Isabelle M. Germano

Isabelle M. Germano is a neurosurgeon and Tenured Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Oncological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and American Associations of Neurological Surgeons.

Education and post-doctoral training

After an undergraduate education with concentration in Latin and Ancient Greek Literature, in 1984 Germano graduated valedictorian from the University of Turin Medical School with Summa Cum Laude and a graduate thesis in neuro-pathology, where she also completed a neurology residency. Germano completed her surgical internship at the University of California San Francisco and neurosurgery residency at University of California San Francisco and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. During her residency she obtained training in epilepsy surgery under dr. Gazi Yasargil and H. Gregor Wieser at the University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland. After her Chief resident year, she completed a fellowship in epilepsy surgery, stereotaxy, and movement disorders under dr. Andre’ Olivier at Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Canada. In 1995, Germano was certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS).

Professional Career

Germano joined the neurosurgery faculty at Mount Sinai in 1992 to develop and the brain tumor and stereotactic clinical programs, where at Mount Sinai Hospital she is the Director of the Comprehensive Tumor Program and Co-director of the Radiosurgery Program. She became one of the US pioneers of image-guided brain and spine surgery [1] developing new technology and for years 10 directed a practical course for neurosurgeons around the world to teach about it until it become standard-of-care. These technological advances are used to perform minimally invasive surgery for patients with brain tumors, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, movement disorders, and spine disease or tumors. Germano established a basic science laboratory within the Department of Neurosurgery funded without interruption by extramural funds, including NIH and FDA. Her laboratory focuses on brain tumors translational research with particular emphasis on gene therapy, stem cells, and induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC).

A high-ranking member in many neurosurgery societies and a noted author, she has served as an Executive Committee member for the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), as a Board of Directors member for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, as an Executive Committee member of the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Tumors, as a scientific program member for the AANS, CNS, and the American Epilepsy Society (AES), and she is Past-president of Women in Neurosurgery (WINS). Germano’s clinical interests include newly diagnosed or recurrent brain and spine tumors, including primary brain tumors, metastatic brain tumors, brain tumors in eloquent areas, brain mapping and monitoring, gliomas, metastasis, meningiomas, brain and spine radiosurgery, epilepsy surgery, and problems of the cervical and lumbar spine.

Honors Awards

• 2014 - Leksell Radiosurgery Award, American Association of Neurological Surgeons
• 2013 - Technology Development Award Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• 2004 - 2016 Neurological Devices Voting Member Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• 2008 - 2013 National Institute of Health (NIH) R01 Award
• 2007 - Brain Tumor Research Goldhirsh Foundation
• 2007- Americas Top Doctors Castle Connolly
• 2006 - New York State Certificate of Recognition, Dedication and Service to the Italians Culture and Community, New York State
• 2005 - Certificate of Excellence in Youth Education
• New York City Department of Education and Mount Sinai School of Medicine
• 2000-Best Doctors of New York Hall of Fame nymag.com/nymetro/health/bestdoctors/features/3322
• 2002 - 2006 America's Top Cancer Doctors Castle Connolly
• 2000 - 2006 Best Doctors of New York Castle Connolly
• 2000 - 2006 Top Doctors New York Metro Area Castle Connolly
• 1994 - Mary Putnam Jacobi Award Women's Medical Association of New York City
• 1993 - W. Penfield Award American Epilepsy Society

Books

• Germano IM (Editor). Advanced Techniques in Image-Guided Brain and Spine surgery . 2002, Thieme Publishers, New York, NY, pages 233 Library of Congress ISBN1-58890-067-3
• Germano IM (Editor). LINAC and Gamma Knife Radiosurgery. American Association of Neurological Surgeons Press, Park Ridge, IL, pages 295. Library of Congress ISBN 1879284707
• Germano IM (Editor). Neurosurgery Treatment of movement Disorders. American Association of Neurological Surgeons Press, Park Ridge, IL, pages 275 Library of Congress ISBN 9781879284586

References

• Mormone E, D’Souza S, Alexeeva V, Bederson M, Germano IM. “Footprint-free” human induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived astrocytes for in vivo cell-based therapy. Stem Cells and Dev [in press 2014] PMID: 24914471
• Germano IM and Binello E. Stem cells and gliomas: past, present, and future. J Neuro-Oncology [in press, 2014]
• Binello E, Emdad l, Mormone E, Germano IM. Characterization of fenofibrate-mediated anti-proliferative pro-apoptotic effects on high-grade glioma and anti-invasive effects on glioma stem cells. J Neurooncol, 117(2):225-34, 2014. PMID:24493576
• Barthélemy EJ, Benjamin E, Jean-Pierre MY, Poitevien G, Ernst S, Osborn I, Germano IM. A prospective emergency room-bases study patter and outcome of neurologicall and neurosurgical diseases in Haiti. World Neurosurg. Oct 9. S1878-8750(13)01298-9, 2013 PIMD 24121294
• Binello E, Qadeer ZA, Kothari H, Emdad L,Germano IM. Stemness of the CT-2A Immunocompetent Mouse Brain Tumor Model: Characterization in Vitro. Journal of Cancer, 3:166-174, 2012. PMID: 22514559
• Binello E, Germano IM. Stem cells as therapeutic vehicles for the treatment of high-grade gliomas. Neuro Oncol, 14:256-265, 2012. PMID: 22166262
• Emdad L, D’Souza, Qadeer ZA, Kothari HP, Germano IM. Efficient Differentiation of Human Embryonic and induced pluripotent Stem Cells into Functional Astrocytes. Stem Cells and Development, 21(3):404-4120, 2012.PMID:21631388
• Patel S, Robbins JR, Gore EM, Bradley JD, Gaspar LE, Germano IM, et al. ACR Appropriateness Criteria: Follow-up and Retreatment of Brain Metastasis. Am J Clin Oncology, 35(3):302-306, 2012. PMID 22609733
• Binello E and Germano IM. Targeting glioma stem cells: a novel framework for brain tumors. Cancer Sci, 102:1958-1966, 2011. PMID: 21848914
• Binello E, Green S, Germano IM. Radiosurgery for high-grade glioma. Surg Neurol Int, 3(S2) 118-126, 2012 PMID: 22826815
• Patel S, Robbins JR, Gore EM, Bradley JD, Gaspar LE, Germano IM, et al. ACR Appropriateness Criteria Follow-up and Retreatment of brain Metastasis. Am J Clin Oncology, 2012 Jun;35(3):302-306 PMID 22609733
• Emdad L, Qadeer ZA, Bederson LB, Kothari HP, Uzzaman M, Germano IM. Is there a common upstream link for autophagic and apoptotic cell death in human high grade gliomas? Neuro-Oncology, 13(7)725-35, 2011. PMID: 21727211
• Germano IM, Emdad l, Qader Z, Binello E, Uzzaman M. Embryonic stem cell (ESC) –mediated transgene delivery induces growth suppression, apoptosis, radiosensitization, and overcomes temozolomide resistance in malignant gliomas. Cancer Gene Therapy 17(9):664 – 74, 2010. PMID: 20523363.
• Germano IM, Swiss V, Casaccia P. Primary brain Tumors, Neural stem cells, and brain tumor cancer cells: where is the link? Neuro–pharmacology 58(6):903-10, 2010 PMID: 20045420
• Suh JH, Videtic GMM, Aref AM, Germano IM, Goldsmith BJ, Imperato JP, Marcus KJ, McDermott MW, McDonald MW, Patchell R, Robins HI, Rogers CL, Wolfson AH, wippold FJ, Gaspar LP. ACR appropriateness Criteria: Single brain metastasis. Curr Probl Cancer. 34(3):162-74, 2010 PMID 20541055
• Germano IM and Binello E. Gene therapy as an adjuvant treatment of malignant gliomas: from bench to bedside. J Neuro-Oncology 93:79-87, 2009. PMID: 19430884
• Binello E, Germano IM. Tonsillary carcinoma after temozolomide treatment for glioblastoma multiforme: treatment-related or dual-pathology? J Neuro-Oncol 94(1): 145-8, 2009. PMID: 19199004
• Uzzaman M, Keller G, Germano IM. In vivo Gene Delivery by embryonic stem cell-derived astrocytes for malignant gliomas. Neuro-Oncology, 11:102-108 2009. PMID: 18676359
• Videtic GMM, Gaspar LE, Aref AM, Germano IM, Goldsmith BJ, Imperato JP, Marcus KJ, McDermott MW, McDonald MW, Patchell RA, Robins HI, Rogers CL, Suh JH, Wolfson AH, Wippold FJ. American College of Radiology appropriateness criteria on multiple brain metastases. J Rad Oncol Biol Physics 75:961-965, 2009
• PMID 19857783
• Germano IM, Uzzaman M, Keller G. Gene delivery by embryonic stem cells for malignant glioma therapy: hype or hope? Cancer Biology and Therapy 7(9): 1341-7, 2008. PMID: 1879364
• Benzil D, Abosch A, Germano IM, Gilmer Holy, Maraire N, Muraszko K, Pannullo S, Rosseau G, Schwartz L, Todor, R, Ullman J, Zusman E. The future of neurosurgery: a white paper on the recruitment and retention of women in neurosurgery. J Neurosurgery 109: 367-375, 2008 PMID 18759565
• Uzzaman M, Keller G, Germano IM. Enhanced pro-apotptotic effects of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) on temozolomide-resistant glioma cells. J Neurosurgery 106: 646-651, 2007. PMID: 17432717
• Germano IM, Uzzaman M, Benveniste R, Zaurova M, Keller G. Apoptosis in human glioma cells produced using embryonic stem cell-derived astrocytes expressing tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). J Neurosurgery 105:88-95, 2006. PMID: 16871882
• Uzzaman M, Benveniste R, Keller G,Germano IM. Embryonic stem cell-derived astrocytes: novel gene therapy vector for brain tumors. Neurosurgical Focus 19(3) E6, 2005. PMID: 16190605
• Benveniste R, Keller G, Germano IM. Embryonic stem cell-derived astrocytes expressing drug-inducible transgenes: Differentiation and allotransplantation into the mouse brain. J Neurosurgery 103:115-123,2005. PMID: 16121982
• Benveniste R. and Germano IM. Correlation of factors predicting intraoperative brain shift with successful resection of malignant brain tumors using image-guided techniques. Surg Neurol 63:542-549, 2005 PMID: 15936381
• Kanzawa T, Zhang L, Xiao L, Germano IM, Kondo Y, Kondo S. Arsenic trioxide induces autophagic cell death in malignant glioma cells by up-regulation of mitochondrial cell death protein BNIP3. Oncogene 24: 980-91, 2005. PMID15592527
• Germano IM,Gracies JM, Weisz DJ,Tse W,Koller WC, Olanow CW. Unilateral stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson's disease- a double blind 12-month evaluation study. J Neurosurgery 101:36-42, 2004. PMID15255249