Position Title
Assistant Adjunct Professor, Urologic Surgery
Chris Lucchesi, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urologic Surgery at the UC Davis School of Medicine and a Research Health Scientist at the VA Northern California Health Care System. His research focuses on translational oncology and the development of patient-specific approaches to cancer treatment. His laboratory integrates patient-derived 3D-bioprinted tumor models, quantitative functional drug testing, computational pathology, and multiomic analysis to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities and predict treatment response. His work spans prostate, bladder, and other solid tumors, with an emphasis on translating laboratory findings into clinically actionable strategies.
Through the UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics (IPN), Dr. Lucchesi is evaluating compounds from the institute’s chemical library in cancer-relevant models to determine whether they are compatible with cancer treatment and to identify any unexpected tumor-selective or antitumor activity. This work aims to help define the safety and potential therapeutic implications of emerging neurotherapeutic compounds for patients with cancer.