EDUCATION
2009 PhD in Cell Biology and Physiology. School of Physics, Mathematics and Nature Sciences, University of Bologna.
2005 Master degree in Industrial Biotechnology. University of Bologna, Italy. Final mark 110/110 cum laude.
1998 Scientific High School Degree Liceo Scientifico Statale “R. Mattioli” Vasto, Italy. Final mark 50/60.
COURSES
2018 FEBS Advanced Courses 2018 - The molecular bases of diseases: can we infer phenotype from protein variant analysis? 23-15 May 2018, Bologna, Italy.
2015 Training Course in “European Public Funding for R&D and innovation – The technology transfer process”. 2-5 February 2015, Valencia, Spain.
2014 2nd Course in Mitochondrial Medicine. 1-3 December 2014, Bertinoro, Italy.
2011 EUROMIT 8 Pre-conference symposium. Mitochondrial dysfunction in metabolic and age-related diseases: new technology for assessing mitochondrial pathology in small samples. 19 June 2011, Zaragoza, Spain.
2010 Course in Mitochondrial Metabolism and Cancer. 3-6 November 2010, Bologna, Italy.
2009 EMBO Lecture Course in Mitochondrial Medicine: from genetics to biological mechanisms and beyond. 18-22 April 2009, Bologna, Italy.
CURRENT POSITION
2021 – Present Associate professor in Biochemistry. Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
2018 - 2021 Senior assistant professor (fixed-term) in Biochemistry. Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy
2012 - 2018 Post-Doctoral fellow. Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy
2013 Post-Doctoral fellow. Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy. Funded by Fondazione Umberto Veronesi Young Investigator Programme 2012-2013.
2010 - 2012 Post-Doctoral fellow. Department of Evolutionistic Biology, University of Bologna, Italy. Funded by Fondazione Europea per la Genetica.
2009 - 2010 Post-Doctoral fellow. Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
2009 - 2010 Visiting fellow. Laboratory of Mitochondrial Biochemistry and Genetics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
2008 Visiting fellow. Laboratory of Mitochondrial Biochemistry and Genetics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA. Funded by IRCCS Bietti Foundation for the study and the research in ophthalmology and by Programma Marco Polo, University of Bologna.
ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS
PI of the following competitive research projects:
Jul 2022 Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio Bologna (CARISBO) – Call for Medical Research and High Technology 2022 - Implementation of a multifunctional optical microscopy platform dedicated to Live Imaging (#2022.0114).
Co-investigator of the following competitive research projects:
Jun 2023 Italian University and Research Ministry PRIN 2022 grant (PI D. Turchetti) - Expanding the knowledge of PTEN-Associated Disease (E-PAD)
Apr 2021 Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC) (PI A. M. Porcelli) MOnARCHY - Dissecting the Metabolic signature of high-grade serous OvARian cancer: a challenge to overcome CHemotherapY
Apr 2020 Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC) (PI G. Gasparre) Assessing the Efficacy of Mitochondrial Complex I Targeting in Combined Therapies for Ovarian Cancer - AMICO
CONCLUDED RESEARCH PROJECTS
PI of the following competitive research projects:
2018 – 2020 University of Bologna, ALMAIDEA Linea d’Intervento Giovani - INTACt: Induzione della pseudoNormossia come Terapia Adiuvante per il Cancro.
Co-investigator of the following competitive research projects:
2017 – 2020 EU H2020 Marie Curie ITN grant 722605 (PI A. M. Porcelli) TRANSMIT: Translational significance of mitochondria in tumors.
2016 – 2019 Italian Health Ministry grant GR-2013-02356666 (PI G. Gasparre) DISCOTRIP: Disrupting mitochondrial complex I to trigger pseudonormoxia: an anticancer strategy.
2016 – 2019 Worldwide Cancer Research grant (PI G. Gasparre) DhoMoS: Understanding the determinants of the homoplasmic shift of mitochondrial DNA mutations in families with recurrent oncocytomas.
2016 – 2018 Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC) (PI A. M. Porcelli) TOUChMe: Taxane Resistance in Ovarian Cancer: Understanding the Contribution of Mitochondrial Metabolism Defects.
2013 – 2015 Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC) (PI G. Gasparre) – JANEUTICS: From the oncojanus function of mitochondrial genes to anti-cancer therapeutic strategies.
2012 – 2013 Fondazione Umberto Veronesi Grant (PI G. Gasparre) - DISCO TRIP - Disrupting complex I to trigger pseudonormoxia.
2012 – 2014 United Mitochondrial Diseases Foundation Grant (PI C. Giordano) - Estrogen mediated regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and functions: possible therapeutic implications for Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy.
2010 – 2013 Telethon grant GPP10005 (PI M. Zeviani) - Therapeutic strategies to combat mitochondrial disorders.
2010 – 2013 Futuro in Ricerca (FIR) grant J31J10000040001 (PI G. Gasparre) – TRANSMIT: Translational significance of mitochondrial mutations in tumors.
2010 – 2012 E-Rare European Research Projects on Rare Diseases (PI D. Bonneau) – European Research project on Mendelian Inherited Optic Neuropathies.
2009 – 2011 Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC) grant IG8810 (PI G. Romeo) - TRANSMIT: Translational significance of mitochondrial mutations in tumors.
2007 – 2010 Telethon grant GGP06233B (PI V. Carelli) - Pathogenic mechanisms for degeneration of retinal ganglion cells in mitochondrial optic neuropathies.
As a member participating in these projects, I have coordinated the activities of undergraduate students, I have been involved in fund management and in the establishment of national and international collaborations.
AWARDS
2018 Best presentation award, Italian Group of Biomembranes and Bioenergetics Meeting 21-23 June 2018, Modena, Italy.
2015 Best presentation award, Italian Group of Biomembranes and Bioenergetics Meeting 18-20 June 2015, Udine, Italy.
2014 Best poster award BBA – Bioenergetics, EUROMIT 2014, 15-19 June 2014, Tampere, Finland. 2nd prize.
SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND GRANT REVIEWER ACTIVITY
2023 External Reviewer for grant proposals for AFM Telethon
2022 External Reviewer for grant proposals for the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP)
2022 Member of the Editorial Board of Biomedicines, MDPI
2019 Member of the Register of Expert Peer-Reviewers for Italia Scientific Evaluation panel for Basic Research
2018 Member of the Expert Reviewer panel for EU Projects (ID EX2022D665985)
2017 External Reviewer for grant proposals for the Foundation for Polish Science Team programme (competitive redistribution of EU structural funds in Poland).
2014 Review panel member of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, upon invitation of the Editor in Chief.
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES
2022 Member of the Scientific Committee of Euromit 2023 – International Meeting on Mitochondrial Pathology
2021 Ordinary member of the Italian Society of Biochemistry (SIB)
2018 Ordinary member of the Italian Group of Biomembranes and Bioenergetics (GIBB)
2017 Ordinary member of the International Society of Cancer Metabolism (ISCaM)
2017 Ordinary member of the Italian Association of Cell Biology and Differentiation (ABCD)
MEETINGS and CONGRESS
2023 Chairperson Session 3.3: Metabolic stress responses in mitochondrial diseases and cancer at Euromit 2023 – International Meeting on Mitochondrial Pathology – 11-15 June 2023, Bologna. Italy
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS
2023 Invited speaker at Young Investigators Meeting Euromit 2023 – 10 June 2023, Bologna, Italy. Title: “Two ways, same target: what can we learn from TMEM126A?”.
2022 Selected speaker at 21st European BioEnergetics Conference (EBEC) – 20-25 August 2022, Aix-en-Provence, France. Title: “Respiratory complex I null cancer cells and molecular docking reveal specificity and mode of action inhibitors with anticancer activity”.
2022 Invited speaker at Mechanisms of proton translocation, EBEC Satellite Meeting - 17-19 August 2022, Freiburg, Germany. Title: “Exploiting complex I defective models to identify new assembly factors and to investigate inhibitors properties”.
2018 Selected speaker at FEBS Advanced Courses 2018 - The molecular bases of diseases: can we infer phenotype from protein variant analysis? 23-15 May 2018, Bologna, Italy. Title: “Determination of pathogenicity of mitochondrial DNA mutations and combinations of polymorphisms through the assessment of their functional effect”.
2017 Selected speaker at 4th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Cancer Metabolism, 19-21 October 2017, Bertinoro, Italy. Title: “Defective respiratory Complex I triggers metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells”.
2015 Invited speaker on behalf of Prof. Valerio Carelli at European School of Genetic Medicine (ESGM) – European Society of Human Genetics, 4th Course in Eye Genetics, 27-29 September 2015, Bertinoro, Italy. Title: “The paradigm of mitochondrial optic neuropathies: naturally occurring compensatory strategies and treatment options”.
2014 Selected speaker at Mitochondria, Energy Metabolism and Cancer, Institute of Child Health, University College London, 26 February 2014, London UK. Title: “Different mtDNA mutations modify tumor progression in dependence of the degree of respiratory complex I impairment”.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - NATIONAL MEETINGS
2021 Selected speaker at 61° SIB 2021 Congress Virtual Edition, 23-24 September 2021. Title: “TMEM126A/OPA7 is a respiratory complex I assembly factor binding the ND4-module intermediate”.
2018 Selected speaker at Italian Group of Biomembranes and Bioenergetics Meeting 2018, 21-23 June 2018, Modena, Italy. Title: “DEFECTIVE RESPIRATORY COMPLEX I TRIGGERS METABOLIC REPROGRAMMING IN CANCER CELLS”.
2015 Selected speaker at Italian Group of Biomembranes and Bioenergetics Meeting 2015, 18-20 June 2015, Udine, Italy. Title: “Human ND1 subunit is essential for Complex III and supercomplexes stability”.
2013 Selected speaker at Italian Group of Biomembranes and Bioenergetics Meeting 2013, 20-22 June 2013, Padua, Italy. Title: “Different mtDNA mutations exhibit opposite modifying effects on tumor growth by regulating the AMPK pathway”.
2012 Invited speaker at XV Congresso Nazionale della Società Italiana di Genetica Umana (SIGU), 21-23 November 2012, Sorrento, Italy. Title: “Deficit del Complesso I nelle malattie mitocondriali e nel cancro: strade parallele, destinazioni differenti”.
2010 Speaker at Italian Group of Biomembranes and Bioenergetics Meeting 2010, 10-12 June, 2010, Bertinoro, Italy. Title: “Mitochondrial biogenesis induced by PPARs agonists improves viability of LHON cybrids”.
