Rate My Professor Ilaria Elia

Elia's research elucidates metabolic interactions between immune cells and tumor cells in the tumor microenvironment to improve cancer immunotherapy outcomes. Her laboratory investigates nutrient competition affecting T cell infiltration and function, NAD+ metabolism in CD8+ T cells, and reprogramming of exhausted T cells. Seminal contributions include identifying proline metabolism's role in supporting metastasis formation (Elia et al., Nature Communications, 2017), breast cancer cells' reliance on environmental pyruvate to shape the metastatic niche (Elia et al., Nature, 2019), and tumor-induced alterations in pyruvate utilization and succinate signaling that impair CD8+ T cell anti-tumor responses (Elia et al., Cell Metabolism, 2022). Further work demonstrates formate supplementation enhancing CD8+ T cell fitness and PD-1 blockade efficacy (Rowe and Elia et al., Cancer Discovery, 2023). She has co-authored influential reviews, such as on metabolites in the tumor microenvironment (Elia and Haigis, Nature Metabolism, 2021). Recognized with the FEBS Excellence Award, Beug Foundation Metastasis Prize, and a 2025 ERC Starting Grant for spatial heterogeneity of tumor and CD8+ T cell metabolism in liver metastasis, Elia also engages in teaching metabolism courses, program coordination, and journal editing.