Pierluigi Porcu, MD, serves as associate director for clinical translation at the UK Markey Cancer Center (MCC), where he directs scientific and clinical efforts to advance new therapies for blood cancers. Dr. Porcu also serves as the division chief of hematology and cellular therapy within the UK College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine.
In addition to his leadership roles, Dr. Porcu will establish and lead a wet-bench research laboratory dedicated to the development and bidirectional translation of emerging biomarkers and immunotherapies for T-cell malignancies and virus-associated lymphomas. His work is helping expand Markey’s growing portfolio of investigator-initiated and translational clinical trials.
As Markey’s associate director for clinical translation, Dr. Porcu provides high-level scientific oversight across the cancer center’s clinical research enterprise, which includes the clinical protocol and data management teams. His responsibilities span several key areas:
- Strategic leadership of clinical translation priorities aligned with NCI guidelines and the health needs of Markey’s catchment area.
- Oversight of the Translational Oncology (TO) Research Program and coordination with research leaders to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into clinical care.
- Ensuring timely activation, accrual, and conduct of clinical trials, with an emphasis on early-phase, investigator-initiated, and translational studies.
- Mentorship of junior faculty and trainees engaged in clinical and translational research.
- Support for Cancer Center Support Grant compliance and representation of Markey in national research networks such as the Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (ETCTN).
Working closely with MCC and department leadership, Dr. Porcu will also help build collaborative teams focused on transdisciplinary science, including normal and malignant hematopoiesis, immune cell development and immuno-oncology.