Eric Harry Sasso

June 12, 1953-January 22, 2023

Eric Harry Sasso passed away peacefully after battling illness for 8 months. His last days were spent with family and a compassionate medical staff.

Eric was born to Ursula and Irvin Sasso in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a teen his interest in ham radio opened up his eyes to foreign languages and countries. He loved playing the latest rock music on his Fender guitar.

Eric distinguished himself at La Jolla High School, where he was a Valedictorian and National Merit Scholar. His passion for science grew as he worked in Andre Dulbecco's world-class lab at the Salk Institute. Outside of academics, he made time to be the editor of his school newspaper and play varsity tennis.

Eric continued his science education by earning an A.B. degree in Biochemistry at Harvard University in 1975 and an M.D. degree from the University of California, San Diego in 1980. The premature death that year of his sister, Jenifer, was especially painful for Eric, as they were kindred spirits, sharing a love of fine art. He then moved to Montreal to study internal medicine at McGill University's Royal Victoria Hospital. It is here that Eric probably developed his love for the French language. From 1984 -1988 he completed his Rheumatology fellowship at the University of Washington. His postdoctoral work in Immunology was completed in 1991 at the Virginia Mason Research Center, Seattle. He was board certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology and published extensively in the fields of rheumatology, immunology and dermatology. He then practiced medicine as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Washington until 2004.

Eric entered the private sector in 2004, joining Abbott Laboratories in Illinois. At Abbott, he worked as Medical Director in Early Immunology Clinical Development and in Humira Medical Affairs, both in Rheumatology and as head of the Dermatology team.

In 2012 he started working at Crescendo Bio near San Francisco, becoming the Vice President of Medical & Scientific Affairs. At this startup Eric made significant contributions regarding the clinical utility of the VECTRA blood test for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). He authored multiple seminal papers examining the relationship between the VECTRA RA blood test and risk of progressive joint damage as well as risk of cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. He also published studies assessing the impact of gender and age and BMI on the VECTRA blood test which is used by rheumatologists to assess inflammation in patients with RA.

Recently Eric worked as a Biotech consultant for Exai, a Bay Area company that has created a next-generation liquid biopsy to detect cancer.

With his medical background and insightful analytical skills, Eric was invaluable to his family when a parent or sibling became seriously ill. He not only interpreted doctors' comments for the family, but also offered calming reassurances during these trying ordeals. In the case of his mother's cancer, he actually helped guide the treatment.

Eric's passions beyond science included travel, classical music, fine dining, and tennis. Paris and Antigua, Guatemala held special places in his heart, 2nd homes where his language skills allowed him to live as a local. By sending photos of a concert hall or a memorable meal to his friends and family, Eric let others share in his trips vicariously. Upon his return, he often brought gifts of chocolates from his favorite chocolaterie.

He is survived by his brothers Steve and Phil, his sisters-in-law Pat and Lita, and nephew Brendan and niece Kathleen.