Prof. Antoine Italiano

Prof. Antoine Italiano, MD, PhD, is member of Kainova Therapeutics' Scientific Advisory Board. He is a medical oncologist with expertise in early clinical development in immuno-oncology, translational research and targeted therapies.

Prof. Italiano holds several academic and clinical leadership roles, including the Head of Early Phase Clinical Trials at Institut Bergonié, where he oversees a multidisciplinary team conducting Phase I and basket studies across solid tumors and hematological malignancies. He is also heading the Precision Medicine program at Gustave Roussy, Paris.

His scientific work spans early clinical development trials and translational oncology. As Principal Investigator, he has led more than 50 Phase I trials and numerous Phase II and III trials. His research has examined mechanisms associated with sensitivity and resistance to immunotherapies and targeted therapies, as well as biomarker studies conducted in clinical research settings.

Prof. Italiano is also involved in clinical research on rare tumors, particularly sarcomas. He collaborates with teams engaged in precision medicine and immuno-oncology projects, including the CONDOR project, which focuses on sarcoma research. He also coordinates sarcoma research within the Multipli study, part of the France Genomic Medicine 2025 plan, which supports large-scale genomic testing programs in Europe.

His academic activities include research in cancer cell biology and precision oncology. As Professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology, he leads the Sarcotarget team within the Bordeaux Institute of Oncology (BRIC), an Inserm-endorsed program focused on cancers with poor prognosis and rare malignancies.

Prof. Italiano is a member of professional organizations such as ASCO, ESMO and AACR. He holds a PhD in Molecular Aspects of Cell Biology and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Dr. Cristina Antonescu’s laboratory at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.