Press
Are lung cancer tumors hijacking the nervous system?
LA JOLLA—According to the Cleveland Clinic, a quarter of cancer deaths can be attributed to one source: cachexia. Cachexia is a syndrome that accompanies underlying chronic illness and causes unwanted muscle and fat loss, reducing quality of life and sometimes even limiting treatment options. A new study led by Thales Papagiannakopoulos, PhD, an incoming Salk professor, points to a potential new target for preventing cachexia.
Top cancer scientist Thales “PapaG” Papagiannakopoulos joins Salk Institute
LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute has recruited globally renowned cancer scientist Thales “PapaG” Papagiannakopoulos, PhD, to join its faculty as a professor beginning in September 2026. Papagiannakopoulos has served as a faculty member at NYU Grossman School of Medicine since 2015, where he is currently a tenured associate professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine and the Perlmutter Cancer Center. He will bring to Salk additional expertise in cancer metabolism, cancer immunology, and tumor-host communications, opening new opportunities for collaboration within Salk’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designated Cancer Center and across the Institute.