Marcello DiStasio, MD, PhD
Cards
About
Titles
Assistant Professor of Pathology
Co-director, Yale Legacy Tissue Donation Program, PathologyBiography
I am a neuropathologist and researcher in neuroimmunology. My background is in electrophysiology and biomedical engineering of neural interface and neural information processing systems. My interests are in diseases of the central nervous system, including motor system diseases and cancer. I am working on advancing the techniques of computational pathology in order to better understand and diagnose diseases. My research involves the application of machine learning, image analysis, and statistics to histology and genomic data with the goal of better characterizing and classifying tumors.
I am developing software to analyze histologic images taken from the kinds of slides produced in the routine clinical evaluation of tissue. By using statistical and machine learning techniques, these algorithms look for patterns in cell placement and morphology that correspond to the tissue genetic profiles. I believe this simultaneous genotypic and phenotypic characterization of tumors will provide a deeper understanding of neurobiology, neuropathology, and caner immunology, and identify key elements of CNS microenvironments whose interactions advance our explanations and predictions of pathologic processes affecting the brain, retina, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system.
Appointments
Pathology
Assistant ProfessorPrimaryOphthalmology
Assistant ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Autopsy
- Hafler, Brian Lab
- Janeway Society
- Ophthalmology
- Pathology
- Yale Medicine
Education & Training
- Fellow
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital / Harvard Medical School (2020)
- Resident
- Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center / Harvard Medical School (2018)
- MD
- State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn
- PhD
- State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn / NYU Polytechnic, Biomedical Engineering (2014)
Research
Publications
2023
Human-specific epigenomic states in spermatogenesis
Liao C, Walters B, DiStasio M, Lesch B. Human-specific epigenomic states in spermatogenesis. Computational And Structural Biotechnology Journal 2023, 23: 577-588. PMID: 38274996, PMCID: PMC10809009, DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.12.037.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBeyond the Lab and Into the Hospital: An Outlook on the Clinical Utility of Spatial Omics Technologies
Pucciarelli D, Lu B, Zlobec I, DiStasio M. Beyond the Lab and Into the Hospital: An Outlook on the Clinical Utility of Spatial Omics Technologies. GEN Biotechnology 2023, 2: 360-371. DOI: 10.1089/genbio.2023.0030.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSUBCELLULAR TO TISSUE SCALE MODELING OF ISCHEMIA AND SPREADING DEPOLARIZATION
Newton A, Kelley C, Guo A, Wang J, Zink S, Distasio M, Mcdougal R, Lytton W. SUBCELLULAR TO TISSUE SCALE MODELING OF ISCHEMIA AND SPREADING DEPOLARIZATION. IBRO Neuroscience Reports 2023, 15: s792. DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2023.08.1633.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBSBM-18 SINGLE-CELL PROFILING TUMOR-INFILTRATING IMMUNE CELLS REVEALS CXCL13+ FOLLICULAR HELPER-LIKE CD4+ T CELLS IN HUMAN BRAIN TUMORS
Lu B, Lucca L, DiStasio M, Liu Y, Pham G, Buitrago-Pocasangre N, Arnal-Estape A, Moliterno J, Chiang V, Omuro A, Hafler D. BSBM-18 SINGLE-CELL PROFILING TUMOR-INFILTRATING IMMUNE CELLS REVEALS CXCL13+ FOLLICULAR HELPER-LIKE CD4+ T CELLS IN HUMAN BRAIN TUMORS. Neuro-Oncology Advances 2023, 5: iii4-iii4. PMCID: PMC10402449, DOI: 10.1093/noajnl/vdad070.014.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchT cell populationsT cell functionT cellsHigh-grade gliomasBrain metastasesHuman brain tumorsImmune cellsBrain tumorsNon-small cell lung cancer brain metastasesB cellsAnti-PD-1 therapy responseCell lung cancer brain metastasesLung cancer brain metastasesProductive antitumor immune responsesFollicular helper T cellsT-cell receptor sequencingTumor-infiltrating T cellsAntitumor T-cell functionCancer brain metastasesCo-inhibitory receptorsAntitumor immune responseCell receptor sequencingLonger overall survivalCell functionTertiary lymphoid structuresSporadic pituitary adenoma with somatic double-hit loss of MEN1
Hong C, Alanya H, DiStasio M, Boulware S, Rimmer R, Omay S, Erson-Omay E. Sporadic pituitary adenoma with somatic double-hit loss of MEN1. Pituitary 2023, 26: 488-494. PMID: 37438451, DOI: 10.1007/s11102-023-01336-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSingle-cell analysis reveals inflammatory interactions driving macular degeneration
Kuchroo M, DiStasio M, Song E, Calapkulu E, Zhang L, Ige M, Sheth A, Majdoubi A, Menon M, Tong A, Godavarthi A, Xing Y, Gigante S, Steach H, Huang J, Huguet G, Narain J, You K, Mourgkos G, Dhodapkar R, Hirn M, Rieck B, Wolf G, Krishnaswamy S, Hafler B. Single-cell analysis reveals inflammatory interactions driving macular degeneration. Nature Communications 2023, 14: 2589. PMID: 37147305, PMCID: PMC10162998, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37025-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAge-related macular degenerationMacular degenerationNeurodegenerative diseasesNeurodegenerative conditionsLate-stage age-related macular degenerationPossible new therapeutic targetsPostmortem human retinaProgressive multiple sclerosisNew therapeutic targetsEarly phaseSingle-nucleus RNA sequencingInflammatory interactionsMultiple sclerosisInterleukin-1βDisease progressionControl retinasTherapeutic approachesGlial populationsGlial stateTherapeutic targetDisease pathogenesisRetinal diseasesAlzheimer's diseaseDiseaseHuman retinaNeuropathology of New-Onset Refractory Status Epilepticus (NORSE)
Hanin A, Cespedes J, Huttner A, Strelnikov D, Gopaul M, DiStasio M, Vezzani A, Hirsch L, Aronica E. Neuropathology of New-Onset Refractory Status Epilepticus (NORSE). Journal Of Neurology 2023, 270: 3688-3702. PMID: 37079033, DOI: 10.1007/s00415-023-11726-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNew-onset refractory status epilepticusCryptogenic new-onset refractory status epilepticusRefractory status epilepticusNeuropathology findingsStatus epilepticusSecondary neuronal injuryCryptogenic casesFebrile illnessNeuronal injuryExtensive workupNeuropathological evaluationEpilepsy surgeryPathophysiological mechanismsUnknown causePatient managementLong-term consequencesSevere formSpecific treatmentEpilepticusTissue samplesBiopsyPatientsFindings of studiesAutopsiesFindingsHigh-plex protein and whole transcriptome co-mapping at cellular resolution with spatial CITE-seq
Liu Y, DiStasio M, Su G, Asashima H, Enninful A, Qin X, Deng Y, Nam J, Gao F, Bordignon P, Cassano M, Tomayko M, Xu M, Halene S, Craft J, Hafler D, Fan R. High-plex protein and whole transcriptome co-mapping at cellular resolution with spatial CITE-seq. Nature Biotechnology 2023, 41: 1405-1409. PMID: 36823353, PMCID: PMC10567548, DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01676-0.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2022
Atypical thymomas with squamoid and spindle cell features: clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical and molecular genetic study of 120 cases with long-term follow-up
Suster DI, Craig Mackinnon A, DiStasio M, Basu MK, Pihan G, Suster S. Atypical thymomas with squamoid and spindle cell features: clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical and molecular genetic study of 120 cases with long-term follow-up. Modern Pathology 2022, 35: 875-894. PMID: 35145198, DOI: 10.1038/s41379-022-01013-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSpindle cell featuresAtypical thymomaClinical courseCytokeratin AE1/AE3Completeness of resectionProgressive clinical courseHigh-grade malignancyThymic epithelial neoplasmsAE1/AE3Atypical epithelial cellsPolygonal tumor cellsCell featuresAtypical ovalThymic carcinomaOverall survivalPatient ageAnterior mediastinumMyasthenia gravisThymoma patientsAutoimmune disordersFatal outcomeRare tumorAggressive tumorsMass lesionMultiple recurrences
2019
T lymphocytes and cytotoxic astrocyte blebs correlate across autism brains
DiStasio MM, Nagakura I, Nadler MJ, Anderson MP. T lymphocytes and cytotoxic astrocyte blebs correlate across autism brains. Annals Of Neurology 2019, 86: 885-898. PMID: 31591744, PMCID: PMC7210715, DOI: 10.1002/ana.25610.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInnate immune responseT lymphocytesImmune responseASD brainCell-mediated injuryAutism spectrum disorderAdaptive immune cellsCSF-brain barrierMost brain regionsWhite matter vesselsPostmortem brain tissueRare genetic causeAnn NeurolLymphocytic cuffsLymphocyte numbersPathologic featuresCerebral cortexInflammatory cytokinesBrain barrierImmune cellsPostmortem brainsCerebrospinal fluidB lymphocytesEpendymal surfacePerivascular spaces
Links & Media
Media
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A grid of locations in a glioblastoma sample, classified by their textural features. Each locus has corresponding transcriptome and proteome data.
News
- June 24, 2024Source: CAP Today
How Rapid Autopsies Bridge Clinical Care and Research
- January 16, 2024
Yale Legacy Tissue Donation Program Appeals to Clinicians for Help in Obtaining Samples
- May 12, 2023
Study Suggests Retina Represents System for Investigating Therapeutic Approaches in Neurodegenerative Diseases
- August 22, 2022
Cancer Survivor on Yale Pathology’s Legacy Tissue Donation Program: ‘Let Me Be the First to Sign Up’