroughs. We look forward to welcoming him to Salk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Papagiannakopoulos studies how tumors adapt under stress by rewiring the way cells use nutrients and energy, how those changes shape the surrounding immune environment, and how cancers communicate with distant organs and the nervous system. His laboratory is known for developing advanced approaches to study cancer in living models, using cutting-edge genome engineering and functional screening strategies to test which genetic alterations truly drive disease and which vulnerabilities may be leveraged to stop it.<\/p>\n

More recently, Papagiannakopoulos\u2019 research has expanded to investigate how cancers engage the brain and peripheral nervous system to influence tumor growth, metabolism, and immune responses, which can result in debilitating symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, and weight loss. He is part of the InteroCANCEption team, which was recently awarded a Cancer Grand Challenges grant to understand how the brain and nervous system sense and respond to cancer throughout the body.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose Salk because it is one of the rare places where ambitious, curiosity-driven science is the culture, and collaboration is the default,\u201d says Papagiannakopoulos. \u201cThe opportunity to join a community that excels in both metabolism and immunology, and to contribute to an NCI-Designated Cancer Center built around foundational discovery, is incredibly compelling. I\u2019m excited to work with new colleagues to uncover not only how tumors survive and evade the immune system, but also work closely with the outstanding neuroscience community and the NOMIS Center<\/a> at Salk to investigate how cancers interact with the nervous system to drive disease progression and patient symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n

A recent example of the translational potential of Papagiannakopoulos\u2019s research grew directly from foundational discovery. In two recent studies published in Nature<\/em>, his team demonstrated that blocking a protein that helps cancer cells resist a self-destruct program called ferroptosis or a protein that dampens anti-tumor immunity markedly reduces lung and pancreatic cancer in mice, revealing promising new therapeutic strategies.<\/p>\n

Papagiannakopoulos earned his BS in Molecular Genetics at the University of Sussex and his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at UC Santa Barbara. He completed his postdoctoral training at MIT. His research has been funded by both federal grants and private philanthropy, including from the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, and Cancer Grand Challenges.<\/p>\n

At Salk, Papagiannakopoulos will build a research program that complements the Institute\u2019s strengths in cancer genetics, immunobiology, metabolism, and neurobiology, while accelerating collaborative efforts to understand cancer not only as a cellular and genetic disease, but also as a disorder shaped by integrated whole-body systems. His arrival will also add momentum to Salk\u2019s \u653b\u514b\u764c\u75c7\u5021\u8bae<\/a>, which unites scientists across disciplines to develop new strategies against five deadly cancers, including lung cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cPapaG brings a rare combination of technical innovation and biological insight,\u201d says \u9c81\u5bbe\u00b7\u8096\uff0c\u535a\u58eb<\/a>, professor and director of Salk\u2019s NCI-Designated Cancer Center<\/a>. \u201cHis ability to unite sophisticated in vivo genetic engineering with deep expertise in tumor metabolism and immune interactions, combined with the emerging brain-body dimensions of cancer biology, will greatly strengthen our Cancer Center\u2019s efforts to identify new vulnerabilities in cancer. Thales\u2019s work connects to many labs at Salk, and he will be a catalyst for new collaborations, as well as a thoughtful mentor for the next generation of scientists.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":56395,"template":"","faculty":[],"disease-research":[46,122,124],"class_list":["post-56393","disclosure","type-disclosure","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","disease-research-cancer-biology","disease-research-immune-system-biology","disease-research-neuroscience-and-neurological-disorders"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTop cancer scientist Thales \u201cPapaG\u201d Papagiannakopoulos joins Salk Institute - Salk Institute for Biological Studies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salk.edu\/zh\/news-release\/top-cancer-scientist-thales-papag-papagiannakopoulos-joins-salk-institute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"zh_CN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top cancer scientist Thales \u201cPapaG\u201d Papagiannakopoulos joins Salk Institute - Salk Institute for Biological Studies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LA JOLLA\u2014The Salk Institute has recruited globally renowned cancer scientist Thales \u201cPapaG\u201d Papagiannakopoulos, PhD, to join its faculty as a professor beginning in September 2026. 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