Marco Cardone, Ph.D.

Dr. Marco Cardone obtained his Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Rome, Italy, in 2008. During his time in Italy, he studied the role of cytokines in the differentiation and function of human dendritic cells (DC) and macrophages, as well as the impact of HIV on the interaction between DCs and gd T lymphocytes. Dr. Cardone then moved to NCI for his postdoctoral training where he studied DC programming by microbial components and inflammatory cytokines for Th17 and Th22 cell polarization. During his postdoctoral fellowship, he also contributed to research on the effects of antibiotics on cancer therapies. In 2013, Dr. Cardone joined the FDA where he conducted research studies focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of T cell-mediated adverse drug reactions and evaluating the effectiveness of repurposing non-anticancer drugs for cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Cardone returned to NCI in 2022 to join the Immuno-Oncology Branch (IOB). His programmatic research interests include cellular immunotherapies, immune checkpoint inhibitors, immune cell engagers, combination immunotherapies, the role of the microbiome and effects of microbiome-based interventions in immunotherapy, strategies to enhance safety and efficacy of immunotherapies, modulation of the tumor immune microenvironment, preclinical models of immunotherapy and new technologies for immunotherapy development.