Giorgio Trinchieri, M.D.

Giorgio Trinchieri, M.D., was a researcher Wistar from 1975-77 and again from 1979-1999, rising from associate scientist to Hilary Koprowski Professor. From 1999 to 2004, he was director of the Schering-Plough Laboratory for Immunological Research in Dardilly, France. Currently he is NIH Fogarty Scholar and Orise Senior Fellow at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

In 1985, Trinchieri and his team at Wistar identified interleukin-12 (IL-12), a cytokine that helps regulate the body’s resistance to infections and cancer. While the exact role of this immune system molecule is still under investigation, IL-12 is known to participate in aspects of inflammation and to play a role in how the body recognizes and responds to repeat infections from the same pathogen. Since the identification of IL-12, Trinchieri and many other researchers have pursued the manipulation of IL-12 for potential therapeutic uses. Scientists are exploring the possibilities of boosting IL-12 activity to stop pathogenic infection or cancer as well as blocking IL-12 to diminish autoimmune disorders.

Trinchieri is a member of many scientific societies and was the 1996 recipient of the W.B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic Clinical Immunology from the Cancer Research Institute. He is author of hundreds of research papers, reviews, and book chapters.