Napoleone Ferrara

Napoleone Ferrara is an Italian-American molecular biologist who joined University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center in 2013 after a career in Northern California at the biotechnology giant Genentech, where he pioneered the development of new treatments for angiogenic diseases such as cancer, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and diabetic retinopathy. At Genentech, he discovered VEGF—and made the first anti-VEGF antibody—which suppresses growth of a variety of tumors. These findings helped lead to development and FDA approval of the first clinically effective angiogenesis inhibitor, bevacizumab (Avastin), which prevents the growth of new blood vessels into a solid tumor. Bevacizumab, first approved for treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer in 2004, has become part of standard treatment for a variety of cancers. Ferrara's work led also to the development of ranibizumab (Lucentis), a drug that is highly effective at preventing vision loss in patients with intraocular neovascular disorders such as neovascular AMD and retinal vein occlusion. Ranibizumab and other anti-VEGF agents represent the first effective therapy for such blinding disorders and rank among the most widely used drugs in older adults.