Joseph N. Contessa, MD, PhD
Professor of Therapeutic Radiology and of PharmacologyCards
Appointments
Additional Titles
Co-Leader, Radiobiology and Genome Integrity, Yale Cancer Center
Vice Chair for Basic Science Research, Therapeutic Radiology
Contact Info
Therapeutic Radiology
PO Box 208040
New Haven, CT 06520-8040
United States
Appointments
Additional Titles
Co-Leader, Radiobiology and Genome Integrity, Yale Cancer Center
Vice Chair for Basic Science Research, Therapeutic Radiology
Contact Info
Therapeutic Radiology
PO Box 208040
New Haven, CT 06520-8040
United States
Appointments
Additional Titles
Co-Leader, Radiobiology and Genome Integrity, Yale Cancer Center
Vice Chair for Basic Science Research, Therapeutic Radiology
Contact Info
Therapeutic Radiology
PO Box 208040
New Haven, CT 06520-8040
United States
About
Titles
Professor of Therapeutic Radiology and of Pharmacology
Co-Leader, Radiobiology and Genome Integrity, Yale Cancer Center; Vice Chair for Basic Science Research, 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.
Appointments
Therapeutic Radiology
ProfessorPrimaryPharmacology
ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Brain Tumor Center
- Central Nervous System Radiotherapy
- Discovery to Cure Internship
- Gamma Knife Center
- Head & Neck Radiotherapy
- Head and Neck Cancers Program
- Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, and Physiology
- Pharmacology
- Program in Translational Biomedicine (PTB)
- Radiobiology
- Radiobiology and Genome Integrity
- Spine Radiosurgery
- Therapeutic Radiology
- Yale Cancer Center
- Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
- Yale Medicine
- 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
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 Subject Headings (MeSH)
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Veronica Chiang, MD, FAANS
Marta Baro, PhD
Barbara Burtness, MD
Kimberly L. Johung, MD, PhD
Scott Gettinger, MD
Abhijit Patel, MD, PhD
Publications
2024
Positive 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 ResearchAltmetricMeSH 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, 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
2021
The translocon-associated protein (TRAP) complex regulates quality control of N-linked glycosylation during ER stress
Phoomak C, Cui W, Hayman TJ, Yu SH, Zhao P, Wells L, Steet R, Contessa JN. The translocon-associated protein (TRAP) complex regulates quality control of N-linked glycosylation during ER stress. Science Advances 2021, 7: eabc6364. PMID: 33523898, PMCID: PMC7810369, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc6364.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsTranslocon-associated proteinN-glycosylationER stressER glycoprotein quality controlTranslocon-associated protein complexEndoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasisAberrant N-glycosylationGlycoprotein quality controlER chaperone BiPFluorescence-based strategyProtein complexesPosttranslational modificationsChaperone BiPTRAP complexGlycosylation defectsConditions of stressRegulatory roleTranscriptional signatureIndividual cellsDownstream ERProtein levelsSubunitsSSR3GlycosylationCellsHypoxia-Guided Therapy for Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oropharynx Cancer
Burtness B, Contessa J. Hypoxia-Guided Therapy for Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oropharynx Cancer. Journal Of The National Cancer Institute 2021, 113: 652-653. PMID: 33429429, PMCID: PMC8168139, DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djaa187.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetric
2019
Neuregulin Signaling Is a Mechanism of Therapeutic Resistance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Baro M, Lopez Sambrooks C, Burtness BA, Lemmon MA, Contessa JN. Neuregulin Signaling Is a Mechanism of Therapeutic Resistance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2019, 18: 2124-2134. PMID: 31387891, PMCID: PMC6825559, DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-19-0163.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsMeSH KeywordsAnimalsAntibodies, MonoclonalCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationCell SurvivalCetuximabDrug Resistance, NeoplasmFemaleHead and Neck NeoplasmsHumansMiceNeuregulinsProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktReceptor, ErbB-3Signal TransductionSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckUp-RegulationXenograft Model Antitumor AssaysConceptsNeck squamous cell carcinomaSquamous cell carcinomaTherapeutic resistanceCell carcinomaResistant cellsConcentrations of cetuximabEFM-19 cellsCetuximab-resistant cellsActionable therapeutic targetsHNSCC cell linesTumor growth experimentsInhibition of EGFRErbB3 antibodyNeuregulin expressionOverall survivalTreatment regimensCetuximab resistanceTherapeutic targetAutocrine loopLocal controlTumor growthRadiotherapyEGFR inhibitionCetuximabNeuregulin SignalingSelective inhibition of N-linked glycosylation impairs receptor tyrosine kinase processing
Klaver E, Zhao P, May M, Flanagan-Steet H, Freeze HH, Gilmore R, Wells L, Contessa J, Steet R. Selective inhibition of N-linked glycosylation impairs receptor tyrosine kinase processing. Disease Models & Mechanisms 2019, 12: dmm039602. PMID: 31101650, PMCID: PMC6602306, DOI: 10.1242/dmm.039602.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsNull cellsReceptor processingEndoplasmic reticulum localizationGlycan site occupancyInsulin-like growth factor 1 receptorReceptor tyrosine kinasesGrowth factor 1 receptorFactor 1 receptorCell surface glycoproteinMutant cellsNGI-1Catalytic subunitReceptor kinaseGlycosylation statusReduced abundanceTyrosine kinaseGlycan occupancyTyrosine receptor kinaseSurface localizationInsulin receptorAbnormal glycosylationProteolytic processingFunctional consequencesCell surfaceGlycosylation
2018
Oligosaccharyltransferase Inhibition Overcomes Therapeutic Resistance to EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors
Lopez Sambrooks C, Baro M, Quijano A, Narayan A, Cui W, Greninger P, Egan R, Patel A, Benes CH, Saltzman WM, Contessa JN. Oligosaccharyltransferase Inhibition Overcomes Therapeutic Resistance to EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors. Cancer Research 2018, 78: canres.0505.2018. PMID: 30026325, PMCID: PMC6125176, DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-0505.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsMutant NSCLCMutant non-small cell lung cancerNon-small cell lung cancerSignificant tumor growth delayEGFR-TKI treatmentCell lung cancerTyrosine kinase inhibitor resistanceEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistanceLung cancer cell linesNGI-1Tumor growth delayEffective therapeutic targetCell linesKinase inhibitor resistanceTumor cell viabilityH1975 xenograftsCancer cell linesTKI treatmentComplex transmembrane proteinsEGFR-TKILung cancerTumor responseCell cycle arrestPreclinical modelsTherapeutic strategiesEditing N-Glycan Site Occupancy with Small-Molecule Oligosaccharyltransferase Inhibitors
Rinis N, Golden JE, Marceau CD, Carette JE, Van Zandt MC, Gilmore R, Contessa JN. Editing N-Glycan Site Occupancy with Small-Molecule Oligosaccharyltransferase Inhibitors. Cell Chemical Biology 2018, 25: 1231-1241.e4. PMID: 30078634, PMCID: PMC6337728, DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2018.07.005.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsNGI-1Cellular unfolded protein responseMultisubunit enzyme complexN-glycan site occupancyUnfolded protein responseSubset of glycoproteinsSubunit-specific inhibitorsSecretory pathwayCatalytic subunitProtein responseEnzyme complexTarget proteinsOligosaccharyltransferasePharmacologic inhibitionGlycosylationProteinCell modelBiological effectsInhibitorsStructure-activity relationshipsSTT3BSTT3APharmacological approachesSubunitsSite occupancyCombining precision radiotherapy with molecular targeting and immunomodulatory agents: a guideline by the American Society for Radiation Oncology
Bristow RG, Alexander B, Baumann M, Bratman SV, Brown JM, Camphausen K, Choyke P, Citrin D, Contessa JN, Dicker A, Kirsch DG, Krause M, Le QT, Milosevic M, Morris ZS, Sarkaria JN, Sondel PM, Tran PT, Wilson GD, Willers H, Wong RKS, Harari PM. Combining precision radiotherapy with molecular targeting and immunomodulatory agents: a guideline by the American Society for Radiation Oncology. The Lancet Oncology 2018, 19: e240-e251. PMID: 29726389, DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(18)30096-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsMolecular targetingLocal tumor controlRadiation oncologyRadiation Oncology guidelinesSelection of therapyExternal beam radiotherapyRadiosensitivity of tumorsCancer survival outcomesPrecision radiotherapyAmerican SocietyRadiation dose prescriptionImmunotherapy agentsAberrant cell signalingImmunomodulatory agentsSurvival outcomesOncology guidelinesTumor controlImage-guided external beam radiotherapyPrecision cancer medicineBeam radiotherapyDose prescriptionSolid tumorsRadiotherapyTumor microenvironmentGenetic susceptibility
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Determining Mechanisms of Sensitivity and Resistance to Anti-Cancer Therapy for Advanced Lung Cancer
HIC ID1603017333RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date06/20/2026Recruiting Participants
Clinical Care
Overview
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 also an associate 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.
Clinical Specialties
Fact Sheets
Meningiomas
Learn More on Yale MedicineGamma Knife Radiosurgery
Learn More on Yale MedicineRadiation Therapy with Gamma Knife
Learn More on Yale MedicinePrimary Brain Tumors
Learn More on Yale Medicine
Yale Medicine News
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View this doctor's clinical profile on the Yale Medicine website for information about the services we offer and making an appointment.
View Doctor ProfileNews & Links
News
- July 16, 2024
YCC 2024 Trainee Colloquium
- May 28, 2021
Recent Research Sheds Light on Link Between Meningiomas and Seizures
- May 21, 2021
Faculty Entrepreneurs Receive Research Support from Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale
- April 19, 2021
Yale Cancer Center Researchers Identify New Role for Immune-Boosting Protein “STING” in Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer
Related Links
Get In Touch
Contacts
Therapeutic Radiology
PO Box 208040
New Haven, CT 06520-8040
United States
Locations
Yale Therapeutic Radiology
Academic Office
Hunter Building
15 York Street, Ste HRT 139
New Haven, CT 06510
Patient Care Locations
Are You a Patient? View this doctor's clinical profile on the Yale Medicine website for information about the services we offer and making an appointment.