Andrea B. Apolo
安德烈娅·阿波洛
MD
Senior Investigator and Head, Bladder Cancer Section, Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, NCI/NIHNCI/NIH泌尿生殖恶性肿瘤科膀胱癌部门高级研究员兼主任
👥Biography 个人简介
Andrea B. Apolo, MD is Senior Investigator and Head of the Bladder Cancer Section in the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch at the National Cancer Institute (NCI)/NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. She is a leading investigator in the clinical development of novel agents for urothelial carcinoma and one of the world's foremost authorities on cisplatin eligibility criteria in bladder cancer. Dr. Apolo co-authored the widely adopted consensus cisplatin eligibility criteria that define which patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma are fit for full-dose cisplatin-based therapy, incorporating renal function (GFR <60 mL/min), ECOG performance status (≥2), hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy, and heart failure as key disqualifying factors. These criteria have guided treatment decisions globally and shaped clinical trial inclusion criteria. Her NCI laboratory has pioneered first-in-human studies of novel agents in bladder cancer, including bintrafusp alfa (bifunctional TGF-β/PD-L1 trap), sacituzumab govitecan, and novel FGFR inhibitor combinations. Dr. Apolo has led important studies of the tumor microenvironment in bladder cancer and has contributed to understanding of natural killer cell and T-cell biology in urothelial immunity. She is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation.
🧪Research Fields 研究领域
🎓Key Contributions 主要贡献
Cisplatin Eligibility Consensus Criteria — Defining the Standard for Bladder Cancer Trial Enrollment
Co-authored and disseminated the internationally adopted consensus cisplatin eligibility criteria for advanced urothelial carcinoma, specifying renal function, performance status, hearing loss, neuropathy, and cardiac function thresholds that define cisplatin ineligibility, thereby standardizing patient stratification across global clinical trials and routine practice.
First-in-Human Evaluation of Bintrafusp Alfa in Urothelial Carcinoma
Led the first-in-human study of bintrafusp alfa—a bifunctional fusion protein simultaneously blocking TGF-β and PD-L1—in bladder cancer at the NCI, establishing preliminary clinical activity and a novel mechanistic approach targeting both immunosuppressive TGF-β signaling and checkpoint inhibition.
Novel ADC and Immunotherapy Combinations in Cisplatin-Ineligible Bladder Cancer
Conducted NCI-sponsored trials evaluating novel antibody-drug conjugates and immunotherapy combinations specifically in cisplatin-ineligible patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma, a population historically underserved by clinical trial design, contributing to treatment options for this high-unmet-need group.
Tumor Microenvironment Characterization and NK Cell Biology in Bladder Cancer
Contributed translational research characterizing tumor-infiltrating immune cell subsets, natural killer cell dysfunction, and immunosuppressive microenvironment features in urothelial carcinoma, identifying mechanisms of immune evasion with potential therapeutic implications for combination immunotherapy strategies.
Representative Works 代表性著作
Prospective phase II trial of cabozantinib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma or urothelial carcinoma
Journal of Clinical Oncology (2016)
NCI-led phase II trial of cabozantinib in advanced urothelial and renal carcinoma, demonstrating activity of multi-kinase MET/VEGFR2/AXL inhibition in these tumor types.
Consensus statement on eligibility criteria for cisplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma
European Urology (2013)
Internationally adopted consensus cisplatin eligibility criteria for advanced urothelial carcinoma, standardizing patient classification and trial enrollment across global institutions.
Avelumab as first-line switch-maintenance therapy in advanced urothelial carcinoma: understanding biomarkers and treatment selection
Cancer (2022)
Comprehensive review and biomarker analysis supporting avelumab maintenance selection criteria and identifying immune correlates of durable benefit in advanced urothelial carcinoma.
Bintrafusp alfa in patients with platinum-experienced, locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma: Phase I expansion cohort
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (2021)
NCI phase I expansion cohort establishing safety and early efficacy of bintrafusp alfa, a bifunctional TGF-β/PD-L1 inhibitor, in platinum-treated advanced urothelial carcinoma.
🏆Awards & Recognition 奖项与荣誉
📄Data Sources 数据来源
Last updated: 2026-04-06 | All information from publicly available academic sources
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