Francesca Massenzio
Born on April 14th , 1989 in Termoli (Italy)
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5189-7546; SCOPUS ID: 22135229400
Education/Training:
October 2011: graduated with honors in Biological Science (Bachelor’s Degree), University of Urbino.
July 2013: graduated with honors in Molecular and Cellular Biology (Master’s Degree), Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna.
April 2017: PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology with special mention of “Doctor Europaeus”, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna Supervisor: Prof.ssa Barbara Monti.
February - August 2016: Visiting PhD student granted by Marco Polo fellowship. Laboratory of Professor Michael Coleman (Signalling ISP Laboratory), Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge – UK. Supervisor: Dott. Jemeen Sreedharan.
Academic Positions:
September 2020: junior assistant professor (fixed-term), Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna (PI: Prof.ssa Barbara Monti).
January -August 2020: Post-doctoral fellow granted by Fondazione Umberto Veronesi FUV 2020. Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona.
Project Title: “In vivo approach to investigate innovative therapeutic targets in an animal model of glioma microglia interaction”.
July - December 2019: Post-doc at the Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona.
Project Title: “Dissecting common pathophysiological mechanism in Alzheimer’s Diseases and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus through systems biology” (PI: Prof.Mario Buffelli).
June 2017- February 2019:Postdoctoral Research Associate at King's College London, London – UK.
Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience (PI: Dott. Jemeen Sreedharan) founded by the Psychiatry Research Trust.
March – May 2017: Postdoc Research Scientist at The Babraham Institute, Cambridge – UK. (PI: Dott. Jemeen Sreedharan).
Teaching activities:
From AY 2022-2023; teacher of the TREATMENT OF CNS DISEASES: PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS, (1 credit), Specialization School in Hospital Pharmacy.
From AY 2022-2023: teacher of the EMERGING TOPICS IN CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY course (96034), 6 Credits; Second Cycle Degree Programme in Molecular and Cell Biology.
From AY 2020-2021 to AY 2021-2022: teacher of the Module 2 of HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY course (91011), 7 credits; Single Cycle Degree Promgramme in Pharmacy.
Speaker for the "Ricercatori in classe 2020" project sponsored by Fondazione Umberto Veronesi to promote scientific dissemination in secondary schools. Liceo Scientifico Stimate, Verona.
Teaching tutor of the “Piano Nazionale Lauree Scientifiche” (PLS) project (2019-2020). “Human Physiology: correlation between structure and function” Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona.
Journal club activity for the Bachelor’s Degree in Neuroscience, King’s College London.
Dr. Anna Battaglia, Reader in Bioscience Education (2018/2019).
Tutor of the course in Natural Science – General Physiology [cod. 00443] (a.a. 2016/2017) Alma mater studiorum – University of Bologna. Prof. Marco Virgili.
Scientific activities:
Junior assistant professor (fixed-term) of the laboratory of Prof.ssa Barbara Monti at the Department of FaBiT. The main area of interest is the interaction between glial cells and neurons in both physiological and pathological conditions in order to identify potential therapeutic targets.
FM is author of 20 papers on international peer-reviewed journals.
h-index:12; Citations 597 (Data from Scopus, September 28th , 2023).
Grants:
2023-2025: PI in the Spoke 3 - Neurodegeneration coordinated by IIT - Genoa, for the PNRR project "mRNA National Center for Gene Therapy and Drugs based on RNA Technology".
October 2023- October 2025: Local Coordinator PRIN 2022 for the project "Identification and functional characterization of extracellular vesicles involved in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's Disease: focus on miRNAs as inflammatory modulators and biomarkers".
Awards and honors:
February 2016: Marco Polo Fellowship for a research period in UK
January 2020: Postdoctoral Fellowship Fondazione Umberto Veronesi.
National and international congresses:
Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Inhibition ameliorates TDP-43 toxicity in motor and cortical neurons. Francesca Massenzio, Matthew A White, Richard J Mead, Michael P Coleman, Sami Barmada, Jemeen Sreedharan. 28th International Symposium on ALS/MND. 8-10 December 2017, Boston USA.
Functional differences between glial cells overexpressing wild-type or mutant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). Francesca Massenzio, Luis Emiliano Peña-Altamira, Marco Virgili, Monia Bentivogli, Barbara Monti. ABCD National Congress 2015. September 17-19 ,2015. Bologna, Italia.
Scientific membership:
From 2015, member of the Italian Association of Cell Biology and Differentiation (ABCD).
From 2020, member of the Italian Society of Physiology (SIF).
From 2022, member of BraYn Association.
