Dr. Riccardo Dalla Favera

Biography

Riccardo Dalla-Favera, MD, is the Percy & Joanne Uris Professor of Clinical Medicine and the Director of the Institute of Cancer Genetics at Columbia University. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine. Over the past 30 years, his research has focused on the molecular genetics of cancer, particularly the pathogenesis of B-cell malignancies such as Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). His laboratory has identified key genetic lesions associated with these tumors, including the human c-MYC oncogene related to Burkitt Lymphoma and the BCL6 oncogene, a major contributor to human lymphomas. His team is at the forefront of characterizing the coding genome of DLBCL, leading to discoveries of additional genetic lesions that influence epigenetic modulators and antigen-presenting molecules. They use mouse models to investigate the tumorigenic functions of these lesions and to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Recently, his work has highlighted the significant role of hypermutation in non-coding regulatory regions in the pathogenesis of DLBCL.

Research Interests