Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct faculty typically have an academic or research appointment at another institution and contribute or collaborate with one or more School of Medicine faculty members or programs.
Adjunct rank detailsJoseph N. Contessa, MD, PhD
Professor Adjunct of Therapeutic RadiologyDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Professor Adjunct of Therapeutic Radiology
Biography
Joseph N. Contessa, MD, PhD, a radiation oncologist, is the director of Yale Medicine’s Central Nervous System Radiotherapy Program. He specializes in treating patients with primary tumors of the brain, head and neck, and at the base of the skull.
“Due to Yale's large referral base, I frequently see relatively rare tumors,” he says, including low-grade and malignant gliomas, ependymomas, high-grade meningiomas, hemangiopericytomas, paragangliomas, and schwannomas. His expertise in treating uncommon cancers benefits patients diagnosed with these tumor types. “I look forward to helping patients have the best possible outcome when they are faced with a challenging diagnosis,” he says.
Dr. Contessa is a Professor of therapeutic radiology and of pharmacology at Yale School of Medicine where he is part of a team of physicians and scientists who are actively researching the cellular mechanisms that tumors use to evade or “outsmart” standard cancer therapies in hopes of identifying new approaches that improve treatment.
“We are all working together to increase our knowledge, improve our care and beat cancer,” Dr. Contessa says.
Last Updated on April 07, 2025.
Appointments
Therapeutic Radiology
Professor AdjunctPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- All Institutions
- Brain Tumor Center
- Central Nervous System Radiotherapy
- Discovery to Cure Internship
- DNA Damage and Genome Integrity
- Gamma Knife Center
- Head & Neck Radiotherapy
- Head and Neck Cancers Program
- Head and Neck SPORE
- Spine Radiosurgery
- Therapeutic Radiology
- Yale Cancer Center
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- Resident
- The University of Michigan (2009)
- Intern
- The University of Michigan (2005)
- PhD
- Medical College of Virginia Commonwealth Universit (2004)
- MD
- Medical College of Virginia Commonwealth Universit (2004)
Research
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Overview
Therapeutic approaches for the treatment of EGFR and FGFR addicted lung cancer
Radiosensitization of malignant gliomas
Novel small molecule inhibitors of N-linked glycosylation
Molecular Imaging of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor
Drug Discovery and High Throughput Screening
Targeted therapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Medical Research Interests
Chemicals and Drugs; Neoplasms; Radiobiology
ORCID
0000-0001-9408-1865
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Joseph N. Contessa's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Joseph N. Contessa's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Joseph N. Contessa is interested in exploring.
Veronica Chiang, MD, FAANS
Barbara Burtness, MD
Thomas Hayman, MD, PhD
Kimberly L. Johung, MD, PhD
Scott Gettinger, MD
Abhijit Patel, MD, PhD
25Publications
2,298Citations
Publications
2026
Loss of JAK1 Function Causes G2/M Cell Cycle Defects Vulnerable to KIF18A Inhibition.
Kelley V, Baro M, Gasperi W, Ader N, Lea H, Lee H, Phoomak C, Kabeche L, King M, Contessa J. Loss of JAK1 Function Causes G2/M Cell Cycle Defects Vulnerable to KIF18A Inhibition. Cancer Research 2026 PMID: 41591363, DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-25-1423.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsHigh-risk head-and-neck squamous cell carcinomaG2/M cell cycle arrestCell cycle arrestHead and neck squamous cell carcinomaNeck squamous cell carcinomaSensitive to radiation therapyTumor cell radioresistanceRadiation-induced mitotic catastropheSquamous cell carcinomaRadiation-induced micronucleiCycle arrestNF-kB signalingRadiation therapyRadiotherapy responseCell carcinomaTherapeutic radiationDNA damageCell radioresistanceEfficacy of radiationResistance to DNA damageMitotic catastropheMitotic stressNF-kBCRISPR-Cas9 screensKinase inhibitionSTING predicts patterns of failure in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
MacNeil T, Hayman T, Li S, Moutafi M, Martinez-Morilla S, Vathiotis I, Hu R, Harari P, Burtness B, Liu H, Kimple R, Rimm D, Contessa J. STING predicts patterns of failure in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. JNCI Cancer Spectrum 2026, 10: pkaf126. PMID: 41569294, PMCID: PMC12972654, DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pkaf126.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsMeSH KeywordsAdultAgedBiomarkers, TumorCarcinoma, Squamous CellCyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16Disease-Free SurvivalFemaleHead and Neck NeoplasmsHumansMaleMembrane ProteinsMiddle AgedOropharyngeal NeoplasmsSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckStromal CellsTissue Array AnalysisTreatment FailureConceptsTumor cellsSTING protein levelsDistant failureTissue microarrayPreclinical modelsStromal compartmentQuantitative immunofluorescenceAssociated with p16 positivityRisk of distant failureLocal controlLocal-regional controlLocal-regional recurrenceLocally advanced headPatterns of failureProtein levelsPrimary HNSCCP16-positiveHPV+ tumorsRadiation therapyTMA cohortTumor stromaSTING expressionTherapeutic resistanceHNSCCBorderline significance
2025
High glucose enhances lung cancer cell aggressiveness: the impacts of GLUT1, UAP1, UGP2, and N-linked glycosylation
Phoomak C, Saengboonmee C, Baro M, Piriyapairoje K, Ittiudomrak T, Contessa J, Wongkham S. High glucose enhances lung cancer cell aggressiveness: the impacts of GLUT1, UAP1, UGP2, and N-linked glycosylation. Glycobiology 2025, 36: cwaf089. PMID: 41452006, DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwaf089.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsUDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase 1UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase 2N-linked glycosylationGlucose transporter 1CRISPR-Cas9CRISPR-Cas9 screensUDP-N-acetylglucosamineCancer progressionN-linked glycosylation statusMolecular shiftsAggressive phenotypeBoyden chamber assayProgression of lung cancer cellsLung cancer cellsCancer cell aggressivenessUDP-glucoseCell cycleGlycosylation statusLectin blottingLung cancer progressionGlycosylation levelsCell aggressivenessGlycosylationChamber assayCancer cellsAsparagine-linked glycosylation protein 1 (ALG1) promotes aggressive phenotypes of lung adenocarcinoma cells, A549, via modulating N-linked glycosylation and ER-Stress
Piriyapairoje K, Baro M, Katoch A, De Muth B, Villanti L, Saengboonmee C, Wongkham S, Contessa J, Phoomak C. Asparagine-linked glycosylation protein 1 (ALG1) promotes aggressive phenotypes of lung adenocarcinoma cells, A549, via modulating N-linked glycosylation and ER-Stress. Glycoconjugate Journal 2025, 42: 267-281. PMID: 41066033, DOI: 10.1007/s10719-025-10198-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsN-linked glycosylationER stressLung cancer progressionN-linked glycosylation processProtein N-linked glycosylationRegulation of protein glycosylationCancer progressionLung adenocarcinoma cellsEndoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress responseCRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockoutER stress pathwayER stress activationProtein 1A549 lung adenocarcinoma cellsAggressive phenotypeCancer cell aggressivenessLung cancer aggressivenessAssociated with poor patient prognosisAdenocarcinoma cellsProtein glycosylationCancer Genome AtlasA549 cell proliferationGlycosylation deficiencyGlycosylation processMolecular markersRedundancy of the OST catalytic subunit facilitates therapeutic targeting of N-glycosylation
Baro M, Lee H, Kelley V, Lou R, Phoomak C, Politi K, Zeiss C, Van Zandt M, Contessa J. Redundancy of the OST catalytic subunit facilitates therapeutic targeting of N-glycosylation. Cell Chemical Biology 2025, 32: 839-853.e6. PMID: 40494352, DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2025.05.005.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsN-glycosylationTrafficking of cell surface receptorsInhibits N-glycosylationCell surface receptorsGlycan synthesisCatalytic subunitOligosaccharyltransferaseEnzymatic activitySurface receptorsSTT3BSTT3ACharacterized in vitroDownstream effectsLung cancer xenograftsTherapeutic targetPatient-derivedBiological activityTumor regressionCancer xenograftsSmall moleculesGrowth delayTherapeutic agentsGlycansPLK4 Inhibition as a Strategy to Enhance Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Radiosensitivity.
Dominguez-Vigil I, Banik K, Baro M, Contessa J, Hayman T. PLK4 Inhibition as a Strategy to Enhance Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Radiosensitivity. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2025, 24: 1350-1361. PMID: 40296663, PMCID: PMC12353405, DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-24-0978.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsNon-small cell lung cancerLung cancerCFI-400945Mitotic catastropheNon-small cell lung cancer radiosensitizationRadiosensitivity of NSCLC cell linesCentrosome amplificationRadiation-induced tumor growth delayPLK4 inhibitionCell deathCurative-intent chemoradiationIncreased G2/M cell cycle arrestPolo-like kinase 4Subtype of lung cancerCell lung cancerIncreased centrosome amplificationCancer-related mortalityG2/M cell cycle arrestNSCLC cell linesCell cycle phase distributionClinical trial evaluationTargeting PLK4NSCLC in vitroCell cycle arrestPotential therapeutic target
2024
Absence of the dolichol synthesis gene DHRSX leads to N-glycosylation defects in Lec5 and Lec9 Chinese hamster ovary cells
Kentache T, Althoff C, Caligiore F, Souche E, Schulz C, Graff J, Pieters E, Stanley P, Contessa J, Van Schaftingen E, Matthijs G, Foulquier F, Bommer G, Wilson M. Absence of the dolichol synthesis gene DHRSX leads to N-glycosylation defects in Lec5 and Lec9 Chinese hamster ovary cells. Journal Of Biological Chemistry 2024, 300: 107875. PMID: 39395802, PMCID: PMC11607601, DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107875.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsLec9 cellsChinese hamster ovaryDolichol synthesisGlycosylation-deficient Chinese hamster ovaryLong-read whole-genome sequencingCell linesN-glycosylation machineryN-glycan synthesisN-glycosylation defectChinese hamster ovary cellsGenomic regionsDHRSXLec9Hamster ovary cellsGlycosylation defectsHuman enzymeMolecular causesSynthesis defectsDolicholSRD5A3Hamster ovaryLevels of dolicholOvary cellsPolyprenolsKinetic propertiesPositive selection CRISPR screens reveal a druggable pocket in an oligosaccharyltransferase required for inflammatory signaling to NF-κB
Lampson B, Ramίrez A, Baro M, He L, Hegde M, Koduri V, Pfaff J, Hanna R, Kowal J, Shirole N, He Y, Doench J, Contessa J, Locher K, Kaelin W. Positive selection CRISPR screens reveal a druggable pocket in an oligosaccharyltransferase required for inflammatory signaling to NF-κB. Cell 2024, 187: 2209-2223.e16. PMID: 38670073, PMCID: PMC11149550, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.022.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsWhole-genome CRISPR-Cas9 screenCRISPR-Cas9 screensCryoelectron microscopy studiesCell surface localizationLipopolysaccharide receptor Toll-like receptor 4OST complexToll-like receptor 4CRISPR screensNF-kBCatalytic subunitN-glycosylationActivate NF-kBBase editorsUncompetitive inhibition mechanismNGI-1Molecular mechanismsCatalytic siteLPS-treated cellsOligosaccharyltransferaseDruggable pocketSTT3AReceptor Toll-like receptor 4Drug mechanism of actionStructural studiesInflammatory signaling
2023
In Vivo Verification of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Biodosimetry Using Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy Treatment
Draeger E, Roberts K, Decker R, Bahar N, Wilson L, Contessa J, Husain Z, Williams B, Flood A, Swartz H, Carlson D. In Vivo Verification of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Biodosimetry Using Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy Treatment. International Journal Of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics 2023, 119: 292-301. PMID: 38072322, PMCID: PMC12958423, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.11.029.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsHealthy volunteersDose rangeTotal body irradiationTotal body irradiation treatmentSignificant correlationRadiation therapy patientsPatient ageBody irradiationImmediate triageTherapy patientsClinical conditionsParticipants' teethPatientsNeck patientsUnknown dosesDosePatient dataRadiotherapy treatmentRadiation doseTeethTreatmentVolunteersSubsequent fractionsLuminescent dosimetersRadiation responseER chaperones use a protein folding and quality control glyco-code
Guay K, Ke H, Canniff N, George G, Eyles S, Mariappan M, Contessa J, Gershenson A, Gierasch L, Hebert D. ER chaperones use a protein folding and quality control glyco-code. Molecular Cell 2023, 83: 4524-4537.e5. PMID: 38052210, PMCID: PMC10790639, DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.11.006.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and Concepts
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