Pitt
UPMC
UPCI
CMU
Publications: Fourcade J, Sun Z, Kudela P, Janjic B, Kirkwood JM, El-Hafnawy T, Zarour HM (2010). Human tumor antigen-specific helper and regulatory T cells share common epitope specificity but exhibit distinct T cell repertoire. J Immunol. 184: 6709-6718. Fourcade J, Kudela P, Sun Z, Shen H, Land SR, Lenzner D, Guillaume P, Luescher IF, Sander C, Ferrone S, Kirkwood JM, Zarour HM (2009). PD-1 is a regulator of NY-ESO-1-specific CD8+ T cell expansion in melanoma patients. J Immunol. 182: 5240-5249. Fourcade J, Kudela P, Andrade Filho PA, Janjic B, Land SR, Sander C, Krieg A, Donnenberg A, Shen H, Kirkwood JM, Zarour HM (2008). Immunization with analog peptide in combination with CpG and montanide expands tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in melanoma patients. J Immunother. 31: 781-791. Kudela P, Janjic B, Fourcade J, Castelli F, Andrade P, Kirkwood JM, El-Hefnawy T, Amicosante M, Maillere B, Zarour HM (2007). Cross-reactive CD4+ T cells against one immunodominant tumor-derived epitope in melanoma patients. J Immunol. 179: 7932-7940. 
Hassane Zarour, M.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
HCC 1.32
5117 Centre Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
office: 412-623-3272
fax: 412-623-7704
email: zarourhm@upmc.edu
The overall goal of the Zarour laboratory is the identification of new and more immunogenic melanoma antigens for vaccine immunotherapy. As part of this goal, we have studied and brought to the clinic (UPCI trial 99-088) novel peptide epitopes such as the CD4 epitope Melan-A 51-73 we discovered using neural net algorithms, and the previously known CD8 epitope Melan-A 27-35. This work has demonstrated potent immunogenicity of the CD4 epitope of Melan-A, which has subsequently been brought to multicenter cooperative group trial evaluation in the ECOG trial E1602. Our more recent studies of the cancer germline antigens recognized by CD4 and CD8 T cells have identified novel peptides of the NY-ESO molecule that have also now been brought to clinical trial evaluation in stage IV melanoma (UPCI 05-140). In addition, we study mechanisms of tumor-induced immunosuppression with a particular focus on the identification of tumor antigen-specific regulatory T cells isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes of cancer patients.