Meet the Editors | Interview with Prof. Dr. Antonio Giordano—Editorial Board Member of the Section “Oncology” in Diseases

Thank you for accepting our invitation for the interview. This interview will have two parts, mainly about your research and editorial work. We believe your scientific experience is likely to inspire young researchers and your editorial experience will have a great impact on the development of science.

Part I — Regarding your research work:

1. What got you interested in scientific research in the first place?

I first have to say that my father Dr. Giovan Giacomo Giordano, who was a physician/scientist, sparked my interest in medicine at an early age. I have always been curious and a very hard worker in my studies so it seemed like a natural fit.

2. Can you briefly describe your research and summarize it in several keywords?

Overall, my research is focused on three main areas: understanding the links between the cell cycle, cell proliferation and cancer; determining the cancerous effects of environmental contamination; and researching the association between obesity, diet, and cancer. In these areas, I have over 600 peer reviewed publications and over 20 US patents on cell cycle inhibitors and gene therapies for various tumor types. Specifically, I isolated the tumor suppressor RB2/p130 gene, later showing how the same gene, introduced through a retrovirus in some animal models, is able to reduce the growth of tumors. However, through SHRO, we have increased our research portfolio to include the study of neurologic diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, as well as diabetes.

In addition, I identified the direct link between cell cycle regulation and cancer development. More specifically, I have been able to demonstrate that normal cells become neoplastic when oncogenes interact directly with the cyclins, leading to a deregulation of the cell cycle and, consequently, to the onset of the neoplastic phenotype. Subsequently, I discovered three important "guardians" of the human genome: CDK9, CDK10 and the NSPs (Novel Structure Proteins), a new protein structure with a potential role in the dynamics of the nucleus during cell division. One particular protein, Isoform NSP5a3a, is highly expressed in the cell lines of some tumors and could turn out to be a very useful tumor marker.

In recent years, I have focused my efforts on studying the relationship between cancer and environmental pollution in the Italian region of Campania, linking my career as a researcher to that of a science communicator. I was among the first to report an increased incidence of various types of cancer in populations near illegal toxic waste sites. I have published numerous findings including the link between cancer and multiple types of toxins attributed to landfill waste, such as reporting high levels of cancer-causing dioxins in surrounding wildlife and high levels of heavy metals in cancer patients from the region.

Not only have I published scientific articles on this subject, but I have also committed myself to making these data known through two books on the subject, "Campania, terra di veleni" (translated as “Campania: Land of Fires”) and "Monnezza di stato", edited by Denaro Libri and Minerva, respectively. The former was also produced as a movie. The publications launched a petition to protect the environment, signed by over 500 researchers and people from various professional sectors. I have also promoted numerous non-profit initiatives aimed at safeguarding the environment and human health. (For more information on Antonio Giordano's contribution to the topic of Health and the Environment, please see the interview by temple university press (https://news.temple.edu/publications/temple-magazine/2015/winter/land-poison-and-fire).)

As I mentioned earlier, my father instilled in me a deep sense of social responsibility and I felt this needed to be communicated to the public, regardless of the sensitive nature of the findings (the pollution in this area has always been attributed to an “ecomafia” and so reporting on it is a very touchy matter).

Recently, I was appointed Technical Consultant of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Avellino for the Isochimica case and Scientific Director of the Mediterranea—Food and Wine Academy of Naples. I have reported on the anticancer properties of tomatoes and have investigated the beneficial aspects of the Mediterranean diet with respect to cancer and obesity.

Some keywords include: cell cycle; cancer; pRB2/p130; CDK9; mesothelioma; gene therapy; genetics; environment

3. Can you share your career development story briefly? For example, which cases have influenced you the most?

I have to give credit to three people who were extremely influential in my formation as a scientist, clinician, and head of an international research organization.

Firstly, to my father, Dr. Giovan Giacomo Giordano, who was a doctor and professor of pathological anatomy at the University of Naples. Over the course of his professional career, he became aware of the need to broaden his horizons and to confront other scientific realities. This is how he began to establish scientific collaborations with colleagues from other countries. Then, when I told him that I was going to become a doctor, despite being a student, he offered me the opportunity to spend my summer vacation in the United States. At the age of seventeen, I became very passionate about the American reality: I learned the language and after specializing in Pathological Anatomy at the University in Trieste, I moved to the USA to obtain my doctorate. So, at an early age, I could not have had a better mentor, who not only instilled in me that scientific curiosity and passion for medicine which every scientist/clinician needs, but a sense of ethical responsibility in science and medicine. For this, SHRO honors him at the annual National Italian American Foundation medical conference, by awarding the Giovan Giacomo Giordano Foundation and National Italian American Foundation Award for Ethics and Creativity in Medical Research each year.

The second person would be the Nobel Prize winner Dr. James Watson, director of the prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where I undertook my postdoctoral work. He is one of the fathers of modern genetics and one of the authors of the discovery of DNA's double helix. During those years, I had to sacrifice a lot, as a young person living in a foreign country. I spent many a sleepless night in the laboratory. This is where I also learned how to have conviction in what I was doing. I remember how I would question results, asking more in-depth questions of my own research. This is how I eventually discovered the new RB2/p130 gene. Those years were not only formative for me as a scientist, but being and succeeding in such a high powered environment was a springboard for my career. I have to admit that since graduating, I have always been very focused on my work and the goals I wanted to achieve.

The third person has to be Mario Sbarro, the original founder of Sbarro Foods. I went to visit him, explaining my ideas regarding the birth of a scientific research institute. Mario Sbarro listened to me. We spoke to each other several times, and he decided to help me financially and provided me with a staff of professionals. I have a deep affection for Mario Sbarro and a great sense of gratitude for the trust that he placed in me many years ago. He remains an important person to me and to the organization that we have created.

In 1992, I moved to Philadelphia, and in 1993 the Sbarro Institute was born, which later became the Sbarro Health Research Organization, (SHRO): an organization dedicated to biomedical research that, for years, has been offering young and brilliant minds from all over the world the opportunity to realize their dream job. Indeed, from 1993 until today, I have had the privilege of training hundreds of students from all over the world. Many arrive skeptical and intimidated—and after a few years, to witness their success in scientific research is a great joy.

Part II—Regarding your editorial work:

1. What attracted you to join Diseases as an editor?

MDPI has been a leader in academic publishing and is well respected among my scientific peers. The transparency of the editorial boards, the dedication and professionalism of MDPI staff and senior editorial boards, as well as the reviewers for each of the journals has garnered my admiration for this journal, as well as being the pivotal decision point in my joining the editorial team of Diseases.

2. What have you gained from the editorial work?

I am grateful to assist on this editorial board and to contribute to the enhancement of scientific endeavor and rigor.

3. How do you improve your academic writing ability?

Practice, practice, practice .... and through the wonderful reviewers that these groups of journals seek out. MDPI finds the best, brilliant, and fair reviewers of any family of journals I have worked with.

4. What do you think the development of open access in the publishing field? How do you respond to open access skeptics?

Open access is critical for the rapid dissemination of scientific findings, especially in this time of technological advancement. Most skeptics of open access are actually competitors of the open access system who failed to change or alter their business model and now find themselves on the short end of the stick. These skeptical publishing houses are losing revenue and are unable to adapt to the changing world. I am glad to have the oppportunity to be associated with one of the leaders in open access, the MDPI family of journals.