Luisa Iommarini

My scientific interests are mainly focused on the role of mitochondrial DNA mutations on metabolism in the context of human pathology. During my PhD I identified and characterized rare mtDNA mutations pathogenic for Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, in studied the role of mitochondrial biogenesis in this disorder and I contributed to the definition of a new form of Dominant Optic Atrophy. I spent a nearly a year at University of Miami starting from 2018.Right after coming back to Italy, I investigated the role of mtDNA mutations on cancer cell metabolism and in tumor progression. In 2013, received a one-year felloship by Fondazione Umberto Veronesi and the BBA-Bioenergetics award as second best poster during Euromit 2014. I’m currently involved in several projects regarding the role of OXPHOS in resistance to chemotherapy and escaping of cancer cells from dormancy and in the assessment of OXPHOS complexes structural organization in cancer cells.