Attending Physician, Kyoto Miniren Chuo Hospital (2010–2011)
Clinical Lecturer, University at Buffalo (2009–2010)
Awards and Honors:
Cancer Research Institute Technology Impact Award (2019)
Best Clinical Poster Award: Celebration of Scholarship, Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (2019)
STL Cure Sarcoma Research Award (2017)
Trainee Abstract Award (Mentee): American Association of Immunologists (2015)
Outstanding Poster Award (Mentee) 26th Annual Research Conference University of Michigan (2015)
Young Investigator Award: Melanoma Research Alliance (2015)
Turcotte Enrichment Award: Central Surgical Association Foundation (2014)
American College of Surgeons Faculty Research Fellowship Award (2014)
New Investigator Award: Society of Thermal Medicine (2010)
Basic Research Award 1st Place: Western New York Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (2009)
Clinical Research Award 1st Place: Western New York Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (2009)
Travel Award: Cancer and Leukemia Group B (2008)
Scholarship: Japan-North America Medical Exchange Foundation (2000)
Scholarship: Japan-North America Medical Exchange Foundation (1998)
Research Expertise:
General Surgery
Stem Cell and Developmental Biology
Surgical Oncology
Tumor Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy
Grants and Sponsored Research:
September 2019–August 2021 Cancer Research Institute Technology Impact Award Cancer Research Institute Role: Co-Principal Investigator $200,000
August 2015–July 2020 NIH/NCI K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award NIH/NCI Role: Principal Investigator $810,000
January 2019–December 2019 Roswell Park Alliance Foundation Grant Roswell Park Alliance Foundation Role: Principal Investigator $100,000
March 2018–February 2019 Roswell Park Alliance Foundation Grant Roswell Park Alliance Foundation Role: Principal Investigator $127,500
July 2017–June 2018 Sarcoma Foundation of America Award Sarcoma Foundation of America Role: Principal Investigator $50,000
May 2015–April 2018 Melanoma Research Alliance Young Investigator Award Melanoma Research Alliance Role: Principal Investigator $225,000
July 2014–June 2016 American College of Surgeons Faculty Research Fellowships American College of Surgeons Faculty Research Fellowships Role: Principal Investigator $80,000
July 2014–June 2015 Central Surgical Association Foundation Award Central Surgical Association Foundation Role: Principal Investigator $10,000
Journal Articles:
Ito F, Ku AW., Bucsek MJ., Muhitch J., Vardam-Kaur T., Kim M., Fisher DT., Camoriano M., Khoury T, Skitzki J, Gollnick SO., Evans SS. (2015) Immune Adjuvant Activity of Pre-resectional Radiofrequency Ablation Protects against Local and Systemic Recurrence in Aggressive Murine Colorectal Cancer. Plos One (Jan), 23(10).
Saito H., Okita K., Fusaki N., Sabel MS, Chang AE, Ito F. (2016) Adoptive transfer of CD8 T cells generated from induced pluripotent stem cells triggers regressions of large tumors along with immunological memory. Cancer Research (Jan), 76(12): 3473-3483.
Saito H., Okita K., Fusaki N., Sabel MS, Chang AE, Ito F. (2016) Reprogramming of Melanoma Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem Cells International (Jan), 11.
Ito F, Camoriano M., Mukund S., Evans SS., Kane I, Skitzki J. (2011) Water: A simple solution for tumor spillage. Annals of Surgical Oncology (Jan), 18(8): 2347-2363.
"Pluripotent stem cells as a source of adoptive T-cell therapy for Melanoma." Melanoma Disease Site Research Group Retreat (2016)
"Reprogramming Technology to Build The Team for Cancer Immunotherapy" Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology Seminar Series. (2016)
"Regeneration of antigen-specific T cells from pluripotent stem cells for immunotherapy." Roswell Park Cancer Institute Science Retreat. (2016)
"Adoptive transfer of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived regenerated T cells mediates effective regression of large tumors and establishes imunological memory." Annual Meeting of the American Association of Immunologists (2016)
"Cancer Immunotherapy with induced pluripotent stem cell-derived regenerated antigen-specific CD8+ T cells." Immuno-Oncology Young Investigator's Forum (2016)
"Adoptive T cell therapy using rejuvenated antigen-specific T cells from induced pluripotent stem cells." Annual Meeting of the American Association of Immunologists (2015)
"Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes." Annual Meeting of the Society of American Association for Cancer Research (2015)
"Generation of rejuvenated murine antigen-specific T cells by reprogramming to pluripotency and redifferentiation." Annual Meeting of the Society of American Association for Cancer Research (2015)
"Adoptive cell therapy with rejuvenated induced pluripotent stem cell-derived antigen-specific T cells." Annual Meeting of the Immuno-Hematology Symposium (2015)
"Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes." Moses Gunn 26th Annual Research Conference (2014)
"Generation of induced pluripotent sem cells from tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes." 67th Annual Meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology (2014)
"Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes." 12th Annual Pathology Research Symposium (2014)
"Enhancing the antitumor effects of adoptive cell transfer immunotherapy using preconditioning thermal ablation." Annual Meeting of the American Association of Immunologists (2014)
"Overcoming hurdles to efective immunotherapy using radiofrequency ablation." 13th Annual Meeting of the Buffalo Conference on Immunology (2014)
"Overcoming hurdles to effective immunotherapy using radiofrequency ablation." 13th Annual Meeting of the Translational Research Cancer Center Consortium (2014)
"Radiofrequency ablation amplifies the efficacy of adoptive T cell transfer therapy in the generation of antitumor immunity." 31st Annual Meeting of the Society for Thermal Medicine (2014)
"Synergistic Antitumor Activity of Thermal Ablation and Adoptive T Cell Transfer Cancer Immunotherapy." American College of Cryosurgery Annual Meeting (2014)
"Preconditioning regimens overcome obstacles to CCL21-dependent T cell trafficking in tumor-draining lymph nodes." 2nd Annual Midwest Melanoma Partnership Meeting (2013)
"Reprogramming exhausted tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes by Sendai viral vectors." 8th Annual Meeting New York Stem Cell Foundation (2013)
"Overcoming obstacles to naive T lymphocyte trafficking in tumor-bearing mice." 12th Annual Buffalo Conference on Immunology (2012)
"Overcoming obstacles to naive T lymphocyte trafficking in tumor-bearing mice." 15th Annual Upstate New York Immunology Conference (2012)
"Overcoming obstacles to naive T lymphocyte trafficking in tumor-draining lymph nodes." 15th Annual Translational Research Cancer Centers Consortium (2012)
"Overcoming obstacles to naive T lymphocyte trafficking in tumor-draining lymph nodes." University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics (2012)
"Overcoming obstacles to naive T lymphocyte trafficking in tumor-draining lymph nodes." Roswell Park Cancer Institute Scientific Trainee Research Symposium; ; SUNY Geneseo (2012)
"Radio-frequency ablation augments antitumor activity of adoptive immunotherapy." 64th Annual Meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology (2011)
"Systemic thermal therapy overcomes obstacles to naive T lymphocyte trafficking in tumor-draining lymph nodes." 28th Annual Meeting Society Thermal Medicine (2011)
"Improved survival with pre-resectional radiofrequency ablation is associated with enhanced CD8 T lymphocyte trafficking to tumor-draining lymph nodes and tumor sites." 63rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology (2010)
"Improved survival with pre-resectional radiofrequency ablation is associated with enhanced CD8 T lymphocyte trafficking to tumor-draining lymph nodes and tumor sites." 63rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology (2010)
"Peritoneal lavage with distilled water is tumoricidal: science or legend?" 63rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology (2010)
"Synergistic antitumor activity of radio-frequency ablation and adoptive immunotherapy." Annual Meeting of the Society for Thermal Medicine (2010)
"Thermal stress overcomes impediments to naive T lymphocytes trafficking across high endothelial venules in tumor-draining lymph nodes." Annual Meeting of the Society for Thermal Medicine Meeting. (2010)
"Improved survival with pre-resectional radiofrequency ablation is associated with enhanced CD8 T lymphocyte trafficking to tumor-draining lymph nodes and tumor sites." Western New York Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (2009)
"Peritoneal lavage with distilled water is tumoricidal" Western New York Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (2009)
"Peritoneal lavage with distilled water is tumoricidal" Western New York Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (2009)
"Systemic thermal therapy overcomes obstacles to naive T lymphocyte trafficking in tumor-draining lymph nodes." 9th Annual Buffalo Conference on Immunology (2009)
"Hilar cholangiocarcinoma: outcome over 21 years at a tertiary referral center." 60th Annual Meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology (2007)
"The utility of intraoperative bilateral internal jugular venous sampling with rapid parathyroid homone testing." Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin Surgical Society (2006)
"The utility of intraoperative bilateral internal jugular venous sampling with rapid parathyroid hormone testing." American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (2006)
"Anti-CD 137 antibody administration polarizes T cells activated by tumor-lysate pulsed dendritic cells via NK cells." American Association for Cancer Research (2004)
"Anti-CD137 antibody administration enhances the efficacy of dendritic cell-based tumor vaccines." American Association of Immunologist (2003)
"Radiotherapy potentiates the antitumor efficacy of intratumoral dendritic cell administration in a murine model." American Association of Immunologist (2003)
"Antitumor reactivity of anti-CD3/anti-CD28 bead activated lymphoid cells: implications for cell therapy." American Society of Hematology (2002)
"Adoptive immunotherapy of murine tumor MCA205 using tumor-reactive T cells generated through 4-1BB and CD28 co-Stimulation." American Association for Cancer Research (2002)
"Generation of tumor-specific effector T cells from tumor-bearing hosts by anti-CD3/CD28 bead activation." American Association for Cancer Research (2002)
Nature Communications; Ad Hoc Reviewer (2019–present)
STEM CELLS Translational Medicine; Ad Hoc Reviewer (2018–present)
Department of Defense (DOD) and Congressionally -Directed Medical Research Program’s (CDMRP); DOD Lung Cancer Research Program (LCRP);; Grant Reviewer (2017)
American Association for the Advancement of Science; State of Regenerative Medicine Research Fund;; Grant Reviewer (2016)