Research interests: since the beginning of my career, I have been interested in studying the process of tumorigenesis by means of molecular and cellular biology techniques. In particular, I contributed to the characterization of genes involved in the process of tumorigenesis. I was involved in characterizing mutations of the tumor suppressor gene p53, frequently mutated during human carcinogenesis in several types of tumors: esophageal cancer and its preneoplastic lesions, such as Barrett’s esophagus; glioma; colorectal carcinoma. I applied a yeast based p53 transactivation assay to study the ability of specific p53 mutants to transactivate different targets and their ability to interact with other members of the p53 family. This powerful method also allowed me to study the mutational and lethal capacity of novel chemotherapeutic drugs. Since my arrival at the University of Insubria, I started the biochemical and functional characterization of a new candidate tumor suppressor gene named RNASET2, which maps on a chromosomal region frequently deleted in many types of human cancers. The gene encodes for a ribonuclease and I demonstrated that RNASET2 is a secreted protein and an active ribonuclease, expressing the protein in the baculovirus and Pichia pastoris eukaryotic systems for heterologous protein expression. This allowed me to become familiar with some of the most used systems for heterologous protein expression.

There are currently two main project ongoing in my Molecular Genetics laboratory: the first aims to characterize transcriptional regulation of the gene encoding PRODH, a mitochondrial flavoenzyme involved in induction of apoptosis and autophagy; the second project aims to identify serum microRNAs to be used for diagnosis of early stage lung cancer. I also developed several collaborations aimed at studying the role of candidate genes in human diseases, such as Amiotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, chronic low back pain, Chronic rhinosinusitis. 

Grants: I participated to several grants applications, and obtained financial support from Cariplo 2011 (the effect of carbon nanotubes in human health), Fondazione Comunitaria del Varesotto 2014 (microRNAs as biomarkers for lung cancer), Fondazione Comunitaria del Varesotto 2015 (the role of DAO gene mutations in ALS and NMDAR expression in chronic low back pain).