Background
Andres Klein-Szanto was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1980
Oak Ridge, TN, USA
at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1980
1992
Philadelphia, PA
at Fox Chase Cancer Center
medicine specialist Professor of Pathology cancer research
Andres Klein-Szanto was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Primary Bilingual Schools: Colegio Sarmiento Olivos and Colegio Panamericano, Olivos
Secundary School: Colegio Roca (Arts and Sciences)
University of Buenos Aires, School of Medicine
Andres Klein-Szanto worked as a student assistant and histotechnologist in the Departments of Histology and Pathology during his medical student years. He graduated from the University of Buenos Aires Medical School in 1965 (Medico) and after training in pathology and further postgraduate experimental pathology work that resulted in his doctorate thesis he was awarded the Doctor in Medicine degree (1970). His role models and mentors during these early years were Professors De Robertis, Mancini, Lascano, Schajowicz, Itoiz, and especially Romulo L. Cabrini. He worked as an Instructor and then Chief Instructor of Pathology in the Medical and Dental Schools of the University of Buenos Aires and the University of Zurich, Switzerland (1965-1977). Since 1978, he was employed as a Senior Medical Scientist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and as Professor of Biology and Molecular Carcinogenesis at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center of the University of Texas. In 1986 he moved to the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia where he was Professor of Pathology and Director of the Histopathology Facility (1986-2021). He was also a Consultant at the Univ. of Pennsylvania and the Irving Cancer Center of Columbia University, NYC. His laboratory studied mechanisms of tumor progression of squamous cell carcinomas and has developed several models to evaluate the development of human cancer using xenotransplanted normal and precancerous human tissues exposed in vivo to carcinogens. His laboratory was the first to describe in an in vivo model, the signature p53 mutations seen in tumors produced by benzo(a)pyrene, the most ubiquitous human carcinogen present in tobacco smoke. During the last two decades of his career, his work on proprotein convertases and cancer emphasized the role of these proteases in skin squamous cancer progression as well as in several human malignancies. Partly because of these discoveries, proprotein convertases have been recognized as targets for cancer therapy and several clinical trials were conducted. The Klein-Szanto laboratory has published some of the first papers highlighting the role of furin in human tumor invasion and progression and has also been at the forefront of PC-inhibitor experimental treatments with CMK, PDX, and PC siRNAs. The use of inhibitors helped to better understand the mechanism of PC activation of cancer-related factors such as the TGF beta, IGFR, IGFR-1, MT-MMPs, etc, but also showed the direct effect of these inhibitors on cancer cell growth and invasion in vitro and in vivo animal models. In particular, his lab was the first to highlight the overexpression of furin in human ovarian and lung cancer and its potential as a target for therapy. In addition, his laboratory was heavily involved during two decades in esophageal cancer research with a team previously at the University of Pennsylvania, later at Columbia University Cancer Center (2000-2024).
Dr. Klein-Szanto has published more than 430 scientific papers and six books on these topics. He served on several specialty journal editorial boards, was the Editor of the Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, and participated as a committee and study section member for the National Institute of Health, NIEHS, and other funding and professional associations.
Instructor and Chief Instructor, University of Buenos Aires, School of Medicine and School of Dentistry, Argentina
Oberassistent, University of Zurich, Faculty of Medicine, Zurich, Switzerland.
Researcher at Argentine National Energy Commission, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Visiting scientist, Radiumhospitalet, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, MD. Anderson Cancer Center and Fox Chase Cancer Center, USA
Son of : Geza M. Klein and Madeleine Szanto
Married to: Maria Ursula Weyrauch
Father of : Walter M. Klein, Matias A. Klein and Julian O. Klein