Sapienza – Università di Roma
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University Professors in Experimental Biology (BIOS-10/A)
PROFESSOR
POSITION
Alessandro Rosa – Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
PO
Ilaria Laudadio – Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
RTT
Alessandro Palma – Dipartimento di Psicologia
RTT
PO (Professore Ordinario / Full professor)
PA (Professore Associato / Associate Professor)
RTT (Ricercatore a tempo determinato in tenure-track/Tenure-track fixed-term researcher)
RTI (Ricercatore a Tempo Indeterminato / Assistant Professor)
RTD-A (Ricercatore a Tempo Determinato – Junior / Fixed-term Junior Assistant Professor)
RTD-B (Ricercatore a Tempo Determinato – Senior / Fixed-term Senior Assistant Professor)
Fellows in Experimental Biology (BIO/13)
FELLOW
POSITION
Veronica Porreca – Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
A
Beatrice Borhy – Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
D
Alessandro Giustini – Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
D
Federica Michetti – Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
D
Valerio Mariani – Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
D
Silvia Perna – Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
D
Giorgio D’Andrea – Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
B
Ilaria Chiaradia – Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
A
Sabrina Garbo – Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
A
A (Assegnista di Ricerca / Post-Doctoral Fellow)
D (Dottorando / PhD Student)
B (Borsista / Fellow)
T (Tutor)
Research
Research Group 3
Carmine Mancone
Veronica Porreca
Research Themes
- Role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) proteins in the invasive and metastatic phenotype of cholangiocarcinoma cells and definition of the mechanisms of action
- Role of TME proteins in the remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and in the
regulation of vascular and lymphatic angiogenesis in cholangiocarcinoma.
Keywords: Cholangiocarcinoma, Tumor microenvironment, Invasiveness, Lymphangiogenesis, Angiogenesis
Research Group 4
Laura Stronati
Ilaria Laudadio
Claudia Carissimi
Giorgio D’Andrea
Silvia Perna
Within the field of gastrointestinal inflammation and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD):
● immunopathogenesis of IBD and eosinophilic esophagitis, and their interplay with the gut microbiota;
● molecular mechanisms of chronic intestinal inflammation and identification of non-invasive biomarkers of disease activity and mucosal healing;
● inflammatory processes along the gut-liver and gut-brain axes.
Within the field of transcriptional regulation in fibrosis and cancer:
● role of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-inducing transcription factors in intestinal fibrosis and in cancer progression;
● cross-talk between transcriptional and translational programs in tumour and fibrotic cells;
● genome-wide mapping of transcriptional networks and target genes underlying fibrosis and tumour progression.
Within the field of regulated cell death in inflammation and cancer:
● role of ferroptosis and other forms of regulated cell death in inflammation and in epithelial cancers, including cholangiocarcinoma;
● transcriptional control of ferroptosis sensitivity as a mechanism of tumour cell survival and therapy resistance;
● evaluation of natural, pharmacological and ferroptosis-inducing compounds with anti-fibrotic, cytoprotective or anti-tumour potential.
Within the field of advanced cellular models and translational research:
● development of patient-derived organoids and cellular models for the study of inflammation, fibrosis and cancer;
● multi-omic approaches to the identification of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets;
● intestinal microbiota and host–microbe interactions.
Keywords: inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, eosinophilic esophagitis, intestinal inflammation, intestinal fibrosis, fibrostenosis, ZNF281, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, breast cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, ferroptosis, GPX4, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, patient-derived organoids, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, transcriptional regulation, gut microbiota, gut-brain axis, gut-liver axis, biomarkers.
Research Group 6
Rossella Maione
Research Themes
- Epigenetic control of gene expression in muscle cells.
Keywords: skeletal muscle differentiation; chromatin dynamics; MyoD; cell cycle inhibitors.
Research Group 7
Arturo Bevilacqua-Maria Teresa Fiorenza
Sonia Canterini
Alessandro Palma
Roberta Stefanelli
Within the field of mammalian reproduction and embryology:
• Molecular and cellular regulation of cell proliferation and death in mouse preimplantation embryos;
• Cellular and functional aspects of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis in women and in murine models;
• Mechanisms of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in murine models of human pathology.
Within the field of neurobiology:
• Molecular and cellular control of differentiation and functional maturation of neurons and glial cells;
• Effects of lipid dyshomeostasis on signaling mechanisms of the early post-natal/adult brain using mouse models;
• Pathogenic mechanisms of neurodevelopmental/neurodegenerative diseases using mouse models of Niemann-Pick C and Alzheimer’s diseases;
• Genetics and epigenetics of psychopathology.
Within the field of immunology:
• Molecular and cellular regulation of innate immune responses and macrophage biology;
• Mechanisms of neuroinflammation and immune cell dysfunction in neurodegenerative and neuromuscular disorders,
• Macrophage-microglia heterogeneity and intercellular communication in tissue homeostasis and disease;
• Identification of biomarkers using transcriptomics and multi-OMICS approaches.
Keywords: mouse preimplantation embryos, AKT, myo-inositol, D-chiro-inositol, PCOS, granule neurons, mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), astrocytes, Sonic Hedgehog, TGF-beta, BDNF, cerebellum, olfactory bulb, adult brain neurogenesis, cholesterol/gangliosides, dopamine and serotonin receptors, 5-HTT, DRD2, DRD4, DAT1, COMT, telomerase, macrophages, microglia, neuroinflammation, innate immunity, SPP1, neurodegeneration, transcriptomics, single-cell RNA sequencing.
Research Group 8
Alessandro Rosa
Beatrice Borhy
Alessandro Giustini
Ilaria Chiaradia
Within the field of molecular biology and stem cells:
• molecular and post-transcriptional regulation of cell differentiation and early embryonic development, with particular emphasis on microRNA- and long non-coding RNA-mediated gene regulatory networks;
• molecular mechanisms controlling pluripotency, lineage specification and neural differentiation in human pluripotent stem cells;
• development and application of gene editing and advanced stem cell-based models, including 3D organoids, gastruloids and neuromuscular organoids, for the study of human development and disease.
Within the field of neurobiology and neurodegenerative diseases:
• molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other nervous system diseases using induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) models;
• regulation of neuronal differentiation, axonal growth, RNA metabolism and RNA-binding protein networks in physiological and pathological conditions;
• generation and characterization of iPSC-based human in vitro disease models for GNAO1 encephalopathy, ALS and Fragile X syndrome using 3D organoids;
• investigation of post-transcriptional gene regulation, stress responses and RNA-binding proteins as therapeutic targets in neurodegeneration.
Keywords: induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), neural differentiation, pluripotency, microRNAs, RNA-binding proteins, HuD (ELAVL4), FUS, TDP-43, motor neurons, cortical neurons, neuromuscular junctions, cortical organoids, neuromuscular organoids, gene editing, CRISPR/Cas9, ALS, GNAO1, post-transcriptional regulation, stem cell biology, embryonic development, RNA metabolism, disease modelling.
Teaching
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