INTRODUCTION:
I am a research director at the Italian National Institute of Health and currently run an independent research group of eight people. Our group is involved in the investigation of mechanisms controlling genome stability in human cells during the S-phase of the cell cycle. These pathways are essential to prevent chromosome rearrangement and mutational burden characteristic of tumours. We seek to elucidate the cellular pathways elicited by replication fork arrest and their inherent regulation to identify potential biomarkers and targets for cancer therapy. Moreover, we investigate on the relationship between replication stress and the pathogenesis of human genetic diseases. We have recently started a new research project that investigates the non-autonomous effects of replicative stress and which may have interesting findings to understand how replication defects in replicating cells can affect differentiation and the homeostasis of non-replicating tissues.
Following my recent appointment as chair of the "small molecules" activity of the IATRIS network, we are trying to implement in ISS a screening activity based on the activation of the response to DNA damage or replicative stress in order to identify molecules capable of influencing these responses and therefore supporting anti-tumor therapies. This expertise would be unique in the IATRIS network and would lead ISS to offer this specific expertise also externally.
ORCID: 0000-0002-2702-3523
EDUCATION:
- December 2003: Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Università degli Studi della Tuscia/CNRS. “Functional Analysis of the gene products mutated in the Fanconi anemia syndrome”. (supervisor Dr. Filippo Rosselli/Prof. Fabrizio Palitti);
- February, 1996: M.Sc Degree in Biological Sciences, curricula in Molecular Biology, Università degli Studi della Tuscia; grade: 110/110 defending a thesis in Biochemistry of the Macromolecules entitled: "Amino Ossidasi: studi di inibizione". (supervisor Prof. Lello Zolla).
POSITIONS:
Apr 1996 - Mar 2000: Research internship - Molecular Cytogenetics and Mutagenesis lab at DABAC, Università della Tuscia (Viterbo);
Apr 2000 - Oct 2000: Research fellow (Assegno di Ricerca) - Molecular Cytogenetics and Mutagenesis lab at DABAC, Università della Tuscia (Viterbo);
Nov 2000 - Dec 2002: EGIDE fellow (French Foreign affairs ministry) - UPR2169 of CNRS, Institut de Recherches sur le Cancer Andrè Lwoff (Villejuif, France);
Jan 2003 - Sept 2004: Post-Doc fellow - ARC (French Association for Cancer Research) at UPR2169 of CNRS, Institut Gustave Roussy, Research Section (Villejuif, France);
Sept 2004 - Oct 2007: Research associate (CoCoCo) at the Environment and Primary Prevention Dept of Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Roma);
Dec 2007 - May 2013: Scientist (Ricercatore TD) at the Environment and Primary Prevention Dept of Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Roma);
May 2013 - Dec 2018: Senior scientist (Primo Ricercatore TD) at the Environment and Health Dept of Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Roma);
Jan 2019 - Dec 2022: Senior scientist - tenured (Primo Ricercatore) at the Environment and Health Dept of Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Roma);
Dec 2022 - : Director of Research at the Environment and Health Dept of Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Roma)
FUNDING (last five-years):
1. 2024-2029: Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC), Research grant “Defining novel factors regulating gap formation at perturbed DNA replication forks in normal and cancer cells" (PI);
2. 2021-2026: NIH-NIDCR, “Determining how a Werner helicase (WRN) tumor suppressor complex regulates the human papillomavirus 16 life cycle” (R01DE029471 - CoPI)
3. 2019-2024: NIH-NCI, “The role of human RAD52 protein in genome stability”, (R01CA232425 – PI; Multi-PI grant);
4. 2019-2024: Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC), Research grant “Novel functions of RAD52 in protection of perturbed DNA replication and implication for genome instability of cancer (PI);
5. 2018-2021: Ministero della Salute, Bando Ricerca Finalizzata 2016 “Investigating the molecular mechanism leading to genome instability in tumors: analysis of role of the replication stress response and its potential for early diagnosis and target therapy of cancer” (RF-2016-02362022; PI);
6. 2018-2019: Fondazione Terzo-Pilastro “Generazione di un modello cellulare per lo studio delle basi molecolari della Immunodisplasia ossea di Schimke” (PI);
7. 2016: Fondazione Telethon, research grant GEP15050 “Generation of an in vitro model to investigate replicative stress as the possible molecular mechanism underlying Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia” (PI);
8. 2016-2018: Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC), Research grant “Novel roles of WRN protein in response to replication stress induced by anti-cancer drugs and implications for therapy" (PI);