Curriculum
MATTEO BOVOLENTA, PhD
Current Position:
Associate Professor, Scientific-Disciplinary Sector BIO/11, Molecular Biology, Department of Translational Medicine and for Romagna, University of Ferrara (Unife).
Educational Background:
Graduate: Industrial Biotechnology 110/110 with honor degree (2005)
Postgraduate: PhD in Medical Genetics (2006-2009)
Teaching Activities:
2024 – present Gene Therapy For Neuromuscular Disorders – TAFS PhD students, UNIFE, Italy
2024 – present Molecular Biology (8 hours/year) – B.Sc. in Medical Biotechnology, UNIFE, Italy
2021 – present Molecular Biology (92 hours/year) – M.Sc. in Translational Biotechnology, UNIFE, Italy
2016 – 2017 Molecular Biology (72 hours/year) – B.Sc. in Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy
2012 – 2015 Molecular Biology (72 hours/year) – B.Sc. in Biological Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy
2009 Applied Bioinformatics (6 hours/year) – Specialization course of Medical Genetics, University of Ferrara
Scientific Experience:
April 2003 - March 2005
Undergraduated studies at the Human Anatomy Laboratory of the University of Ferrara.
March 2005 - March 2006
Research fellowship granted by the Bank of Ferrara at the Dep. of Experimental Medicine and Diagnostic Section of Medical Genetics of the University of Ferrara.
April 2006 - June 2009
Telethon Foundation Research fellowship at the Dep. of Experimental Medicine and Diagnostic Section of Medical Genetics of the University of Ferrara, within the project “Definition of the dystrophin gene transcriptome and modulation of mutations by antisense oligonucleotides-induced targeted exon skipping”.
January 2006- December 2009
Medical Genetics PhD studentship at the Second University of Naples with Professor V. Nigro.
July 2009 – June 2010
Temporary research associate at the Dep. of Experimental Medicine and Diagnostic Section of Medical Genetics of the University of Ferrara, within the Telethon project “Toward a mitochondrial therapy of collagen VI muscular dystrophies”.
April 2010 – March 2011
Research grant to Matteo Bovolenta from the Association “Amici di Edy Onlus” for the project “Restoration of DMD gene duplications by a Zinc-Finger Nucleases approach”.
July 2010 – September 2012
Temporary research associate at the Dep. of Experimental Medicine and Diagnostic Section of Medical Genetics of the University of Ferrara, within the EU FP7 projects “Identifying and validating pre-clinical biomarkers for diagnostics and therapeutics of Neuromuscular Disorders” (BIO-NMD project) and “High throughput molecular diagnostics in individual patients for genetic diseases with heterogeneous clinical presentation” (NMD-CHIP).
March 2011
Awarded by Technology Review Italy with the title of “Young Innovator of the Year 2011” with the project “Correction of duplications in the DMD gene by a Zinc-Finger Nucleases approach”.
October 2012 – September 2017
Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology at the Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, at the University of Ferrara (3+2 year fixed-term position).
An independent researcher awarded with competitive international grants (AFM-Telethon, Bayer Hemophilia Award and Marie Sklodowska Curie Individual Fellowship). During this period I established collaborations, lead a small team and published gene editing therapeutic strategy papers in high ranking journals.
March 2017 – February 2019
Senior Researcher and Marie Curie Fellow at Genethon for the project “Correction of duplications in the DMD gene by a CRISPR/Cas9 approach”.
March 2019 – December 2020
Senior Researcher (Chargé de Recherche) with permanent contract within the Progressive Muscular Dystrophies group at Genethon.
January 2021 – December 2023
Tenure track Assistant Professor in Molecular Biology.
January 2024 – present
Associate Professor in Molecular Biology, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Italy.
Awarded Grants:
-AFM-Telethon Trampoline Grant 07/2014-07/2015
“Correction of duplications in the DMD gene by a CRISPR/Cas9 approach”
Principal Investigator: Matteo Bovolenta (47000 euro, 1 year) Foreign collaborators: K. Flanigan and F. Mingozzi.
-Bayer Hemophilia Early Career Investigator Award 09/2014 – ongoing
“Transcriptional enhancement as therapeutic approach of coagulation factors promoter mutations”
Principal Investigator: Matteo Bovolenta (71000 euro/year, 2 years) Foreign collaborators: F. Mingozzi and F. Mavilio.
-Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship 03/2017 – 02/2019
“Correction of duplications in the DMD gene by a CRISPR/Cas9 approach”
Principal Investigator: Matteo Bovolenta (185076 euro, 2 years). Foreign collaborators: J.K. Joung.
-Biotheralliance 2017
“A comprehensive description of mRNA variants and lncRNAs originating from the Dystrophin gene across the developmental process of muscle differentiation”
Principal Investigators: Virginie Mournetas, Matteo Bovolenta (10000 euro, 1 year).
-FIR 2021
“Preclinical studies for the evaluation of the administration of oral antisense oligonucleotides via exosomes for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy"
Principal Investigator: Matteo Bovolenta (21300 €, 1 year).
Patents:
- Bovolenta M, Ferlini A, Gualandi F, Neri M.
“Array-based method for detection of causative copy number variations in the dystrophin gene”
DMD-CGH ARRAY patent N. TO2008A000496 (25.06.2008) owned by the University of Ferrara.
- Bovolenta M, Ferlini A, Zamboni P.
“Array-based method for detection of copy number variations in the HLA locus for the genetic determination of susceptibility of development of venous malformations in the extracranial segments of the cerebrospinal veins and kit thereof".
MS-CGH ARRAY patent N. TO2009A000672 (01.09.2009) owned by Hilarescere.
- Palmieri B, Bovolenta M, Braghetta P, Capobianco ML, Marchesi E, Medici A, Molon S, Perrone D, Rimessi P.
“Conjugates of bile acids and their derivatives for active molecules delivery”.
UDCA conjugated AONs patent N. WO2020084488 (30.04.2020) owned by ICE s.p.a.
Institutional Responsibilities:
2021 – present Tutor and member of the PhD Program for Advanced Therapies and Experimental Pharmacology (TAFS), UNIFE
2014 – 2017 Tutor and member of the PhD Program for Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology at the University of Ferrara;
2012 – 2017 Member of the Graduate School Committee for Biology degrees at the University of Ferrara; appointed Professor of Molecular Biology.
Supervision of Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows:
2005 – 2017: Training of ten undergraduate, four PhD students and a Post-Doc at University of Ferrara (Italy); two undergraduate students at Genethon (France).
2017 – 2020: Training of undergraduates and PhD students at Genethon (France).
2021 – present: Training of undergraduates and PhD students at the University of Ferrara and part of the Advanced Therapies and Experimental Pharmacology doctorate program of the University of Ferrara.
