Chiara Cugno
MD
Acting Division Chief and Director | Advanced Cell Therapy Core
Years of Experience: 25
Dr. Chiara Cugno is the Acting Chief of Hematology and Oncology at Sidra Medicine. Since joining Sidra Medicine in April 2014 as Bone Marrow Transplant Program Manager, she has held several leadership roles, including Director of the Advanced Cell Therapy Core, Attending Physician in Hematology and Oncology, and Acting Executive Director of Core Facilities.
Dr. Cugno provides care for children with a wide range of hematological and oncological conditions, including leukemia, lymphoma, solid tumors, bone marrow failure syndromes, hemoglobinopathies such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease, primary immunodeficiencies, and patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. She is also actively involved in the delivery of advanced cell and gene therapies, including CAR-T therapies and Casgevy.
Prior to joining Sidra Medicine, Dr. Cugno worked as an Attending Physician in Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation in Italy at Azienda Ospedaliera Integrata in Verona and IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo in Pavia. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she leads translational and clinical research programs focused on cell and gene therapy, immunotherapy, and pediatric blood disorders and cancers.
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- English
- Italian
- Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) – IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland (2026)
- II Level Master in Pediatric Hematology – Sapienza University of Rome, Italy (2010)
- Board Certification in Pediatrics – University of Pavia, Italy (2006)
- Doctor of Medicine (MD) – University of Pavia, Italy (2001)
- Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
- Pediatric leukemia
- Inherited bone marrow failure syndromes
- Pharmacogenomics
- Cell and gene therapy
- Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
- Cell and gene therapy
- Sherif S, Ali A, Ibrahim K, et al. A Three-Gene Interferon Signature Predicts Sustained Complete Remission in Pediatric AML Patients. Cancers. 2026.
- Bar M, Elanbari M, Rinchai D, et al. Whole-blood longitudinal molecular profiling maps the road of graft versus host disease. Cancers. 2025.
- Al-Mohannadi A, Yahia R, Bibawi H, et al. Flow-Cytometry Evaluation of Blood Cells-Bound Surface FVIII in Hemophilia A and Thrombosis. Cells. 2025.
- Maimaris J, Roa-Bautista A, Sohail M, et al. Griscelli Syndrome Type 2: Comprehensive Analysis of 149 New and Previously Described Patients with RAB27A Deficiency. Journal of Clinical Immunology. 2024. DOI: 10.1007/s10875-024-01842-2
- Elgaali E, Mezzavilla M, Ahmed I, et al. Genetic background of primary and familial HLH in Qatar: registry data and population study. Frontiers in Pediatrics. 2024.
- Technology Development Grant 2025 (TDG03-1204-250221): Establishing a Premier Biotech Platform for CAR-T Cell and Gene Therapy Innovation (Lead PI)
- NPRP12S-0304-190225: Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for Type 1 Diabetes: In Vitro Studies, Characterization and Biobanking for Clinical Use (Lead PI)
- PPM04-0128-200014: Pharmacogenetics in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: From Variant Identification to Clinical Implementation (Co-Lead PI)
- ScaleReady G-Rex Grant Award for Pre-Clinical Development and Regulatory Filing of Qatar’s First CAR-T Cell Therapy (Co-PI)
- NPRP8-22973494: Microenvironmental Targets for Restoring Anti-Tumor Immunity in Childhood Acute Leukemia (Co-Lead PI)
- Sidra Internal Research Funding 2019: Establishing the Middle East Research Network for Inherited Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes (Co-Lead PI)
- NPRP13S-0107200023: Mapping the Road of GVHD and GVT Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Using a Systems Immunology Approach (Co-PI)
- Founded and leads Sidra Medicine’s Advanced Cell Therapy Core, including the design and operationalization of a state-of-the-art GMP facility for cell and gene therapies.
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