EDUCATION
January 2008-December 2011 PhD student in Human Genetics (Human Oncology program),
University of Turin, Italy
October 2001-December 2006 Student of Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Natural Sciences,
University of Zagreb, Croatia
TRACK RECORD (February/2023)
51 Publications, 2 Book chapter, >40 Proceedings (11 as selected or invited speaker), Average impact factor: 9.4, H-index: 21, National qualification for Associate Professor in Medical Genetics
EXPERIENCE
Period: 2019-present
Scientific interest: Liquid biopsy - Circulating Tumor Cells in Ovarian Cancer
Period: 2012-present
Scientific interest: Cancer metabolism - targeting mitochondrial complex I in solid cancers
Reference contact: Giuseppe Gasparre (giuseppe.gasparre@gmail.com)
Period: October 2016-June 2017 and August-December 2018
Scientific interest:The role of stroma and microenvironment in CI deficient tumors
Reference contact:Ilaria Malachi (ilaria.malanchi@crick.ac.uk)
Period: April-July 2011
Scientific interest: Genomic profiling of breast, thyroid and pituitary oncocytic
neoplasias
Reference contact:J. S. Reis-Filho, Professor of Molecular Pathology
(reisfilj@mskcc.org)
Institution: The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, Institute of
Cancer Research (ICR), London,UK
Period: 2008-2011
Scientific interest: The role of mitochondrial DNA mutations in oxyphilic cancer
progression
Reference contact: Giovanni Romeo, Professor of Medical Genetics
(egf.giovanni.romeo@gmail.com); Marco Seri, Professor of Medical Genetics
(marco.seri@gmail.com)
Institution: Laboratory for Medical Genetics, S. Orsola Hospital, University
of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Period: June-December 2007
Scientific interest: Genetics of Familial and
Oxiphilic Thyroid Cancers
Reference contact: Giovanni Romeo, Professor of Medical Genetics
(egf.giovanni.romeo@gmail.com)
Institution: Laboratory for Medical Genetics, S. Orsola Hospital, University
of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Period: October 2005 - April 2006
Scientific interest: ESTs data base sequencing and expression
studies of novel caspases
Reference contact: W.E.G. Muller, Professor of Molecular Biology
(wmueller@mail.uni-mainz.de )
Institution: Institut fur Physiologische Chemie, Johannes Gutenberg
Universitat, Mainz, Germany
AWARDS/COMPETITIVE FUNDING
2023 PRIN Funding from Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) for the project "Computationally aided Opto-mechano-fluidic platform for Label-free intelligent tumor microenvironment cell sorting-COLLECT", role: Associated Investigator - Research Unit Leader (43,000.00 euro)
2020 Funding from Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna (CARISBO) foundation for the project "VAlutazione dell’efficacia della Simultanea inibizione del Complesso I mitocondriale e dei macrofagi tumorali nel trattamento del cancro Ovarico-VASCO", role: Principal Investigator (40,043.20 euro)
2019 PRIN Funding from Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) for the project "MORphological biomarkers For Early diagnosis in Oncology -MORFEO", role: Associated Investigator - Research Unit Leader (107,190.00 euro)
2019 The best oral presentation award at the Italian Society of Molecular biology workshop, Florence, Italy
2015 The best oral presentation award at The annual meeting of the Italian Group of Biomembranes and Biochemistry (GIBB), Udine, Italy
2012 A triennial post-doctoral fellowship from the Italian
association for cancer research (AIRC),
assigned for the project “Mitochondrial dysfunction and
low-proliferative tumor phenotype” (60,000.00 euro)
2011 Scholarship from University of Turin (Italy), for visiting
Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre (ICR), London, UK
(project: "Genomic profiling of thyroid and pituitary
neoplasias")
2010 The best proceeding award at the EMBO Course on Mitochondria and
Cancer, Ronzano, Italy
2008 PhD scholarship from Italian Ministry of Education, Universities
and Reseach, for entering Human genetics PhD program (Human
oncology sector)
2007 Scholarship from University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, for
“Genetic analysis of familial and
oxyphilic thyroid cancers”
2005-2006 Scholarship from Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany,
for “ESTs database
sequencing and expression studies of novel caspases”
LANGUAGES
Croatian (mother tongue), English (proficient user), Italian
(proficient user), German (independent user)
EDITORIAL ACTIVITY
Reviewer: Oncogene, Scientific Reports, British Journal of Cancer, BMC Cancer, Frontiers in Oncology, Cancers (Basel), Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research, Genes, Frontiers in Pharmacology, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta
Guest Editor: Cancers (Basel) for the 2021 Special Issue on “Tumor microenvironment: a key piece in the puzzle of cancer heterogeneity” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers/special_issues/TME_cancer_heterogeneity)
LABORATORY SKILLS
PCR based techniques, Sanger sequencing,
site directed mutagenesis, array CGH, LOH and microsatellite
analysis, dHPLC, qRT-PCR, Northern blotting, gene cloning,
bacterial culture, eukaryote cell culture, Western Blotting,
transfection, ZFN/CrisprCas9 genetic engineering,
immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, shRNA silencing, in vitro
tumorigenic assays, animal handling (xenograft experiments), flow cytometry, experimental pathology (immunohistochemistry)
