Research
Joe Sacco is a clinical academic with research interests spanning basic, translational and clinical domains. Joe has led or contributed to a broad portfolio of clinical trials, including key trials in clinical development of tebentafusp, as well as the FOCUS clinical trial investigating percutaneous perfusion with melphalan; the only two therapeutic options to be licenced for metastatic uveal melanoma. He is UK lead for the OMNI study, an international natural history study of uveal melanoma as well as UK lead for the UM international rare cancer initiative. His basic science interests include BAP1 signalling and targeting, and the development of a model of the tumour microenvironment of UM metastatic to the liver.
Research grants
A Prospective Natural History Study in Uveal Melanoma: The Prospective Ocular Melanoma Natural History (OMNi) Study (OMNi)
PULSE INFOFRAME INC (CANADA)
February 2021 - February 2025
Translating BAP1 dependencies for precision therapy of mesothelioma
BRITISH LUNG FOUNDATION (UK)
March 2017 - March 2021
Novel therapeutic approaches for personalised therapy of Head and Neck cancer
NORTH WEST CANCER RESEARCH INCORPORATING CLATTERBRIDGE CANCER RESEARCH (UK)
April 2017 - April 2020
Development of a novel chick embryo model to discover and investigate therapeutics for uveal melanoma metastatic to the liver.
NORTH WEST CANCER RESEARCH INCORPORATING CLATTERBRIDGE CANCER RESEARCH (UK)
September 2023 - October 2027
Investigating in vivo resistance mechanisms to MEK inhibitors in uveal melanoma to enable novel combinatorial therapies.
NORTH WEST CANCER RESEARCH INCORPORATING CLATTERBRIDGE CANCER RESEARCH (UK)
March 2016 - May 2019
SAVER - Sodium valproate for epigenetic reprogramming in the management of high risk oral epithelial dysplasia
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)
January 2018 - November 2025
Defining biomarkers of response to inhibition of the novel YAP/TAZ oncogenes in head and neck cancer: the role of MST2 as a predictive biomarker
THE CLATTERBRIDGE CANCER CENTRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (UK)
March 2015 - August 2016
Developing a chick embryo model to aid in development of personalised therapies for malignant pleural mesothelioma
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE REP, REF AND RED OF ANIMALS USED IN RESEARCH (NC3RS)
November 2019 - July 2023
Establishment of a clinically relevant in-vitro model for HPV-positive gynaecological malignancy
THE CLATTERBRIDGE CANCER CENTRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (UK)
September 2014 - December 2017