BIOGRAPHY
Annalaura Mancia (AM) was born in San Benedetto del Tronto (Italy) in 1976. Since December 1st, 2010, she is a member of the Faculty of the University of Ferrara; currently she is Associate Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology at the Department of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, at the University of Ferrara, Italy; since 2011, she is Associate Graduate Faculty at the Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Center, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston SC, USA.
AM obtained B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Biological Sciences at the University of Bologna (Italy) by the year 2000. After working for 2.5 years as a researcher at the Biochemistry Department of the Bologna University, AM won an international fellowship to go to the USA with the exchange visitor program. In August 2003, she joined the lab of Prof Gregory W. Warr at the marine genomics group at the MUSC, Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) in Charleston (USA), where her work was focused on the immunogenomics of marine mammals. AM returned to the University of Bologna at the end of 2006 to enroll in a PhD Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, asking and obtaining the opportunity to accomplish her research in the USA, mostly at the HML in Charleston. In 2008, AM spent a year at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg MD, USA, where she acquired further skills in cell biology. The time spent at NIST was a unique opportunity to interact with researchers of different scientific fields, use upgraded instrumentation and gain knowledge that has contributed to the breadth of her scientific background. AM graduated with a PhD in April 2010 and she continued her work at the HML till the end of the year 2010.
For the past 20 years, AM has been using functional genomics to study the pathophysiology, environmental toxicology and immunology of marine organisms, marine mammals in particular. Her main scientific contributions include the development and application of microarrays for assessing transcriptomic responses to environmental stressors, sequencing the first dolphin genome for comparative genomic studies of mammalian evolution, and the development of marine mammal tissue culture reagents for controlled toxicology studies.
On the leading edge of marine mammal research, she performs both observational and hypotheses-driven research (basic biology and applied biology), designs and conducts ecologically-relevant laboratory experiments, interprets data with an open mind and an ethical perspective, and publish frequently in high quality, peer-reviewed journals.
AM is co-author of 34 publications in extensor (more than half the time being the leading author) in international scientific journals and presented her work at 37 international and 4 national conferences.
ACADEMIC RECORDS
jul 2021-Present. Associate Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology. Department of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Ferrara University (Italy).
Dec 2010-Jun 2021. Assistant Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology. Department of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Ferrara University (Italy); Faculty for B.Sc. Degree in Biological Sciences, Ferrara University (Italy). Faculty for B.Sc. Degree in Biotechnology, Ferrara University (Italy);
Apr 2011-2016. Associate Graduate Faculty, Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC (USA);
Jan-Feb 2012. Visiting Scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Charleston, SC (USA);
Sep 2012-2018. Environmental and Evolutionary Biology PhD Board Faculty, Ferrara University (Italy);
Sep 2014-Present. Erasmus+ Student Selection Board Member. EU program for study and train opportunities abroad, Ferrara University (Italy);
Sep 2015. Visiting Scientist. Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe Valencia, Spain;
Sep 2017-Present. National and International Students Selection Board Member, B.Sc. in Biological Sciences and M.Sc. in Biomolecular and Evolutionary Science, Ferrara University (Italy);
Nov 2018- Present. Organization of Animal Welfare (OBPA) Board Member, Ferrara University, Italy.
RESEARCH TRAINING
Apr 2001-Jul 2003. Research Fellow, Department of Biochemistry, Bologna University (IT)
Topoisomerases, their implication in cancer and their role as molecular targets for antitumor drugs.” Supervisor: Prof G Capranico.
Aug 2003-Dec 2005. Research Fellow. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC, Hollings Marine Laboratories, HML, Charleston, SC (USA) 1) Dolphin immunogenetics and immunogenomics; 2) Development of genomic and cellomic tools for the study of marine mammals; 3) Transcriptomics studies of the American oyster. Supervisor: Prof GW Warr.
Jan 2006-Feb 2010 Doctoral Researcher. Bologna University (Italy). Research entirely carried at MUSC, HML, Charleston, SC and at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD (USA). “Functional genomics and cell biology of the dolphin (Tursiops truncatus): establishment of novel molecular tools to study marine mammals in changing environments.” Tutor: Prof ML Melli.
Mar-Dec 2010. Post-Doctoral Researcher, Department of Pediatrics, MUSC, Charleston, SC (USA). 1) Adaptation of the pygmy sperm whale to deep dives as a model to study human respiratory diseases; 2) Transcriptomic approach to study California sea lion health. Supervisor: Prof JE Baatz.
Dec 2010-Present. Assistant Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology, Department of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Ferrara University (Italy)
2016 (Sabbatical year)
Jan 2016-Sept 2016. Principal Scientist, Ocean Ridge Biosciences, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (USA)
Sept 2016-Dec 2016. Bioinformatics Specialist, Progene DX, Boca Raton, Florida (USA)
SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS
TEACHING
-Lecturer for the Cell Biology prat of CI General Biology and Cell Biology for the B.Sc. in Biotechnology undergraduate students in Biological Science at Ferrara University (IT).
-Lecturer for the Animal Cell Biology class for the B.Sc. in Biological Sciences undergraduate students in Biological Science at Ferrara University (IT).
-Lecturer for the Morphology, Embryology and Cell Biology class for the B.Sc. in Biotechnology undergraduate students in Biological Science at Ferrara University (IT).
-Teaching Assistant for the class of Comparative Anatomy (B.Sc.) and Developmental Biology (M.Sc.) (Prof Abelli courses) at Ferrara University, and for the students in Evolution of marine organisms (Prof Tinti course) at Ravenna University (Italy).
-Teaching Assistant for the Immunology of Marine Organisms class, for graduate students (Prof GW Warr course) at the MUSC (USA).
-Lecturer of the course ‘Antarctica’ to fifth grade students (‘Adopt a school from the Antarctica’ program) before, during (through videoconferences from the Mario Zucchelli Station, Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica) and after the XXVIII Italian Campaign in the Antarctica.
MENTORING
-Supervisor of 3 undergraduate students and 2 graduate students (an M. Sc. student, College of Charleston and a PhD student, MUSC), USA.
-Supervisor of 25 undergraduate students (B.Sc. in Biological Sciences), 1 PhD students (Environmental and Evolutionary Biology PhD Program), Ferrara University, Italy.
-Member of selection board for candidates to a 6-month internship at the HML (Di Tullio lab, College of Charleston), 2 months of which spent on the icebreaker Nathaniel B Palmer research vessel for the USA TRACERS campaign in the Antarctica, MBES-MUSC program, USA.
SCIENTIFIC SERVICES
1) Environmental Management System (EMS) team member for the MUSC at HML, Charleston SC, USA.
2) Organization of Animal Welfare (OBPA) board member, Ferrara University, Italy.
3) Animal Facility Supervisor, Department of Life Sciences and biotechnology, Ferrara University, Italy.
CONFERENCES (abstracts)
1) Mancia A, Abelli L, Fossi MC, Panti C. Xenobiotics Associated to Epigenetic Changes in the skin of the Mediterranean Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus). 52nd Annual Conference of the IAAAM and the 2nd Virtual Conference 2021, May 23-26, 2021.
2) Mancia A, Abelli L, Baini M, Fossi MC, Panti C. Epigenetic effects of environmental contaminants on the skin of the fin whale (Balenoptera physalus) in the Mediterranean basin. World Marine Mammal Conference. Barcelona, Spain, December 7-12, 2019.
3) Mancia A, Abelli L, Patti G, Chenet T, Bono G, Mistri M, Cavazzini A, Pasti L. Adverse effects of plastic ingestion on the Mediterranean small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) health. 20th International Symposium on Pollutant Responses In Marine Organisms (PRIMO20), Charleston, SC USA, May 19-22, 2019.
4) Mancia A, Limonta G, Panti C, Bertolucci C, Abelli L, Fossi MC. Immunity of zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to microplastics. Zebrafish Infection and Immunity UK, London, April 8th, 2019.
5) Mancia A, Limonta G, Panti C, Bertolucci C, Abelli L, Fossi MC. Microplastics induce activation of immunity against extracellular antigens and metabolic shift in adult zebrafish. 2nd Italian Zebrafish meeting, Pisa, Jan 30th - Feb 1st, 2019.
6) Mancia A, D Lunardi, C Panti, MC Fossi, L Abelli. Determining the Effects of Contaminants of Emerging Concern on the Cetacean Transcriptome. 49th Annual IAAAM Meeting and Conference. Long Beach, CA, USA, May 19-23, 2018.
7) Mancia A, D Lunardi, C Panti, MC Fossi, L Abelli. Impact of marine contaminants of emerging concern on the cetacean transcriptome. XIX Meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), Genova, Italy - February 7-9, 2018.
8) Mancia A, Zuccon G, Lunardi D, Abelli L, Biancani B, Gili C, García Parraga D, Mellado M, Moreno Manzano V. Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells of the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) from Banked Cryopreserved Umbilical Cord Tissue. 21th Biennal Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, San Francisco, CA, USA, December 13-18, 2015.
9) Mancia A, Zuccon G, Lunardi D, Abelli L, Biancani B, Gili C, García Parraga D, Mellado M, Moreno Manzano V. Collection, isolation and preliminary characterization of stem cells from cord blood and placenta of the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. 46th Annual IAAAM Meeting and Conference. Chicago, IL, USA, April 6-10, 2015.
10) Mancia A, Abelli L, Kucklick J, Rowles T, Wells RW, Rosel P, Hohn A, Van Dolah FM, Schwacke LH, Ryan JC. The Effects of Marine Environmental Changes on the Transcriptome of the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). 3rd International Conference on Cellular Environmental Stressors in Biology and Medicine. Ferrara, Italy. June 25-27, 2014.
11) Mancia A, Lunardi D, Panti C, Fossi MC, Abelli L. Transcriptomic analysis of skin biopsies: a new approach to understand the effects of emerging contaminants on bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). 45th Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Gold Coast, Australia, May 17-22, 2014.
12) Mancia A, L. Abelli, J. Kucklick, T. Rowles, Wells RW, Rosel P, Hohn A, Van Dolah FM, Schwacke LH, Ryan JC. The Strange Case of Georgia Dolphins: the effects of environmental changes on the transcriptome. XV Meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), Ferrara, Italy - February 12-14, 2014.
13) Mancia A, J.C. Ryan, F.M. Van Dolah, J.R. Kucklick, T.K. Rowles, R.W. Wells, P.E. Rosel, A.A. Hohn, Schwacke LH. The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) as a marine biosensor to detect ocean health risks. ‘Biology and ecotoxicology of large marine vertebrates and seabirds’- Workshop, 2nd edition, University of Siena, Siena, Italy, June 5- 6, 2013.
14) Mancia A, Ryan JC, Van Dolah FM, Kucklick J, Rowles T, Wells RWW, P.E. Rosel, A.A. Hohn, Schwacke LH. Transcriptomes: a signature for common bottlenose dolphin exposure and health. 44th Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Sausalito, CA, USA, April 21-26, 2013.
15) Biancani B, Nardini G, Campesi E, Rossi G and Mancia A. Peculiarity of skin in Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) and effect of laser therapy treatment on the wound healing process. 43rd Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Atlanta, GA, USA, May 12-16, 2012.
16) Mancia A, Ryan JC, Warr GW, Abelli L, Chapman RW, Gulland FMD, Van Dolah FM Infection, immunity and the environment: connecting the dots using marine mammal transcriptomic signatures. 43rd Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Atlanta, GA, USA, May 12-16, 2012.
17) Mancia A, Ryan JC, Warr GW, Abelli L, Chapman RW, Gulland FMD, Van Dolah FM Wild Dolphin Transcriptomes: Identification of the Immune Response to Environmental Contaminants Through Gene Expression Information. XIII Meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), San Benedetto del Tronto (AP), Italy - February 22-24, 2012.
18) Mancia A, Baatz JE, Kucklick J, Rowles T, Wells RW, Rosel P, Wilcox L, Ryan JC, Schwacke LH. Wild Dolphin Transcriptomes: Identification of Ocean Health Risk Through Gene Expression Information. 19th Biennal Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Tampa, FL, USA, November 27-December 2, 2011.
19) Mancia A, Newton DA, McFee WE, Baatz JE, Spyropoulos DD. Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from cryopreserved lung tissue of the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps). LVII Symposium, Gruppo Embriologico Italiano, Monteortone (PD), Italy, June 5-8, 2011.
20) Mancia A, Baatz JE, Kucklick J, Rowles T, Wells RW, Rosel P, Wilcox L, Ryan JC, Schwacke LH. Detection of ocean health risks: the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) as a marine biosensor. 42nd Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Las Vegas, NV, USA, May 7-11, 2011.
21) Mancia A, J.C. Ryan, Warr GW, L. Abelli, Chapman RW, F.M.D Gulland, F. Van Dolah. Infection, immunity and the environment: connecting the dots using marine mammal transcriptomic signatures. XII Meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), Monteortone (PD), Italy, February 16-18, 2011.
22) Spyropoulos DD, Mancia A, Newton DA, Baatz JE. Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from cryopreserved pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) lung tissue. 5th Aquatic Animal Models for Human Disease Conference, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, September 20-22, 2010.
23) Mancia A. Microarray Application to Investigate Phenotypic Changes in a Bottlenose Dolphin Lung Cell Line. “-OMICS for Marine Mammals” Workshop, Charleston, SC, July 28-29, 2010
24) Ryan JC, Mancia A, Warr GW, Gulland FMD and Van Dolah FM Domoic Acid Toxicogenoimcs - Classifying Disease States in Wild Populations of Sea Lion. South Carolina Bioinformatics symposium, Columbia, SC, USA, April 14-15, 2009.
25) Mancia A, Warr GW, Chapman RW. The Power of the Transcriptome: Prognostic Tool for Populations of Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. 25th ESCPB Congress, Ravenna, Italy, September 7-11, 2008.
26) Williams H, Macey B, Mancia A, Gross P, Warr GW, Chapman R, Burnett L, Burnett K. Resilience and Sensitivity to Environmental Stress in the American Oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Society of Experimental Biology Meeting to Marseille, France, July 6-10, 2008.
27) Ryan JC, Mancia A, Warr GW, Gulland FMD and Van Dolah FM Cross Species Applications of 60mer Oligonucleotide Microarrays/Classifying Disease States in Wild Populations of Sea Lions. World Microarray Congress, Vancouver, Canada, July 4-5, 2008.
28) Mancia A, Warr GW, Almeida JS, Wells RW, Veloso A, Chapman RW. Location, location, location …… or what can the transcriptome tell us about populations of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus? SEAMAMMS, Charleston, SC, USA, March 28-30, 2008.
29) Mancia A, Beal M, Warr GW, Gross PS, Macey B, Veloso A, Burnett KG and Chapman RW. Transcrioptomic responses of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) to metal challenges. Plant and Animal Genome XVI Conference, San Diego, California, USA, January 12-16, 2008.
30) Mancia A, Chapman RW, Romano TA, McMillan JM, Lundqvist ML, Warr GW. Patterns and predictions from dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) differential gene expression. Plant and Animal Genome XVI Conference, San Diego, California, USA, January 12-16, 2008.
31) Mancia A, Chapman RW, Romano TA, McMillan JM, Lundqvist ML, Warr GW. Deciphering the dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) transcriptome: patterns and predictions from differential gene expression. 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Cape Town, South Africa, November 29- December 3, 2007.
32) Ierardi J, Mancia A, McMillan J, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Warr GW. Functional Genomics of the North Atlantic Right Whale: The Skin Transcriptome and its Potential Use in the Study of Health and Disease. Cape Town, South Africa, November 29- December 3, 2007.
33) Mancia A, Warr GW, Chapman RW. Deciphering the Dolphin Transcriptome: Patterns and Predictions from Differential Gene Expression. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, USA, July 11, 2007.
34) Mancia A, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Warr GW. Functional genomics approach to investigate dolphin immune expression profiling. Office of Naval Research (ONR), Arlington, VA, USA, July 18, 2006.
35) Mancia A. A cDNA Microarray Platform to Monitor the Health of the Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. 10th ISDCI (International Society for Developmental and Comparative Immunology) International Congress. Charleston, SC, USA, July 1-6, 2006.
36) Jenny MJ, Warr GW, Mancia A, Cunningham C, Chen YA, Lang P, Gross PS, McKillen DJ, Trent HF, Almeida JS, Chapman RW. Design and Characterization of a Multi-Species Oyster cDNA Microarray. 10th ISDCI (International Society for Developmental and Comparative Immunology) International Congress. Charleston, SC, July 1-6, 2006.
37) Ierardi J, Mancia A, McMillan J, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Warr GW. Health Assessment of the North Atlantic Right Whale through Expression of Target Immune/Stress Response Genes. 10th ISDCI (International Society for Developmental and Comparative Immunology) International Congress. Charleston, SC, July 1-6, 2006.
38) Mancia A, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Peden-Adams M, Fair PA, Kindy MS, Ellis BC, Gattoni-Celli S, McKillen DJ, Trent HF, Chen YA, Almeida JS, Gross PS, Chapman RW, Warr GW. A cDNA Microarray Platform to Monitor the Health of T. truncatus. 37th Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Nassau, Bahamas, May 6-10, 2006.
39) Mancia A, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Gattoni-Celli S, Peden-Adams M, McKillen DJ, Trent HF, Chen YA, Almeida JS, Fair P, Bossart G, Wells RW and Warr GW. Development and Application of a Dolphin Microarray. 16th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals. San Diego, CA, USA, December 12-16, 2005.
40) Mancia A, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Bossart G, Fair P, and Warr GW. Development of a Dolphin cDNA Microarray. 36th Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Seward, Alaska, AK, USA, May 14-18, 2005.
41) Alessandri M, Beretta GL, Ferretti E, Mancia A and Capranico G. GAL4-Topoisomerase I fusion proteins (GalTop) selectively relax GAL4 motif-containig supercoiled plasmids. XXIX Symposium of the Italian Cancer Society, 2002.
RESEARCH PROJECTS (Subject, Scientific Partners, Role)
NATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
- Meccanismi molecolari di risposta a stress chimici, fisici e biologici in predatori di apice dell’ecosistema marino. Scientific partners: Mancia A - Abelli L (Università di Ferrara, Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biotecnologie, SVEB); Panti C-Fossi MC (Università di Siena, Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente, DSFTA). Principal Investigator.
- Meccanismi molecolari e cellulari di risposta a contaminanti emergenti in zebrafish, organismo modello. Scientific partners: Mancia A - Abelli L – Bertolucci C (Università di Ferrara, SVEB); Panti C - Fossi MC (Università di Siena, DSFTA). Principal Investigator.
- Meccanismi molecolari di risposta a contaminanti emergenti in vertebrati marini (pesci ossei e cartilaginei) residenti nel Mar Mediterraneo. Scientific partnersi: Mancia A (Università di Ferrara, SVEB); Pasti L (Università di Ferrara, Dipartimento di Chimica e Scienze Farmaceutiche); Bono G - Geraci ML (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR-IRBIM). Principal Investigator.
- Meccanismi di adattamento del sistema immunitario di teleostei polari Gruppo Mancia A – Abelli L (Università di Ferrara, SVEB); Oreste U - Coscia MR (CNR-IBP). Collaborator.
- Radiazione adattativa di pesci antartici: Mappatura in situ di tratti evolutivamente rilevanti nel genoma dei Notothenioidei (IMAGES) Gruppo Mancia (Università di Ferrara, SVEB); Pisano (Università di Genova, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Ambiente, Vita, DISTAV). Collaborator.
- Basi molecolari e genetiche dell'ibernazione nella testuggine terrestre, Testudo hermanni. Gruppi coinvolti: Mancia-Bertorelle (Unife SVEB); Ruolo: Collaborator.
- Caratterizzazione morfologica, ecologica, clinica e genetica della popolazione di testuggine terrestre (Testudo hermanni) della Riserva Naturale Orientata Dune Fossili di Massenzatica (Ferrara). Gruppi coinvolti: Mancia-Bertorelle (Unife SVEB); Mazzotti (Museo di Storia Naturale, Ferrara). Principal Investigator.
- Studio delle topoisomerasi come target molecolari di farmaci antitumorali. Gruppo: Capranico (Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Biochimica G. Moruzzi). Collaborator.
- Ruolo dell’interleuchina IL-1b nello sviluppo del cervello del ratto. Gruppo: Melli (Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica Sperimentale). Collaborator.
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
-Isolation, Characterization and biomedical application of mesenchymal stem cells from marine mammals. Scientific partners: Mancia A (University of Ferrara, SVEB), Manzano VM (Prince Felipe Research Institute, Valencia, Spain), Parraga DG (Oceanographic, Valencia, Spain). Principal Investigator.
- Genomic analysis of Chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) datasets for CIRS for drug discovery. Scientific Partners: Shoemaker RC (Center for Research on Biotoxin-Associated Illnesses, MD, USA); Ryan J (ProgeneDX, LLC, FL, USA); Mancia A (University of Ferrara, SVEB). Collaborator.
- Developing the Necessary Tools for Detection of Ocean Health Risks using the Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) as a Marine Biosensor. Schwacke L, Ryan J, Rowels, T (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA, SC, USA); DeGuise S (University of Connecticut, CT, USA, Conn), Wells R (Chicago Zoological Society, CZS), Mancia A (Medical University of South Carolina, Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Science Center, MUSC-MBES, Hollings Marine Labs, HML, SC, USA). Collaborator.
- Genomics of marine mammals. Foote AD (Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Denmark); Donna M - Muzny DM - Worley KC (Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, TX, USA); Mancia A (MUSC-MBES, SC, USA; University of Ferrara, SVEB). Collaborator.
- Functional Genomics of Dolphins as a Sentinel Species. Scientific partners: Warr GW, Lundqvist M Mancia A (Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC-MBES, SC, USA); Romano T (Mystic Aquarium, CT, USA); Bossart G (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, HBOI); Wells R (CZS). Collaborator.
- Adaptation of the pygmy sperm whale to deep dives as a model to study human respiratory diseases. Baatz J - Mancia A – Spyropolous D (Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC-MBES, SC, USA). Collaborator.
- Transcriptomic approach to study California sea lion health. Scientific partners: Mancia A (MUSC-MBES, SC, USA); Ryan J, Van Dolah F (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA, SC, USA); Gulland F (Marine Mammal Center, CA, USA). Collaborator.
- Development of genomic and cellomic tools for the study of marine mammals. Scientific partners: Mancia A- Warr GW (MUSC-MBES, SC, USA); Plant A (National Institute of Standard and Technologies, NIST, Division of Biochemical Sciences, MD, USA). Collaborator.
- Ecogenomics: transcriptomics studies of the American oyster. Warr GW- Mancia A (MUSC-MBES, SC, USA); Chapman RW (South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, SC, USA); Burnett K (College of Charleston, SC, USA). Collaborator.
- Dolphin immunogenetics. Scientific partners: Mancia A- Warr GW (MUSC-MBES, SC, USA). Collaborator.
HONOR/AWARDS
1996-2000 Fellowship for academic excellence, University of Bologna, Italy.
2001-03 Postgraduate fellowship funded by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC).
2003-04 Postgraduate fellowship for research training in the USA, funded by the University of Bologna, Italy.
2007 US SC Sea Grant Consortium travel award for the 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Cape Town, South Africa, 2007.
2009 “Marco Polo” fellowship for research in the USA, funded by Bologna University (IT).
2011 “2010 PAMBA Marine Biotechnology Award of Excellence” for 2009-10 body of work, with special reference to the studies on the immunogenetics of dolphins.
2014 Erasmus+ for teaching mobility STA, at Universidad Catolica de Valencia, Spain 15/09-27/09/2014.
2017 “Outstanding contribution in Reviewing” for the scientific journal Environmental Pollution, ELSEVIER.
2018 “Outstanding contribution in Reviewing” for the scientific journal Marine Genomics, ELSEVIER.
GRANTS
2010. Ocean and Human Health Initiative OHHI. The bottlenose dolphin transcriptome as marine biosensor. Principal Investigator, PI.
2011. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Assessment of the effects of environmental stressors on the marine ecosystem and human health. PI.
2012. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Assessment of the effects of environmental stressors on the marine ecosystem and human health. PI.
2012. Internationalisation Grant. “DOLPHINOMICS “. PI.
2013. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Assessment of the effects of environmental stressors on the marine ecosystem and human health. PI.
2014. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Assessment of the effects of environmental stressors on the marine ecosystem and human health. PI
2014. Internationalisation Grant. Isolation and characterization of mesenchymal stem cells from dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) umbilical cord. Potential biomedical applications. SeDNA. PI.
2015. Interdisciplinary research grant (PRIA). PHENIX – Photo-electrochemical wastewater treatment coupled to renewable energy production by tandem solar devices. Co- PI.
2017. Fondo per l’incentivazione alla Ricerca FIR. Epigenetic and transcriptomic analyses of marine vertebrates: a new integrated approach to study the effects of contaminants on the italian coast ecosystem. PI.
2018. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Aquatic vertebrate’s immunity toward environmental stressors. PI.
2019. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Genomics of marine vertebrates in response to environmental challenges. PI.
2019. Parco delta del Po. Conservation genomics and health monitoring plan for the Hermann's tortoise in the Fossil Dunes of Massenzatica Reserve, Italy. Co-PI.
2020. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Genomics of marine vertebrates in response to environmental challenges. PI.
PEER REVIEWER
Environmental Science and Technology, Developmental and Comparative Immunology, Marine Biotechnology, Marine Genomics, Marine Mammal Science, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Environmental Pollution, Frontier in Marine Science, Marine Pollution, Results in Immunology, Journal of Environmental Informatics, Gene, Scientific Reports.
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP
International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM), International Society for Developmental and Comparative Immunology (ISDCI), Pan American Marine Biotechnology Association (PAMBA), Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, Società Italiana di Immunologia Comparata e dello Sviluppo (SIICS), The Society for Marine Mammology (SMM).
ORGANIZER OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS
Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium SEAMAMMS, March 28-30, 2008, Charleston SC, USA; 19th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Nov 27-Dec 2, 2011, Tampa FL, USA; 44th IAAAM Conference, Sausalito CA, USA, April 21-26, 2013; XV Meeting SIICS, Ferrara, Feb 12-4, 2014; 46th IAAAM Conference, Chicago, IL, USA, April 5-11, 2015; 21th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Dec 13-Dec 18, 2015, San Francisco CA, USA Chairman: IAAAM and SIICS Congresses.
FIELD ACTIVITY
-Marine Mammals. Capture-release health assessment studies of wild dolphins in the South Carolina coastal waters, August 2003, 2004 and 2005 (Charleston, SC, USA). Sample processed: blood, urine, fecal samples. Coordinator on vessel.
-Marine Mammals. Necropsy: 2005, sea otter (Enhydra lutris), at Alaska Sea Life Center, Seward, AK, USA; 2009: bottlenose dolphin (T. truncatus) and pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps), NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), Charleston, SC, USA.
-Antarctic fish. XXVIII Italian Campaign in the Antarctica, Mario Zucchelli Station, Ross Sea, Antarctica (2012-2013). Sampling and processing of icefish (Chionodraco hamatus) and other antartic teleosts.
-Marine Mammals. Dart biopsy sampling, scientific cruise ‘Plastic Pelagos’ with researcher from Siena University and from the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), in the Tyrrhenian Sea (8-18 September 2014). Sampling and processing of marine mammal’s skin (Stenella coeruleoalba; Balaenoptera physalus; Grampus griseus).
-Marine Mammals. Necropsy: 2015, stranded dolphin (T. truncatus) at Lombardia and Emilia Romagna Experimental Zootechnic Institute, Cassana, Ferrara (IT) (2014).
-Marine Mammals. Stem cells collection: Oltremare, Riccione and Acquario di Genova, Genova (IT) (2012-2015). Sampling and processing of dolphin (T. truncatus) placenta and umbilical cord blood.
-Tortoise. Morphometrics, stool, blood samples collection and tracheal and cloacal swab samples from wild and captive Hermann tortoises (T. hermanni). Fossil Dunes of Massenzatica Reserve; State Forestry Corps of Emilia-Romagna (2019).
SKILLS/TECHNIQUES
-Molecular: DNA and RNA extraction from mammals, fish, reptiles and invertebrates tissues, RT-RACE-real time PCR, mutagenesis, gene knockout, homologous recombination, yeast two hybrid system, targeted gene cloning, in-house Sanger sequencing, gene discovery through high throughput mining of cDNA libraries, Northern, Southern, Western blots, protein purification.
-Genomic: Generation of cDNA and oligo microarrays, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies (e.g. Illumina) and NGS library preps.
-Cell cultures: Isolation of primary cultures, of mesenchymal of stem cells, single-cell cloning and immortalization of cell lines, enzymatic assays, cytotoxic assays, cell sorting, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, production of induced pluripotent stem cells.
-Data analysis softwares: RasMol, PDB Viewer, Oligo, Vector NTI Viewer, Blastx, Blast2go, ClustalW, Quantarray, Scanarray, GeneSpring GX, Rosetta Resolver, ImageJ, Galaxy, IGV; sequence analysis software (DNASTAR, MEGA5, CEQ8000, Cromas), Elsevier Pathway studio.
-Computer knowledge and experience with both Windows and MacOS operating system and their software and applications: Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft Office 1997, MS Word, MS Access, MS Excel, MS FrontPage, Internet Explorer, Outlook, Outlook Express, PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Endnote, Numbers, Keynote, Pages, Safari, Google Chrome.
PUBLICATIONS (proceedings)
1) GIGLIO, A et al. XXth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 13 - 15 February 2019, Department of Biology, Ecology and Life Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], p. 34-47, mar. 2019. ISSN 1824-307X. Effects on immunity of exposure to microplastics in adult zebrafish. Mancia A, Abelli L, Benkhalqui A, Bertolucci C, Fossi MC, Limonta G, Panti C.
2) GIGLIO, A et al. XXth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 13 - 15 February 2019, Department of Biology, Ecology and Life Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], p. 34-47, mar. 2019. ISSN 1824-307X. Immunodetection of IgM, IgT and pIgR in mucosal tissues of Antarctic teleost. Ametrano A, Mancia A, Ballarin S, Benkhalqui A, Calderoni G, Pavani G, Coscia MR, Abelli L.
3) Baztan J., Bergmann M., Carrasco A., Fossi C., Jorgensen B., Miguelez Q., Pahl S., Thompson R.C., Vanderlinden J-P. (Eds.) 2018, MICRO 2018. Fate and Impact of Microplastics: Knowledge, Actions and Solutions. 414 pp. MSFS-RBLZ. ISBN 978-84-09-06477-9. CC-BY-NC-SA. Zebrafish exposure to high-density polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics: effects on liver transcriptome and gastrointestinal histology. Panti C, Limonta G, Mancia A, Abelli L, Fossi MC.
4) CANESI, L et al. XIXth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 7 - 9 February 2018, Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], v. 15, n. 1, p. 116-130, feb. 2018. ISSN 1824-307X. Impact of marine contaminants of emerging concern on the cetacean transcriptome. Mancia A, Lunardi D, Panti C, Fossi MC, Abelli L.
5) ABELLI, L et al. XVth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 12 - 14 February 2014, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], v. 11, n. 1, p. 54-65, feb. 2014. ISSN 1824-307X. The Strange Case of Georgia Dolphins: the effects of environmental changes on the transcriptome. Mancia A, Abelli L Kucklick J, Rowles T, Wells RW, Rosel P, Hohn A, Van Dolah FM, Schwacke LH, Ryan JC.
6) Nicks n Notches; Annual Summary of the Activities and Findings of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, Chicago Zoological Society. Jan 2014. Bottlenose dolphins: A biosensor to detect ocean health risks. Mancia A.
7) VALLESI, A; ALIMENTI, C; LUPORINI, P. XIIIth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 22 - 24 February 2012, Department of Environmental and Natural Sciences, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], v. 9, n. 1, p. 35-47, feb. 2012. ISSN 1824-307X. Wild Dolphin Transcriptomes: Identification of the Immune Response to Environmental Contaminants Through Gene Expression Information. Mancia A, Ryan JC, Warr GW, Abelli L, Chapman RW, Gulland FMD, Van Dolah FM.
8) BALLARIN, L et al. XIIth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 16 - 18 February 2011, Hotel S. Marco, Monteortone, Padua, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], v. 8, n. 1, p. 33-46, feb. 2011. ISSN 1824-307X. Infection, Immunity and the Environment: Connecting the Dots Using Marine Mammal Transcriptomic Signatures. Mancia A, Ryan JC, Warr GW, Abelli L, Van Dolah FM, Gulland FMD, Chapman RW.
9) Chapman R W, Mancia, A, Beal M, Veloso A, Rathburn C, Blair A, Sanger D, Holland AF, Warr GW, Didonato G (2009). A transcriptomic analysis of land use impacts on the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in the South Atlantic bight. JOURNAL OF SHELLFISH RESEARCH, vol. 28, p. 688, ATL SHELLFISHERIES ASSOC, C/O DR. SANDRA E. SHUMWAY, UNIV CONNECTICUT, 1080 SHENNECOSSETT RD, GROTON, CT 06340 USA, ISSN: 0730-8000.
10) Mancia A, Warr GW, Almeida JS, Wells RW, Veloso A, Chapman RW. The Power of the transcriptome: Prognostic tool for populations of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Comp Biochem Physiol Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology. 2008. 151 (1), Suppl 1: S40-S41.
11) Burnett K, Williams H, Macey B, Mancia A, Gross P, Warr GW, Chapman RW, Burnett L. Resilience and sensitivity to environmental stress in the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Comp Biochem Physiol Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology. 2008. 150 (3), Suppl 1: S157-S157.
PUBLICATIONS (peer-reviewed)
1) Chenet T, Mancia A, Bono G, Falsone F, Scannella D, Vaccaro C, Baldi A, Catani M, Cavazzini A, Pasti L. Plastic ingestion by Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) from central Mediterranean Sea: A potential cause for endocrine disruption. Env Poll. 26 2021 May, 284:117449.
2) Limonta G, Mancia A, Abelli L, Fossi MC, Caliani I, Panti C. Effects of microplastics on head kidney gene expression and enzymatic biomarkers in adult zebrafish. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2021 Mar 19;245:109037.
3) Ierardi JL, Veloso A, Mancia A. Transcriptome analysis of cadmium exposure in kidney fibroblast cells of the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis). Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2021 Apr;242:108946.
4) Mancia A, Abelli L, Fossi MC, Panti C. Skin distress associated with xenobiotics exposure: An epigenetic study in the Mediterranean fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). Mar Genomics. 2020 Oct 15:100822.
5) Mancia A, Chenet T, Bono G, Geraci ML, Vaccaro C, Munari C, Mistri M, Cavazzini A, Pasti L. Adverse Effects of Plastic Ingestion on the Mediterranean Small-Spotted Catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula). Mar Environ Res. 2020, 155:104876.
6) Limonta G, Mancia A, Benkhalqui A, Bertolucci C, Abelli L, Fossi MC, Panti C. Microplastics induce transcriptional changes, immune response and behavioral alterations in adult zebrafish. Sci. Rep. Sci Rep. 2019 Oct 31;9(1):15775.
7) Mancia A, Zuccon G, Lunardi D, Biancani B, Gili C, Stanyon R, Garcia Parraga D, Mellado M, Abelli L, Moreno Manzano V. Isolation and phenotyping of potential stem cells from the umbilical cord of bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. Int. J. Dev. Biol. 2019,63: 295-299.
8) Mancia A. On the revolution of cetacean evolution. Mar Genomics. 2018 Oct;41:1-5.
9) Mancia A. New technologies for monitoring marine mammals health in "Marine Mammal Ecotoxicology: Impacts of Multiple Stressors on Population Health", Ed. Maria Cristina Fossi and Cristina Panti; Amsterdam: Elsevier Academic Press; 2018.
10) Mancia A, Lunardi D, Abelli L. The chronicles of the contaminated Mediterranean seas: a story told by the cetaceans' skin genes. Mar Poll Bull. 2018 Feb; 127:10–14.
11) Shoemaker RC, Heyman A, Mancia A and Ryan JC. Inflammation Induced Chronic Fatiguing Illnesses: A steady march towards understanding mechanisms and identifying new biomarkers and therapies. Int Med Rev. 2017 Vol 3;11.
12) Mancia A. Marine mammal immunity towards environmental challenges in “Lessons in Immunolgy: from Single-Cell Organism to Mammals”, pp. 287-293. Ed. Loriano Ballarin and Matteo Cammarata; Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2016.
13) Lunardi D, Abelli L, Panti C, Marsili L, Fossi MC, Mancia A. Transcriptomic analysis of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) skin biopsies to assess the effects of emerging contaminants. Mar Environ Res. 2016 Mar;114:74-9.
14) Foote AD, Liu Y, Thomas GW, Vinař T, Alföldi J, Deng J, Dugan S, van Elk CE, Hunter ME, Joshi V, Khan Z, Kovar C, Lee SL, Lindblad-Toh K, Mancia A, Nielsen R, Qin X, Qu J, Raney BJ, Vijay N, Wolf JB, Hahn MW, Muzny DM, Worley KC, Gilbert MT, Gibbs RA. Convergent evolution of the genomes of marine mammals. Nat Genet. 2015 Mar;47(3):272-5.
15) Mancia A, Abelli L, Kucklick JR, Rowles TK, Wells RS, Balmer BC, Hohn AA, Baatz JE, Ryan JC. Microarray applications to understand the impact of exposure to environmental contaminants in wild dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Mar Genomics. 2015 Feb;19:47-57.
16) Mancia A, Ryan JC, Van Dolah FM, Kucklick JR, Rowles TK, Wells RS, Rosel PE, Hohn AA, Schwacke LH. Machine learning approaches to investigate the impact of PCBs on the transcriptome of the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Mar Environ Res. 2014 Sep;100:57-67.
17) Mancia A, Elliott JT, Halter M, Bhadriraju K, Tona A, Spurlin TA, Middlebrooks BL, Baatz JE, Warr GW, Plant AL. Quantitative methods to characterize morphological properties of cell lines. Biotechnol Prog. 2012 Jul;28(4):1069-78.
18) Mancia A, Ryan JC, Chapman RW, Wu Q, Warr GW, Gulland FM, Van Dolah FM. Health status, infection and disease in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) studied using a canine microarray platform and machine-learning approaches. Dev Comp Immunol. 2012 Apr;36(4):629-37.
19) Mancia A, Spyropoulos DD, McFee WE, Newton DA, Baatz JE. Cryopreservation and in vitro culture of primary cell types from lung tissue of a stranded pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps). Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. (2012) Jan;155(1):136-42.
20) Chapman RW, Mancia A, Beal M, Veloso A, Rathburn C, Blair A, Holland AF, Warr GW, Didinato G, Sokolova IM, Wirth EF, Duffy E, Sanger D. The transcriptomic responses of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, to environmental conditions. Mol Ecol. 2011 Apr;20(7):1431-49.
21) Mancia A, Chapman RW, S. Gattoni-Celli, Baatz JE. 2010. From DNA to RNA to Proteins: Molecular Approaches to Decipher Dolphin’s Genetic Information. In “Dolphins: Anatomy, Behavior, and Threats", pp. 79-105. Ed. Agustin G. Pearce and Lucía M. Correa, Nova Science Publishers, Inc, Hauppauge, NY.
22) Mancia A, Warr GW, Almeida JS, Veloso A, Wells RS, and Chapman RW. Differentiation of populations of wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) using transcription profiles. Estuar Coasts. 2010 Jul;33(4):919-929.
23) Macey BM, Jenny MJ, Williams HR, Thibodeaux LK, Beal M, Almeida JS, Cunningham C, Mancia A, Warr GW, Burge EJ, Holland AF, Gross PS, Hikima S, Burnett KG, Burnett L, Chapman RW. Modelling interactions of acid-base balance and respiratory status in the toxicity of metal mixtures in the American oyster Crassostrea virginica. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2010 Mar;155(3):341-9.
24) Ciarrocchi A, D'Angelo R, Cordiglieri C, Rispoli A, Santi S, Riccio M, Carone S, Mancia A, Paci S, Cipollini E, Ambrosetti D, Melli M. Tollip is a mediator of protein sumoylation. PLoS One. 2009;4(2):e4404.
25) Ierardi JL, Mancia A, McMillan J, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Wise JP Sr, Warr GW, Chapman RW. Sampling the skin transcriptome of the North Atlantic right whale. Comp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics. 2009 Sep;4(3):154-8.
26) Ellis BC, Gattoni-Celli S, Mancia A, Kindy MS. The vitamin D3 transcriptomic response in skin cells derived from the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Dev Comp Immunol. 2009 Aug;33(8):901-12.
27) Chapman RW, Mancia A, Beal M, Veloso A, Rathburn C, Blair A, Sanger D, Holland AF, Warr GW, Didonato G. A transcriptomic analysis of land-use impacts on the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in the South Atlantic bight. Mol Ecol. 2009 Jun;18(11):2415-25.
28) Mancia A, Warr GW, Chapman RW. A transcriptomic analysis of the stress induced by capture-release health assessment studies in wild dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Mol Ecol. 2008 Jun;17(11):2581-9.
29) Mancia A, Romano TA, Gefroh HA, Chapman RW, Middleton DL, Warr GW, Lundqvist ML. Characterization of the immunoglobulin A heavy chain gene of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2007 Aug 15;118(3-4):304-9.
30) Jenny MJ, Chapman RW, Mancia A, Chen YA, McKillen DJ, Trent H, Lang P, Escoubas JM, Bachere E, Boulo V, Liu ZJ, Gross PS, Cunningham C, Cupit PM, Tanguy A, Guo X, Moraga D, Boutet I, Huvet A, De Guise S, Almeida JS, Warr GW. A cDNA microarray for Crassostrea virginica and C. gigas. Mar Biotechnol (NY). 2007 Sep-Oct;9(5):577-91.
31) Mancia A, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Peden-Adams MM, Fair PA, Kindy MS, Ellis BC, Gattoni-Celli S, McKillen DJ, Trent HF, Chen YA, Almeida JS, Gross PS, Chapman RW, Warr GW. A dolphin peripheral blood leukocyte cDNA microarray for studies of immune function and stress reactions. Dev Comp Immunol. 2007;31(5):520-9.
32) Mancia A, Romano TA, Gefroh HA, Chapman RW, Middleton DL, Warr GW, Lundqvist ML. The Immunoglobulin G Heavy Chain (IGHG) genes of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2006 May;144(1):38-46.
33) Alessandri M, Beretta GL, Ferretti E, Mancia A, Khobta A, Capranico G. Enhanced CPT sensitivity of yeast cells and selective relaxation of Ga14 motif-containing DNA by novel Gal4-topoisomerase I fusion proteins. J Mol Biol. 2004 Mar 19;337(2):295-305.
34) Sissi C, Leo E, Moro S, Capranico G, Mancia A, Menta E, Krapcho AP, Palumbo M. Antitumor AZA-anthrapyrazoles: biophysical and biochemical studies on 8- and 9-aza regioisomers. Biochem Pharmacol. 2004 Feb 15;67(4):631-42.
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
1) A Transcriptomic Approach to Study the Effects of Environmental Pollution on Marine Mammal's Health. University of Siena, 18 November 2021, Siena, Italy.
2) Comparative Genomics of Marine Mammals. University of Potsdam, 24 June, 2019, Potsdam, Germany.
3) How dolphins can help you live to 100: a transcriptomic approach to study the effects of environmental pollution. Ocean Science Symposium, 9-10 May 2018, Seward, Alaska, USA.
4) Why dolphins don’t play soccer: evidences and mysteries of cetacean’s genetic code. Museum of Natural History, 8 March, 2017, Ferrara, Italy.
5) Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe, 23 September, 2015, Valencia, Spain.
6) Understanding Marine Mammals in the Environment: a Molecular Approach. University of Ravenna Marine Biology, 14 April, 2011, Italy.
7) Microarray Application to Investigate Phenotypic Changes in a Bottlenose Dolphin Lung Cell Line. OMICS for Marine Mammals Workshop, 28-29 July, 2010, Charleston, SC, USA.
Annalaura Mancia (AM) was born in San Benedetto del Tronto (Italy) in 1976. Since December 1st, 2010, she is a member of the Faculty of the University of Ferrara; currently she is Associate Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology at the Department of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, at the University of Ferrara, Italy; since 2011, she is Associate Graduate Faculty at the Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Center, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston SC, USA.
AM obtained B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Biological Sciences at the University of Bologna (Italy) by the year 2000. After working for 2.5 years as a researcher at the Biochemistry Department of the Bologna University, AM won an international fellowship to go to the USA with the exchange visitor program. In August 2003, she joined the lab of Prof Gregory W. Warr at the marine genomics group at the MUSC, Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) in Charleston (USA), where her work was focused on the immunogenomics of marine mammals. AM returned to the University of Bologna at the end of 2006 to enroll in a PhD Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, asking and obtaining the opportunity to accomplish her research in the USA, mostly at the HML in Charleston. In 2008, AM spent a year at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg MD, USA, where she acquired further skills in cell biology. The time spent at NIST was a unique opportunity to interact with researchers of different scientific fields, use upgraded instrumentation and gain knowledge that has contributed to the breadth of her scientific background. AM graduated with a PhD in April 2010 and she continued her work at the HML till the end of the year 2010.
For the past 20 years, AM has been using functional genomics to study the pathophysiology, environmental toxicology and immunology of marine organisms, marine mammals in particular. Her main scientific contributions include the development and application of microarrays for assessing transcriptomic responses to environmental stressors, sequencing the first dolphin genome for comparative genomic studies of mammalian evolution, and the development of marine mammal tissue culture reagents for controlled toxicology studies.
On the leading edge of marine mammal research, she performs both observational and hypotheses-driven research (basic biology and applied biology), designs and conducts ecologically-relevant laboratory experiments, interprets data with an open mind and an ethical perspective, and publish frequently in high quality, peer-reviewed journals.
AM is co-author of 34 publications in extensor (more than half the time being the leading author) in international scientific journals and presented her work at 37 international and 4 national conferences.
ACADEMIC RECORDS
jul 2021-Present. Associate Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology. Department of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Ferrara University (Italy).
Dec 2010-Jun 2021. Assistant Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology. Department of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Ferrara University (Italy); Faculty for B.Sc. Degree in Biological Sciences, Ferrara University (Italy). Faculty for B.Sc. Degree in Biotechnology, Ferrara University (Italy);
Apr 2011-2016. Associate Graduate Faculty, Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC (USA);
Jan-Feb 2012. Visiting Scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Charleston, SC (USA);
Sep 2012-2018. Environmental and Evolutionary Biology PhD Board Faculty, Ferrara University (Italy);
Sep 2014-Present. Erasmus+ Student Selection Board Member. EU program for study and train opportunities abroad, Ferrara University (Italy);
Sep 2015. Visiting Scientist. Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe Valencia, Spain;
Sep 2017-Present. National and International Students Selection Board Member, B.Sc. in Biological Sciences and M.Sc. in Biomolecular and Evolutionary Science, Ferrara University (Italy);
Nov 2018- Present. Organization of Animal Welfare (OBPA) Board Member, Ferrara University, Italy.
RESEARCH TRAINING
Apr 2001-Jul 2003. Research Fellow, Department of Biochemistry, Bologna University (IT)
Topoisomerases, their implication in cancer and their role as molecular targets for antitumor drugs.” Supervisor: Prof G Capranico.
Aug 2003-Dec 2005. Research Fellow. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC, Hollings Marine Laboratories, HML, Charleston, SC (USA) 1) Dolphin immunogenetics and immunogenomics; 2) Development of genomic and cellomic tools for the study of marine mammals; 3) Transcriptomics studies of the American oyster. Supervisor: Prof GW Warr.
Jan 2006-Feb 2010 Doctoral Researcher. Bologna University (Italy). Research entirely carried at MUSC, HML, Charleston, SC and at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD (USA). “Functional genomics and cell biology of the dolphin (Tursiops truncatus): establishment of novel molecular tools to study marine mammals in changing environments.” Tutor: Prof ML Melli.
Mar-Dec 2010. Post-Doctoral Researcher, Department of Pediatrics, MUSC, Charleston, SC (USA). 1) Adaptation of the pygmy sperm whale to deep dives as a model to study human respiratory diseases; 2) Transcriptomic approach to study California sea lion health. Supervisor: Prof JE Baatz.
Dec 2010-Present. Assistant Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology, Department of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Ferrara University (Italy)
2016 (Sabbatical year)
Jan 2016-Sept 2016. Principal Scientist, Ocean Ridge Biosciences, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (USA)
Sept 2016-Dec 2016. Bioinformatics Specialist, Progene DX, Boca Raton, Florida (USA)
SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS
TEACHING
-Lecturer for the Cell Biology prat of CI General Biology and Cell Biology for the B.Sc. in Biotechnology undergraduate students in Biological Science at Ferrara University (IT).
-Lecturer for the Animal Cell Biology class for the B.Sc. in Biological Sciences undergraduate students in Biological Science at Ferrara University (IT).
-Lecturer for the Morphology, Embryology and Cell Biology class for the B.Sc. in Biotechnology undergraduate students in Biological Science at Ferrara University (IT).
-Teaching Assistant for the class of Comparative Anatomy (B.Sc.) and Developmental Biology (M.Sc.) (Prof Abelli courses) at Ferrara University, and for the students in Evolution of marine organisms (Prof Tinti course) at Ravenna University (Italy).
-Teaching Assistant for the Immunology of Marine Organisms class, for graduate students (Prof GW Warr course) at the MUSC (USA).
-Lecturer of the course ‘Antarctica’ to fifth grade students (‘Adopt a school from the Antarctica’ program) before, during (through videoconferences from the Mario Zucchelli Station, Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica) and after the XXVIII Italian Campaign in the Antarctica.
MENTORING
-Supervisor of 3 undergraduate students and 2 graduate students (an M. Sc. student, College of Charleston and a PhD student, MUSC), USA.
-Supervisor of 25 undergraduate students (B.Sc. in Biological Sciences), 1 PhD students (Environmental and Evolutionary Biology PhD Program), Ferrara University, Italy.
-Member of selection board for candidates to a 6-month internship at the HML (Di Tullio lab, College of Charleston), 2 months of which spent on the icebreaker Nathaniel B Palmer research vessel for the USA TRACERS campaign in the Antarctica, MBES-MUSC program, USA.
SCIENTIFIC SERVICES
1) Environmental Management System (EMS) team member for the MUSC at HML, Charleston SC, USA.
2) Organization of Animal Welfare (OBPA) board member, Ferrara University, Italy.
3) Animal Facility Supervisor, Department of Life Sciences and biotechnology, Ferrara University, Italy.
CONFERENCES (abstracts)
1) Mancia A, Abelli L, Fossi MC, Panti C. Xenobiotics Associated to Epigenetic Changes in the skin of the Mediterranean Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus). 52nd Annual Conference of the IAAAM and the 2nd Virtual Conference 2021, May 23-26, 2021.
2) Mancia A, Abelli L, Baini M, Fossi MC, Panti C. Epigenetic effects of environmental contaminants on the skin of the fin whale (Balenoptera physalus) in the Mediterranean basin. World Marine Mammal Conference. Barcelona, Spain, December 7-12, 2019.
3) Mancia A, Abelli L, Patti G, Chenet T, Bono G, Mistri M, Cavazzini A, Pasti L. Adverse effects of plastic ingestion on the Mediterranean small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) health. 20th International Symposium on Pollutant Responses In Marine Organisms (PRIMO20), Charleston, SC USA, May 19-22, 2019.
4) Mancia A, Limonta G, Panti C, Bertolucci C, Abelli L, Fossi MC. Immunity of zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to microplastics. Zebrafish Infection and Immunity UK, London, April 8th, 2019.
5) Mancia A, Limonta G, Panti C, Bertolucci C, Abelli L, Fossi MC. Microplastics induce activation of immunity against extracellular antigens and metabolic shift in adult zebrafish. 2nd Italian Zebrafish meeting, Pisa, Jan 30th - Feb 1st, 2019.
6) Mancia A, D Lunardi, C Panti, MC Fossi, L Abelli. Determining the Effects of Contaminants of Emerging Concern on the Cetacean Transcriptome. 49th Annual IAAAM Meeting and Conference. Long Beach, CA, USA, May 19-23, 2018.
7) Mancia A, D Lunardi, C Panti, MC Fossi, L Abelli. Impact of marine contaminants of emerging concern on the cetacean transcriptome. XIX Meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), Genova, Italy - February 7-9, 2018.
8) Mancia A, Zuccon G, Lunardi D, Abelli L, Biancani B, Gili C, García Parraga D, Mellado M, Moreno Manzano V. Isolation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells of the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) from Banked Cryopreserved Umbilical Cord Tissue. 21th Biennal Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, San Francisco, CA, USA, December 13-18, 2015.
9) Mancia A, Zuccon G, Lunardi D, Abelli L, Biancani B, Gili C, García Parraga D, Mellado M, Moreno Manzano V. Collection, isolation and preliminary characterization of stem cells from cord blood and placenta of the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. 46th Annual IAAAM Meeting and Conference. Chicago, IL, USA, April 6-10, 2015.
10) Mancia A, Abelli L, Kucklick J, Rowles T, Wells RW, Rosel P, Hohn A, Van Dolah FM, Schwacke LH, Ryan JC. The Effects of Marine Environmental Changes on the Transcriptome of the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). 3rd International Conference on Cellular Environmental Stressors in Biology and Medicine. Ferrara, Italy. June 25-27, 2014.
11) Mancia A, Lunardi D, Panti C, Fossi MC, Abelli L. Transcriptomic analysis of skin biopsies: a new approach to understand the effects of emerging contaminants on bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). 45th Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Gold Coast, Australia, May 17-22, 2014.
12) Mancia A, L. Abelli, J. Kucklick, T. Rowles, Wells RW, Rosel P, Hohn A, Van Dolah FM, Schwacke LH, Ryan JC. The Strange Case of Georgia Dolphins: the effects of environmental changes on the transcriptome. XV Meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), Ferrara, Italy - February 12-14, 2014.
13) Mancia A, J.C. Ryan, F.M. Van Dolah, J.R. Kucklick, T.K. Rowles, R.W. Wells, P.E. Rosel, A.A. Hohn, Schwacke LH. The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) as a marine biosensor to detect ocean health risks. ‘Biology and ecotoxicology of large marine vertebrates and seabirds’- Workshop, 2nd edition, University of Siena, Siena, Italy, June 5- 6, 2013.
14) Mancia A, Ryan JC, Van Dolah FM, Kucklick J, Rowles T, Wells RWW, P.E. Rosel, A.A. Hohn, Schwacke LH. Transcriptomes: a signature for common bottlenose dolphin exposure and health. 44th Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Sausalito, CA, USA, April 21-26, 2013.
15) Biancani B, Nardini G, Campesi E, Rossi G and Mancia A. Peculiarity of skin in Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) and effect of laser therapy treatment on the wound healing process. 43rd Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Atlanta, GA, USA, May 12-16, 2012.
16) Mancia A, Ryan JC, Warr GW, Abelli L, Chapman RW, Gulland FMD, Van Dolah FM Infection, immunity and the environment: connecting the dots using marine mammal transcriptomic signatures. 43rd Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Atlanta, GA, USA, May 12-16, 2012.
17) Mancia A, Ryan JC, Warr GW, Abelli L, Chapman RW, Gulland FMD, Van Dolah FM Wild Dolphin Transcriptomes: Identification of the Immune Response to Environmental Contaminants Through Gene Expression Information. XIII Meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), San Benedetto del Tronto (AP), Italy - February 22-24, 2012.
18) Mancia A, Baatz JE, Kucklick J, Rowles T, Wells RW, Rosel P, Wilcox L, Ryan JC, Schwacke LH. Wild Dolphin Transcriptomes: Identification of Ocean Health Risk Through Gene Expression Information. 19th Biennal Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Tampa, FL, USA, November 27-December 2, 2011.
19) Mancia A, Newton DA, McFee WE, Baatz JE, Spyropoulos DD. Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from cryopreserved lung tissue of the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps). LVII Symposium, Gruppo Embriologico Italiano, Monteortone (PD), Italy, June 5-8, 2011.
20) Mancia A, Baatz JE, Kucklick J, Rowles T, Wells RW, Rosel P, Wilcox L, Ryan JC, Schwacke LH. Detection of ocean health risks: the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) as a marine biosensor. 42nd Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Las Vegas, NV, USA, May 7-11, 2011.
21) Mancia A, J.C. Ryan, Warr GW, L. Abelli, Chapman RW, F.M.D Gulland, F. Van Dolah. Infection, immunity and the environment: connecting the dots using marine mammal transcriptomic signatures. XII Meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), Monteortone (PD), Italy, February 16-18, 2011.
22) Spyropoulos DD, Mancia A, Newton DA, Baatz JE. Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from cryopreserved pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) lung tissue. 5th Aquatic Animal Models for Human Disease Conference, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, September 20-22, 2010.
23) Mancia A. Microarray Application to Investigate Phenotypic Changes in a Bottlenose Dolphin Lung Cell Line. “-OMICS for Marine Mammals” Workshop, Charleston, SC, July 28-29, 2010
24) Ryan JC, Mancia A, Warr GW, Gulland FMD and Van Dolah FM Domoic Acid Toxicogenoimcs - Classifying Disease States in Wild Populations of Sea Lion. South Carolina Bioinformatics symposium, Columbia, SC, USA, April 14-15, 2009.
25) Mancia A, Warr GW, Chapman RW. The Power of the Transcriptome: Prognostic Tool for Populations of Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. 25th ESCPB Congress, Ravenna, Italy, September 7-11, 2008.
26) Williams H, Macey B, Mancia A, Gross P, Warr GW, Chapman R, Burnett L, Burnett K. Resilience and Sensitivity to Environmental Stress in the American Oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Society of Experimental Biology Meeting to Marseille, France, July 6-10, 2008.
27) Ryan JC, Mancia A, Warr GW, Gulland FMD and Van Dolah FM Cross Species Applications of 60mer Oligonucleotide Microarrays/Classifying Disease States in Wild Populations of Sea Lions. World Microarray Congress, Vancouver, Canada, July 4-5, 2008.
28) Mancia A, Warr GW, Almeida JS, Wells RW, Veloso A, Chapman RW. Location, location, location …… or what can the transcriptome tell us about populations of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus? SEAMAMMS, Charleston, SC, USA, March 28-30, 2008.
29) Mancia A, Beal M, Warr GW, Gross PS, Macey B, Veloso A, Burnett KG and Chapman RW. Transcrioptomic responses of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) to metal challenges. Plant and Animal Genome XVI Conference, San Diego, California, USA, January 12-16, 2008.
30) Mancia A, Chapman RW, Romano TA, McMillan JM, Lundqvist ML, Warr GW. Patterns and predictions from dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) differential gene expression. Plant and Animal Genome XVI Conference, San Diego, California, USA, January 12-16, 2008.
31) Mancia A, Chapman RW, Romano TA, McMillan JM, Lundqvist ML, Warr GW. Deciphering the dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) transcriptome: patterns and predictions from differential gene expression. 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Cape Town, South Africa, November 29- December 3, 2007.
32) Ierardi J, Mancia A, McMillan J, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Warr GW. Functional Genomics of the North Atlantic Right Whale: The Skin Transcriptome and its Potential Use in the Study of Health and Disease. Cape Town, South Africa, November 29- December 3, 2007.
33) Mancia A, Warr GW, Chapman RW. Deciphering the Dolphin Transcriptome: Patterns and Predictions from Differential Gene Expression. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, USA, July 11, 2007.
34) Mancia A, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Warr GW. Functional genomics approach to investigate dolphin immune expression profiling. Office of Naval Research (ONR), Arlington, VA, USA, July 18, 2006.
35) Mancia A. A cDNA Microarray Platform to Monitor the Health of the Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. 10th ISDCI (International Society for Developmental and Comparative Immunology) International Congress. Charleston, SC, USA, July 1-6, 2006.
36) Jenny MJ, Warr GW, Mancia A, Cunningham C, Chen YA, Lang P, Gross PS, McKillen DJ, Trent HF, Almeida JS, Chapman RW. Design and Characterization of a Multi-Species Oyster cDNA Microarray. 10th ISDCI (International Society for Developmental and Comparative Immunology) International Congress. Charleston, SC, July 1-6, 2006.
37) Ierardi J, Mancia A, McMillan J, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Warr GW. Health Assessment of the North Atlantic Right Whale through Expression of Target Immune/Stress Response Genes. 10th ISDCI (International Society for Developmental and Comparative Immunology) International Congress. Charleston, SC, July 1-6, 2006.
38) Mancia A, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Peden-Adams M, Fair PA, Kindy MS, Ellis BC, Gattoni-Celli S, McKillen DJ, Trent HF, Chen YA, Almeida JS, Gross PS, Chapman RW, Warr GW. A cDNA Microarray Platform to Monitor the Health of T. truncatus. 37th Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Nassau, Bahamas, May 6-10, 2006.
39) Mancia A, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Gattoni-Celli S, Peden-Adams M, McKillen DJ, Trent HF, Chen YA, Almeida JS, Fair P, Bossart G, Wells RW and Warr GW. Development and Application of a Dolphin Microarray. 16th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals. San Diego, CA, USA, December 12-16, 2005.
40) Mancia A, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Bossart G, Fair P, and Warr GW. Development of a Dolphin cDNA Microarray. 36th Annual IAAAM (International Association for Aquatic Animal) Conference. Seward, Alaska, AK, USA, May 14-18, 2005.
41) Alessandri M, Beretta GL, Ferretti E, Mancia A and Capranico G. GAL4-Topoisomerase I fusion proteins (GalTop) selectively relax GAL4 motif-containig supercoiled plasmids. XXIX Symposium of the Italian Cancer Society, 2002.
RESEARCH PROJECTS (Subject, Scientific Partners, Role)
NATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
- Meccanismi molecolari di risposta a stress chimici, fisici e biologici in predatori di apice dell’ecosistema marino. Scientific partners: Mancia A - Abelli L (Università di Ferrara, Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biotecnologie, SVEB); Panti C-Fossi MC (Università di Siena, Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente, DSFTA). Principal Investigator.
- Meccanismi molecolari e cellulari di risposta a contaminanti emergenti in zebrafish, organismo modello. Scientific partners: Mancia A - Abelli L – Bertolucci C (Università di Ferrara, SVEB); Panti C - Fossi MC (Università di Siena, DSFTA). Principal Investigator.
- Meccanismi molecolari di risposta a contaminanti emergenti in vertebrati marini (pesci ossei e cartilaginei) residenti nel Mar Mediterraneo. Scientific partnersi: Mancia A (Università di Ferrara, SVEB); Pasti L (Università di Ferrara, Dipartimento di Chimica e Scienze Farmaceutiche); Bono G - Geraci ML (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR-IRBIM). Principal Investigator.
- Meccanismi di adattamento del sistema immunitario di teleostei polari Gruppo Mancia A – Abelli L (Università di Ferrara, SVEB); Oreste U - Coscia MR (CNR-IBP). Collaborator.
- Radiazione adattativa di pesci antartici: Mappatura in situ di tratti evolutivamente rilevanti nel genoma dei Notothenioidei (IMAGES) Gruppo Mancia (Università di Ferrara, SVEB); Pisano (Università di Genova, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Ambiente, Vita, DISTAV). Collaborator.
- Basi molecolari e genetiche dell'ibernazione nella testuggine terrestre, Testudo hermanni. Gruppi coinvolti: Mancia-Bertorelle (Unife SVEB); Ruolo: Collaborator.
- Caratterizzazione morfologica, ecologica, clinica e genetica della popolazione di testuggine terrestre (Testudo hermanni) della Riserva Naturale Orientata Dune Fossili di Massenzatica (Ferrara). Gruppi coinvolti: Mancia-Bertorelle (Unife SVEB); Mazzotti (Museo di Storia Naturale, Ferrara). Principal Investigator.
- Studio delle topoisomerasi come target molecolari di farmaci antitumorali. Gruppo: Capranico (Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Biochimica G. Moruzzi). Collaborator.
- Ruolo dell’interleuchina IL-1b nello sviluppo del cervello del ratto. Gruppo: Melli (Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica Sperimentale). Collaborator.
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
-Isolation, Characterization and biomedical application of mesenchymal stem cells from marine mammals. Scientific partners: Mancia A (University of Ferrara, SVEB), Manzano VM (Prince Felipe Research Institute, Valencia, Spain), Parraga DG (Oceanographic, Valencia, Spain). Principal Investigator.
- Genomic analysis of Chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) datasets for CIRS for drug discovery. Scientific Partners: Shoemaker RC (Center for Research on Biotoxin-Associated Illnesses, MD, USA); Ryan J (ProgeneDX, LLC, FL, USA); Mancia A (University of Ferrara, SVEB). Collaborator.
- Developing the Necessary Tools for Detection of Ocean Health Risks using the Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) as a Marine Biosensor. Schwacke L, Ryan J, Rowels, T (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA, SC, USA); DeGuise S (University of Connecticut, CT, USA, Conn), Wells R (Chicago Zoological Society, CZS), Mancia A (Medical University of South Carolina, Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Science Center, MUSC-MBES, Hollings Marine Labs, HML, SC, USA). Collaborator.
- Genomics of marine mammals. Foote AD (Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Denmark); Donna M - Muzny DM - Worley KC (Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, TX, USA); Mancia A (MUSC-MBES, SC, USA; University of Ferrara, SVEB). Collaborator.
- Functional Genomics of Dolphins as a Sentinel Species. Scientific partners: Warr GW, Lundqvist M Mancia A (Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC-MBES, SC, USA); Romano T (Mystic Aquarium, CT, USA); Bossart G (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, HBOI); Wells R (CZS). Collaborator.
- Adaptation of the pygmy sperm whale to deep dives as a model to study human respiratory diseases. Baatz J - Mancia A – Spyropolous D (Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC-MBES, SC, USA). Collaborator.
- Transcriptomic approach to study California sea lion health. Scientific partners: Mancia A (MUSC-MBES, SC, USA); Ryan J, Van Dolah F (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA, SC, USA); Gulland F (Marine Mammal Center, CA, USA). Collaborator.
- Development of genomic and cellomic tools for the study of marine mammals. Scientific partners: Mancia A- Warr GW (MUSC-MBES, SC, USA); Plant A (National Institute of Standard and Technologies, NIST, Division of Biochemical Sciences, MD, USA). Collaborator.
- Ecogenomics: transcriptomics studies of the American oyster. Warr GW- Mancia A (MUSC-MBES, SC, USA); Chapman RW (South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, SC, USA); Burnett K (College of Charleston, SC, USA). Collaborator.
- Dolphin immunogenetics. Scientific partners: Mancia A- Warr GW (MUSC-MBES, SC, USA). Collaborator.
HONOR/AWARDS
1996-2000 Fellowship for academic excellence, University of Bologna, Italy.
2001-03 Postgraduate fellowship funded by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC).
2003-04 Postgraduate fellowship for research training in the USA, funded by the University of Bologna, Italy.
2007 US SC Sea Grant Consortium travel award for the 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Cape Town, South Africa, 2007.
2009 “Marco Polo” fellowship for research in the USA, funded by Bologna University (IT).
2011 “2010 PAMBA Marine Biotechnology Award of Excellence” for 2009-10 body of work, with special reference to the studies on the immunogenetics of dolphins.
2014 Erasmus+ for teaching mobility STA, at Universidad Catolica de Valencia, Spain 15/09-27/09/2014.
2017 “Outstanding contribution in Reviewing” for the scientific journal Environmental Pollution, ELSEVIER.
2018 “Outstanding contribution in Reviewing” for the scientific journal Marine Genomics, ELSEVIER.
GRANTS
2010. Ocean and Human Health Initiative OHHI. The bottlenose dolphin transcriptome as marine biosensor. Principal Investigator, PI.
2011. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Assessment of the effects of environmental stressors on the marine ecosystem and human health. PI.
2012. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Assessment of the effects of environmental stressors on the marine ecosystem and human health. PI.
2012. Internationalisation Grant. “DOLPHINOMICS “. PI.
2013. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Assessment of the effects of environmental stressors on the marine ecosystem and human health. PI.
2014. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Assessment of the effects of environmental stressors on the marine ecosystem and human health. PI
2014. Internationalisation Grant. Isolation and characterization of mesenchymal stem cells from dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) umbilical cord. Potential biomedical applications. SeDNA. PI.
2015. Interdisciplinary research grant (PRIA). PHENIX – Photo-electrochemical wastewater treatment coupled to renewable energy production by tandem solar devices. Co- PI.
2017. Fondo per l’incentivazione alla Ricerca FIR. Epigenetic and transcriptomic analyses of marine vertebrates: a new integrated approach to study the effects of contaminants on the italian coast ecosystem. PI.
2018. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Aquatic vertebrate’s immunity toward environmental stressors. PI.
2019. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Genomics of marine vertebrates in response to environmental challenges. PI.
2019. Parco delta del Po. Conservation genomics and health monitoring plan for the Hermann's tortoise in the Fossil Dunes of Massenzatica Reserve, Italy. Co-PI.
2020. Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca FAR. Genomics of marine vertebrates in response to environmental challenges. PI.
PEER REVIEWER
Environmental Science and Technology, Developmental and Comparative Immunology, Marine Biotechnology, Marine Genomics, Marine Mammal Science, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Environmental Pollution, Frontier in Marine Science, Marine Pollution, Results in Immunology, Journal of Environmental Informatics, Gene, Scientific Reports.
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP
International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM), International Society for Developmental and Comparative Immunology (ISDCI), Pan American Marine Biotechnology Association (PAMBA), Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, Società Italiana di Immunologia Comparata e dello Sviluppo (SIICS), The Society for Marine Mammology (SMM).
ORGANIZER OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS
Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium SEAMAMMS, March 28-30, 2008, Charleston SC, USA; 19th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Nov 27-Dec 2, 2011, Tampa FL, USA; 44th IAAAM Conference, Sausalito CA, USA, April 21-26, 2013; XV Meeting SIICS, Ferrara, Feb 12-4, 2014; 46th IAAAM Conference, Chicago, IL, USA, April 5-11, 2015; 21th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Dec 13-Dec 18, 2015, San Francisco CA, USA Chairman: IAAAM and SIICS Congresses.
FIELD ACTIVITY
-Marine Mammals. Capture-release health assessment studies of wild dolphins in the South Carolina coastal waters, August 2003, 2004 and 2005 (Charleston, SC, USA). Sample processed: blood, urine, fecal samples. Coordinator on vessel.
-Marine Mammals. Necropsy: 2005, sea otter (Enhydra lutris), at Alaska Sea Life Center, Seward, AK, USA; 2009: bottlenose dolphin (T. truncatus) and pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps), NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), Charleston, SC, USA.
-Antarctic fish. XXVIII Italian Campaign in the Antarctica, Mario Zucchelli Station, Ross Sea, Antarctica (2012-2013). Sampling and processing of icefish (Chionodraco hamatus) and other antartic teleosts.
-Marine Mammals. Dart biopsy sampling, scientific cruise ‘Plastic Pelagos’ with researcher from Siena University and from the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), in the Tyrrhenian Sea (8-18 September 2014). Sampling and processing of marine mammal’s skin (Stenella coeruleoalba; Balaenoptera physalus; Grampus griseus).
-Marine Mammals. Necropsy: 2015, stranded dolphin (T. truncatus) at Lombardia and Emilia Romagna Experimental Zootechnic Institute, Cassana, Ferrara (IT) (2014).
-Marine Mammals. Stem cells collection: Oltremare, Riccione and Acquario di Genova, Genova (IT) (2012-2015). Sampling and processing of dolphin (T. truncatus) placenta and umbilical cord blood.
-Tortoise. Morphometrics, stool, blood samples collection and tracheal and cloacal swab samples from wild and captive Hermann tortoises (T. hermanni). Fossil Dunes of Massenzatica Reserve; State Forestry Corps of Emilia-Romagna (2019).
SKILLS/TECHNIQUES
-Molecular: DNA and RNA extraction from mammals, fish, reptiles and invertebrates tissues, RT-RACE-real time PCR, mutagenesis, gene knockout, homologous recombination, yeast two hybrid system, targeted gene cloning, in-house Sanger sequencing, gene discovery through high throughput mining of cDNA libraries, Northern, Southern, Western blots, protein purification.
-Genomic: Generation of cDNA and oligo microarrays, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies (e.g. Illumina) and NGS library preps.
-Cell cultures: Isolation of primary cultures, of mesenchymal of stem cells, single-cell cloning and immortalization of cell lines, enzymatic assays, cytotoxic assays, cell sorting, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, production of induced pluripotent stem cells.
-Data analysis softwares: RasMol, PDB Viewer, Oligo, Vector NTI Viewer, Blastx, Blast2go, ClustalW, Quantarray, Scanarray, GeneSpring GX, Rosetta Resolver, ImageJ, Galaxy, IGV; sequence analysis software (DNASTAR, MEGA5, CEQ8000, Cromas), Elsevier Pathway studio.
-Computer knowledge and experience with both Windows and MacOS operating system and their software and applications: Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft Office 1997, MS Word, MS Access, MS Excel, MS FrontPage, Internet Explorer, Outlook, Outlook Express, PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Endnote, Numbers, Keynote, Pages, Safari, Google Chrome.
PUBLICATIONS (proceedings)
1) GIGLIO, A et al. XXth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 13 - 15 February 2019, Department of Biology, Ecology and Life Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], p. 34-47, mar. 2019. ISSN 1824-307X. Effects on immunity of exposure to microplastics in adult zebrafish. Mancia A, Abelli L, Benkhalqui A, Bertolucci C, Fossi MC, Limonta G, Panti C.
2) GIGLIO, A et al. XXth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 13 - 15 February 2019, Department of Biology, Ecology and Life Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], p. 34-47, mar. 2019. ISSN 1824-307X. Immunodetection of IgM, IgT and pIgR in mucosal tissues of Antarctic teleost. Ametrano A, Mancia A, Ballarin S, Benkhalqui A, Calderoni G, Pavani G, Coscia MR, Abelli L.
3) Baztan J., Bergmann M., Carrasco A., Fossi C., Jorgensen B., Miguelez Q., Pahl S., Thompson R.C., Vanderlinden J-P. (Eds.) 2018, MICRO 2018. Fate and Impact of Microplastics: Knowledge, Actions and Solutions. 414 pp. MSFS-RBLZ. ISBN 978-84-09-06477-9. CC-BY-NC-SA. Zebrafish exposure to high-density polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics: effects on liver transcriptome and gastrointestinal histology. Panti C, Limonta G, Mancia A, Abelli L, Fossi MC.
4) CANESI, L et al. XIXth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 7 - 9 February 2018, Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], v. 15, n. 1, p. 116-130, feb. 2018. ISSN 1824-307X. Impact of marine contaminants of emerging concern on the cetacean transcriptome. Mancia A, Lunardi D, Panti C, Fossi MC, Abelli L.
5) ABELLI, L et al. XVth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 12 - 14 February 2014, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], v. 11, n. 1, p. 54-65, feb. 2014. ISSN 1824-307X. The Strange Case of Georgia Dolphins: the effects of environmental changes on the transcriptome. Mancia A, Abelli L Kucklick J, Rowles T, Wells RW, Rosel P, Hohn A, Van Dolah FM, Schwacke LH, Ryan JC.
6) Nicks n Notches; Annual Summary of the Activities and Findings of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, Chicago Zoological Society. Jan 2014. Bottlenose dolphins: A biosensor to detect ocean health risks. Mancia A.
7) VALLESI, A; ALIMENTI, C; LUPORINI, P. XIIIth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 22 - 24 February 2012, Department of Environmental and Natural Sciences, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], v. 9, n. 1, p. 35-47, feb. 2012. ISSN 1824-307X. Wild Dolphin Transcriptomes: Identification of the Immune Response to Environmental Contaminants Through Gene Expression Information. Mancia A, Ryan JC, Warr GW, Abelli L, Chapman RW, Gulland FMD, Van Dolah FM.
8) BALLARIN, L et al. XIIth scientific meeting of the Italian Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (IADCI), 16 - 18 February 2011, Hotel S. Marco, Monteortone, Padua, Italy. Invertebrate Survival Journal, [S.l.], v. 8, n. 1, p. 33-46, feb. 2011. ISSN 1824-307X. Infection, Immunity and the Environment: Connecting the Dots Using Marine Mammal Transcriptomic Signatures. Mancia A, Ryan JC, Warr GW, Abelli L, Van Dolah FM, Gulland FMD, Chapman RW.
9) Chapman R W, Mancia, A, Beal M, Veloso A, Rathburn C, Blair A, Sanger D, Holland AF, Warr GW, Didonato G (2009). A transcriptomic analysis of land use impacts on the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in the South Atlantic bight. JOURNAL OF SHELLFISH RESEARCH, vol. 28, p. 688, ATL SHELLFISHERIES ASSOC, C/O DR. SANDRA E. SHUMWAY, UNIV CONNECTICUT, 1080 SHENNECOSSETT RD, GROTON, CT 06340 USA, ISSN: 0730-8000.
10) Mancia A, Warr GW, Almeida JS, Wells RW, Veloso A, Chapman RW. The Power of the transcriptome: Prognostic tool for populations of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Comp Biochem Physiol Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology. 2008. 151 (1), Suppl 1: S40-S41.
11) Burnett K, Williams H, Macey B, Mancia A, Gross P, Warr GW, Chapman RW, Burnett L. Resilience and sensitivity to environmental stress in the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Comp Biochem Physiol Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology. 2008. 150 (3), Suppl 1: S157-S157.
PUBLICATIONS (peer-reviewed)
1) Chenet T, Mancia A, Bono G, Falsone F, Scannella D, Vaccaro C, Baldi A, Catani M, Cavazzini A, Pasti L. Plastic ingestion by Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) from central Mediterranean Sea: A potential cause for endocrine disruption. Env Poll. 26 2021 May, 284:117449.
2) Limonta G, Mancia A, Abelli L, Fossi MC, Caliani I, Panti C. Effects of microplastics on head kidney gene expression and enzymatic biomarkers in adult zebrafish. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2021 Mar 19;245:109037.
3) Ierardi JL, Veloso A, Mancia A. Transcriptome analysis of cadmium exposure in kidney fibroblast cells of the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis). Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2021 Apr;242:108946.
4) Mancia A, Abelli L, Fossi MC, Panti C. Skin distress associated with xenobiotics exposure: An epigenetic study in the Mediterranean fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). Mar Genomics. 2020 Oct 15:100822.
5) Mancia A, Chenet T, Bono G, Geraci ML, Vaccaro C, Munari C, Mistri M, Cavazzini A, Pasti L. Adverse Effects of Plastic Ingestion on the Mediterranean Small-Spotted Catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula). Mar Environ Res. 2020, 155:104876.
6) Limonta G, Mancia A, Benkhalqui A, Bertolucci C, Abelli L, Fossi MC, Panti C. Microplastics induce transcriptional changes, immune response and behavioral alterations in adult zebrafish. Sci. Rep. Sci Rep. 2019 Oct 31;9(1):15775.
7) Mancia A, Zuccon G, Lunardi D, Biancani B, Gili C, Stanyon R, Garcia Parraga D, Mellado M, Abelli L, Moreno Manzano V. Isolation and phenotyping of potential stem cells from the umbilical cord of bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. Int. J. Dev. Biol. 2019,63: 295-299.
8) Mancia A. On the revolution of cetacean evolution. Mar Genomics. 2018 Oct;41:1-5.
9) Mancia A. New technologies for monitoring marine mammals health in "Marine Mammal Ecotoxicology: Impacts of Multiple Stressors on Population Health", Ed. Maria Cristina Fossi and Cristina Panti; Amsterdam: Elsevier Academic Press; 2018.
10) Mancia A, Lunardi D, Abelli L. The chronicles of the contaminated Mediterranean seas: a story told by the cetaceans' skin genes. Mar Poll Bull. 2018 Feb; 127:10–14.
11) Shoemaker RC, Heyman A, Mancia A and Ryan JC. Inflammation Induced Chronic Fatiguing Illnesses: A steady march towards understanding mechanisms and identifying new biomarkers and therapies. Int Med Rev. 2017 Vol 3;11.
12) Mancia A. Marine mammal immunity towards environmental challenges in “Lessons in Immunolgy: from Single-Cell Organism to Mammals”, pp. 287-293. Ed. Loriano Ballarin and Matteo Cammarata; Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2016.
13) Lunardi D, Abelli L, Panti C, Marsili L, Fossi MC, Mancia A. Transcriptomic analysis of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) skin biopsies to assess the effects of emerging contaminants. Mar Environ Res. 2016 Mar;114:74-9.
14) Foote AD, Liu Y, Thomas GW, Vinař T, Alföldi J, Deng J, Dugan S, van Elk CE, Hunter ME, Joshi V, Khan Z, Kovar C, Lee SL, Lindblad-Toh K, Mancia A, Nielsen R, Qin X, Qu J, Raney BJ, Vijay N, Wolf JB, Hahn MW, Muzny DM, Worley KC, Gilbert MT, Gibbs RA. Convergent evolution of the genomes of marine mammals. Nat Genet. 2015 Mar;47(3):272-5.
15) Mancia A, Abelli L, Kucklick JR, Rowles TK, Wells RS, Balmer BC, Hohn AA, Baatz JE, Ryan JC. Microarray applications to understand the impact of exposure to environmental contaminants in wild dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Mar Genomics. 2015 Feb;19:47-57.
16) Mancia A, Ryan JC, Van Dolah FM, Kucklick JR, Rowles TK, Wells RS, Rosel PE, Hohn AA, Schwacke LH. Machine learning approaches to investigate the impact of PCBs on the transcriptome of the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Mar Environ Res. 2014 Sep;100:57-67.
17) Mancia A, Elliott JT, Halter M, Bhadriraju K, Tona A, Spurlin TA, Middlebrooks BL, Baatz JE, Warr GW, Plant AL. Quantitative methods to characterize morphological properties of cell lines. Biotechnol Prog. 2012 Jul;28(4):1069-78.
18) Mancia A, Ryan JC, Chapman RW, Wu Q, Warr GW, Gulland FM, Van Dolah FM. Health status, infection and disease in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) studied using a canine microarray platform and machine-learning approaches. Dev Comp Immunol. 2012 Apr;36(4):629-37.
19) Mancia A, Spyropoulos DD, McFee WE, Newton DA, Baatz JE. Cryopreservation and in vitro culture of primary cell types from lung tissue of a stranded pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps). Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. (2012) Jan;155(1):136-42.
20) Chapman RW, Mancia A, Beal M, Veloso A, Rathburn C, Blair A, Holland AF, Warr GW, Didinato G, Sokolova IM, Wirth EF, Duffy E, Sanger D. The transcriptomic responses of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, to environmental conditions. Mol Ecol. 2011 Apr;20(7):1431-49.
21) Mancia A, Chapman RW, S. Gattoni-Celli, Baatz JE. 2010. From DNA to RNA to Proteins: Molecular Approaches to Decipher Dolphin’s Genetic Information. In “Dolphins: Anatomy, Behavior, and Threats", pp. 79-105. Ed. Agustin G. Pearce and Lucía M. Correa, Nova Science Publishers, Inc, Hauppauge, NY.
22) Mancia A, Warr GW, Almeida JS, Veloso A, Wells RS, and Chapman RW. Differentiation of populations of wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) using transcription profiles. Estuar Coasts. 2010 Jul;33(4):919-929.
23) Macey BM, Jenny MJ, Williams HR, Thibodeaux LK, Beal M, Almeida JS, Cunningham C, Mancia A, Warr GW, Burge EJ, Holland AF, Gross PS, Hikima S, Burnett KG, Burnett L, Chapman RW. Modelling interactions of acid-base balance and respiratory status in the toxicity of metal mixtures in the American oyster Crassostrea virginica. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2010 Mar;155(3):341-9.
24) Ciarrocchi A, D'Angelo R, Cordiglieri C, Rispoli A, Santi S, Riccio M, Carone S, Mancia A, Paci S, Cipollini E, Ambrosetti D, Melli M. Tollip is a mediator of protein sumoylation. PLoS One. 2009;4(2):e4404.
25) Ierardi JL, Mancia A, McMillan J, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Wise JP Sr, Warr GW, Chapman RW. Sampling the skin transcriptome of the North Atlantic right whale. Comp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics. 2009 Sep;4(3):154-8.
26) Ellis BC, Gattoni-Celli S, Mancia A, Kindy MS. The vitamin D3 transcriptomic response in skin cells derived from the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Dev Comp Immunol. 2009 Aug;33(8):901-12.
27) Chapman RW, Mancia A, Beal M, Veloso A, Rathburn C, Blair A, Sanger D, Holland AF, Warr GW, Didonato G. A transcriptomic analysis of land-use impacts on the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in the South Atlantic bight. Mol Ecol. 2009 Jun;18(11):2415-25.
28) Mancia A, Warr GW, Chapman RW. A transcriptomic analysis of the stress induced by capture-release health assessment studies in wild dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Mol Ecol. 2008 Jun;17(11):2581-9.
29) Mancia A, Romano TA, Gefroh HA, Chapman RW, Middleton DL, Warr GW, Lundqvist ML. Characterization of the immunoglobulin A heavy chain gene of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2007 Aug 15;118(3-4):304-9.
30) Jenny MJ, Chapman RW, Mancia A, Chen YA, McKillen DJ, Trent H, Lang P, Escoubas JM, Bachere E, Boulo V, Liu ZJ, Gross PS, Cunningham C, Cupit PM, Tanguy A, Guo X, Moraga D, Boutet I, Huvet A, De Guise S, Almeida JS, Warr GW. A cDNA microarray for Crassostrea virginica and C. gigas. Mar Biotechnol (NY). 2007 Sep-Oct;9(5):577-91.
31) Mancia A, Lundqvist ML, Romano TA, Peden-Adams MM, Fair PA, Kindy MS, Ellis BC, Gattoni-Celli S, McKillen DJ, Trent HF, Chen YA, Almeida JS, Gross PS, Chapman RW, Warr GW. A dolphin peripheral blood leukocyte cDNA microarray for studies of immune function and stress reactions. Dev Comp Immunol. 2007;31(5):520-9.
32) Mancia A, Romano TA, Gefroh HA, Chapman RW, Middleton DL, Warr GW, Lundqvist ML. The Immunoglobulin G Heavy Chain (IGHG) genes of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2006 May;144(1):38-46.
33) Alessandri M, Beretta GL, Ferretti E, Mancia A, Khobta A, Capranico G. Enhanced CPT sensitivity of yeast cells and selective relaxation of Ga14 motif-containing DNA by novel Gal4-topoisomerase I fusion proteins. J Mol Biol. 2004 Mar 19;337(2):295-305.
34) Sissi C, Leo E, Moro S, Capranico G, Mancia A, Menta E, Krapcho AP, Palumbo M. Antitumor AZA-anthrapyrazoles: biophysical and biochemical studies on 8- and 9-aza regioisomers. Biochem Pharmacol. 2004 Feb 15;67(4):631-42.
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
1) A Transcriptomic Approach to Study the Effects of Environmental Pollution on Marine Mammal's Health. University of Siena, 18 November 2021, Siena, Italy.
2) Comparative Genomics of Marine Mammals. University of Potsdam, 24 June, 2019, Potsdam, Germany.
3) How dolphins can help you live to 100: a transcriptomic approach to study the effects of environmental pollution. Ocean Science Symposium, 9-10 May 2018, Seward, Alaska, USA.
4) Why dolphins don’t play soccer: evidences and mysteries of cetacean’s genetic code. Museum of Natural History, 8 March, 2017, Ferrara, Italy.
5) Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe, 23 September, 2015, Valencia, Spain.
6) Understanding Marine Mammals in the Environment: a Molecular Approach. University of Ravenna Marine Biology, 14 April, 2011, Italy.
7) Microarray Application to Investigate Phenotypic Changes in a Bottlenose Dolphin Lung Cell Line. OMICS for Marine Mammals Workshop, 28-29 July, 2010, Charleston, SC, USA.
