POSITIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
1/7/2019 – present: Associate Professor MED/46 at Sapienza University of Rome, Dept of Molecular Medicine
1/7/2016 –30/906/2019: Assistant Professor at Sapienza University of Rome, Dept of Molecular Medicine
1/7/2015 – 30/06/2016: Research fellow at Sapienza University of Rome, Dept of Molecular Medicine
1/5/2012 – 30/04/2015: Assistant Professor at Sapienza University of Rome, Dept of Molecular Medicine
1/1/2012 – 30/4/2012: post doctoral fellow at Sapienza University of Rome, Dept of Molecular Medicine
1/1/2009 - 31/12/2011: Postdoctoral fellowship – founded from FIRC (Cancer Research Italian Foundation)
EDUCATION
2004 - B. S. in Biology - Sapienza University of Rome.
2009 - PhD in Molecular Oncology - Sapienza University of Rome.
OTHER EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
2005 – ongoing: Research Fellow, Molecular Oncology Group “Alberto Gulino” (Sapienza Univ, Molecular Medicine Dept)
2010 – 2015: Research Fellow, Special Program Molecular Clinical Oncology 5 per mille “development of effective cancer therapies based on functional proteomics and cancer stem cells targeting”. PI: Ruggero de Maria
2015 – ongoing: Member, SIOPE-LGG (low grade gliomas) preclinical working group
2017 – ongoing: President of the Scientific Committee, Umberto di Mario foundation.
2019 – ongoing: Member of EACR (membership number: EACR27444)
2017 – ongoing: included in REPRISE list (Register of Expert Peer Reviewers for Italian Scientific Evaluation)
PHD PROGRAM – BOARD MEMBER
2017, 2018, 2019: "tecnologie biomediche in medicina clinica" Sapienza University of Rome
2020 - ongoing: "network oncology and precision medicine" Sapienza University of Rome
TEACHING APPOINTMENTS
From 2014 helds teaching activities of General Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in several courses, including “Tecniche di Lab Biomedico”, “Fisioterapia”, “Biotecnologie Mediche”, “Bioinformatics”, “Medicine and Surgery”.
EDITOR OF INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS
International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IF 2019: 4.556), Guest editor in special issue: “Special Issue "Molecular Biomarkers in Cancer and Metabolic Disease"
REFEREE FOR ANIMAL RESEARCH
2017 – ongoing: External referee for animal research welfare “Istituto Superiore di Sanità – Centro nazionale sperimentazione e benessere animale”
ORAL PRESENTATIONS IN CONFERENCES
2017 - Oral presentation: “Modelli cellulari in vitro e in vivo in neuro-oncologia pediatrica” “FUTURE BRAIN: I TUMORI CEREBRALI INFANTILI: DUBBI E PROSPETTIVE – 31 MARZO/1 APRILE 2017”
2014 - Oral presentation: “Hedgehog-Gli signalling in lung cancer stem cells and its drug mediated targeting” Dangerous Liaisons: translating cancer biology into better patients management - 56° Congresso Nazionale Società Italiana di Cancerologia. September 11 - 13, 2014, Ferrara.
2008 - Oral presentation: “Differential microRNA expression in human type 2 diabetic pancreatic islets” Islet Study Group Symposium 2008. Roma, 11-13 settembre 2008.
PARTICIPATION IN MEETING AND SEMINARS ORGANIZATION
- Seminar of Ferid Murad (Nobel Laureate in medicine 1998): Alberto Gulino Memorial Lecture 2017 "Role of nitric oxide and cyclic GMP in cell signaling”. Rome, 19 june 2017
- SIOP-LGG Pre-clinical working group, Rome, Sep. 17-18, 2015
- EMBO workshop – “Hedgehog‐Gli Signaling in Cancer and Stem Cells” Rome, 30 September to 4 October 2006 (Organized by A. Gulino, H. Hahn, A. Ruiz í Altaba, R. Toftgard, F. Watt, P. Therond and I. Guerrero)
FUNDINGS
2018 – FFABR (fondo per le attività base di ricerca) Funded by Italian Ministry of University and Research (18 mesi)
2020 – Funding for Seminars and Conference. Title: microRNA: piccole molecole con un grande ruolo come biomarcatori diagnostici, prognostici e predittivi delle malattie. Funded by Sapienza University
PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH PROJECTS
2007 – Title: Analisi del profilo di espressione dei MicroRNA nel medulloblastoma; Funded by Sapienza University of Rome. PI: E. Ferretti. (24 months)
2007 - Title: Analisi dei profili di espressione dei microrna e loro ruolo nella regolazione del segnale di Hedgehog nel medulloblastoma umano; Funded by Italian Ministry of University and Research PI: I. Bozzoni (24 months)
2009 - Title: Hedgehog-Gli signalling and its pharmacological modulation for regenerative medicine-HEALING; Funded by European Council - FP7. PI: A. Gulino (48 months)
2009 - Title: Genomica, Proteomica e Metabolomica nello Spazio (GPM)- Funded by Agenzia Spaziale Italiana - PI: Prof. Alberto Gulino
2009 - Title: Design of new molecular strategies for the study of neuronal differentiation and for the therapy of neurodegenerative disorders and neuronal cancers. Funded by Italian Istitute of Technology (IIT). Project SEED P.I. I. Bozzoni. Responsabile Unità di ricerca prof. Alberto Gulino
2010 - Title: Hedgehog/Gli pathway regulatory networks in medulloblastoma and cancer stem cells; Funded by AIRC (Associazione Italiana per la ricerca sul cancro) PI: A. Gulino (36 months)
2013 - Title: Targeting Hedgehog pathway to control cancer stem cells; Funded by AIRC (Associazione Italiana per la ricerca sul cancro) PI: A. Gulino (36 months)
2015 - Title: Non communicable diseases in the elderly: Circulating microRNAs and long non coding RNAs as novel biomarkers of response to therapy in metabolic diseases, Funded by Fondazione Roma. PI: E. Ferretti (24 months)
2015 - Title: Meccanorecettori per la gravità e loro signaling. Effetti fisiopatologici correlati all’assenza di gravità e ruolo delle sirtuine. Funded by Agenzia Spaziale Italiana PI: M. Tafani (24 mesi)
2018: Title: Hedgehog/GLI signaling regulatory networks in colorectal cancer stem cells. Funded by Istituto Pasteur - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti. PI: E. Ferretti (36 mesi)
2018 - Title: Caratterizzazione di microRNA circolanti come sensibili e precoci biomarcatori di alterazioni metaboliche nell’obesità: sviluppo di nuove piattaforme diagnostiche nelle patologie metaboliche croniche Funded by Lazioinnova, PI: E. Ferretti (24 months)
2018 - Title: Circulating microRNAs and DNA (cfDNA) as novel biomarkers for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic use in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma; Funded by AIFA (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco). PI: E. Ferretti (36 months)
2019 - Title: Metabolic therapy of immuno-inflammation: in search for the best strategy to counteract type 2 diabetes and its complications. Funded by Ministry of University and Research PI: E. Ferretti (36 months)
RESEARCH FIELDS
Agnese Po’s expertise and qualifications are mainly in the fields of molecular oncology of solid cancers (brain cancers, lung cancer, colorectal cancer) and non-coding RNAs. More specifically:
1. Characterization of the molecular events involved in tumorigenesis mainly focusing on solid tumors and dysregulated pathways (e.g. Hedgehog/Gli) controlling progenitor cell development.
2. Isolation and cryopreservation of primary cancer cells including stem cells.
3. Characterization of the microRNAs involved in the deregulation of signaling pathway sustaining tumors
4. Identification of novel molecules as oncosuppressor or oncogenes and investigation of their biological function in vitro and in vivo.
5. Development of approaches for large-scale analysis of gene expression and epigenetic networks including microRNAs and Long non coding RNAs.
6. Analysis and discovery of circulating biomarkers (e.g. microRNAs and cfDNA) in cancer.
7. Identification of new molecular markers of diseases susceptible to become therapeutic targets.
8. Development of mouse models for the study of solid tumors.
COLLABORATIONS
Agnese Po collaborated and collaborates with research groups of the same University, other Italian and foreign Organizations and Universities:
- Prof Felice Giangaspero – Sapienza University
- Prof Mariano Bizzarri – Sapienza University
- Prof Rosa Sessa – Sapienza University
- Prof Franco Locatelli – IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù
- Prof Irene Bozzoni – Italian Istitute of Technology
- Prof Francesco Dotta – University of Siena
- Prof Edoardo Alesse – University of L’Aquila
- Dott. Alessandro Giuliani – Istituto Superiore di Sanità
- Prof. Luigi Boccuto - Clemson University, USA
- Prof. Dr. med. Stefan M. Pfister - Hopp-Kindertumorzentrum am NCT (KiTZ)
Scopus Id: 56017548300
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9346-8782
RESEARCHID: G-8754-2015
BIBLIOMETRIC INDICATORS (source: Scopus)
Number of publications: 49
Number of citations: 1924 (Source: Scopus)
Total Impact factor (2020): 387,89
H index: 21