Date of birth: November 16th, 1967.
Italian education: MS, best marks and honours, University of Ferrara, 1993.
Licensure: Italian National Board of Biology, 1995
PhD in Biochemistry, 1998
Young Investigator Award, International Congress of Thrombosis and Heamostasis, Washington DC (USA),1999
1998-2011. Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara.
2012-2016 Associate Professor of Biochemistry, University of Ferrara.
2015-2018. Coordinator of BSc and MSc programs at UniFE.
2018-present- Director of the Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara University
-PRESENT POSITION- Full-professor of Molecular Biology- University of Ferrara
-TEACHING- Courses of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (at BSc students), UniFE. Member and vice-coodrinator of the PhD program in Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology. Member on international PhD committees.
-RESEARCH APPOINTMENTS-
-Haemostasis and Thrombosis Research Centre, Leiden University Hospital, The Nederlands (1995). He studied the association between nucleotide sequence variations in the fibrinogen genes and the protein plasma levels as well as in the functional characterization of the promoter of coagulation protein C through creation of reporter gene constructs and expression studies in mammalian cells;
-Biotechnology Center, University of Oslo, Norway (1996). He was involved in the study of variants of the activation domain of coagulation factor VII, the serine protease triggering the coagulation cascade, by expression of the recombinant proteins in mammalian cells and purification through ion-exchange chromatography followed by immune-affinity chromatography.
- University of Pennsylvania Medical Centre and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (1997- 1999). He took responsability for the study of variants of the activation and catalytic domain of coagulation factor VII by expression of the recombinant proteins in mammalian cells, purification and characterization. Moreover, he was involved in the characterization of nucleotide variations in the factor VII gene promoter and in particular in the assessment of their impact on transcriptional activity by reporter gene assay and binding assays.
-MAIN RESEARCH AREAS-
The research activity is, and has been through years, focused at the molecular mechanisms underlying the control of gene expression of proteins acting as enzymatic or cofactor components in the blood coagulation pathway, with a particular focus on the serine protease factor VII. He has characterized mechanisms acting at the transcriptional (promoter gene variations, circadian clock machinery), post-transcriptional (mRNA splicing), translational (ribosome readthrough) and post-translational (activation sites, exosites) levels. In the last years, he took advantage of the disease mechanisms to design and develop innovative RNA-based correction approaches for therapeutic purposes.
See publications for details.
-RESEARCH PROGRAMS-
EC Concerted Action " Role of FVII-TF pathway in cardiovascular disease", BIOMED, CEE; MURST,CNR Target Project on Biotechnology and Telethon Italy projects.
National Coordinator of PRIN projects (2004, 2008)
Coordinator of Telethon projects (2009-2012; 2014-2017) and grants from Pfizer (2014-2016) and NovoNordisk (2014-2016). H2020 project on non-viral gene therapy.
Molecular Biology Group Leader within the "International Register of FVII deficiency".
-MAIN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION WITH-
-Prof. Pagani, Int. Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy;
-Prof. Mingozzi, Genethon, Evry (France);
-Prof. Arruda, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (USA):
-Prof. Camire, UPEN and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (USA):
-Prof. Jan Andresen, Oslo University, Norway
-Prof. Nicoletta Landsberger, UniMI and San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY- >100 papers in international peer reviewed journals with mean IF 6.3, h-index, 24.
Reviewer for scientific international Journals: Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB), Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Blood, Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB), Haematologica. Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal “Thrombosis Research”.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER- Inventor of a patent of modified small RNAs for therapeutic purposes and entitled “Molecule of human U1snRNA, gene encoding a molecule of modified human U1snRNA, expression vector including the gene, and use in gene therapy”. Founder of Raresplice.srl, a start-up company at UniFE that received financial support by MIUR for industrial research activities.
Italian education: MS, best marks and honours, University of Ferrara, 1993.
Licensure: Italian National Board of Biology, 1995
PhD in Biochemistry, 1998
Young Investigator Award, International Congress of Thrombosis and Heamostasis, Washington DC (USA),1999
1998-2011. Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara.
2012-2016 Associate Professor of Biochemistry, University of Ferrara.
2015-2018. Coordinator of BSc and MSc programs at UniFE.
2018-present- Director of the Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara University
-PRESENT POSITION- Full-professor of Molecular Biology- University of Ferrara
-TEACHING- Courses of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (at BSc students), UniFE. Member and vice-coodrinator of the PhD program in Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology. Member on international PhD committees.
-RESEARCH APPOINTMENTS-
-Haemostasis and Thrombosis Research Centre, Leiden University Hospital, The Nederlands (1995). He studied the association between nucleotide sequence variations in the fibrinogen genes and the protein plasma levels as well as in the functional characterization of the promoter of coagulation protein C through creation of reporter gene constructs and expression studies in mammalian cells;
-Biotechnology Center, University of Oslo, Norway (1996). He was involved in the study of variants of the activation domain of coagulation factor VII, the serine protease triggering the coagulation cascade, by expression of the recombinant proteins in mammalian cells and purification through ion-exchange chromatography followed by immune-affinity chromatography.
- University of Pennsylvania Medical Centre and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (1997- 1999). He took responsability for the study of variants of the activation and catalytic domain of coagulation factor VII by expression of the recombinant proteins in mammalian cells, purification and characterization. Moreover, he was involved in the characterization of nucleotide variations in the factor VII gene promoter and in particular in the assessment of their impact on transcriptional activity by reporter gene assay and binding assays.
-MAIN RESEARCH AREAS-
The research activity is, and has been through years, focused at the molecular mechanisms underlying the control of gene expression of proteins acting as enzymatic or cofactor components in the blood coagulation pathway, with a particular focus on the serine protease factor VII. He has characterized mechanisms acting at the transcriptional (promoter gene variations, circadian clock machinery), post-transcriptional (mRNA splicing), translational (ribosome readthrough) and post-translational (activation sites, exosites) levels. In the last years, he took advantage of the disease mechanisms to design and develop innovative RNA-based correction approaches for therapeutic purposes.
See publications for details.
-RESEARCH PROGRAMS-
EC Concerted Action " Role of FVII-TF pathway in cardiovascular disease", BIOMED, CEE; MURST,CNR Target Project on Biotechnology and Telethon Italy projects.
National Coordinator of PRIN projects (2004, 2008)
Coordinator of Telethon projects (2009-2012; 2014-2017) and grants from Pfizer (2014-2016) and NovoNordisk (2014-2016). H2020 project on non-viral gene therapy.
Molecular Biology Group Leader within the "International Register of FVII deficiency".
-MAIN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION WITH-
-Prof. Pagani, Int. Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy;
-Prof. Mingozzi, Genethon, Evry (France);
-Prof. Arruda, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (USA):
-Prof. Camire, UPEN and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (USA):
-Prof. Jan Andresen, Oslo University, Norway
-Prof. Nicoletta Landsberger, UniMI and San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY- >100 papers in international peer reviewed journals with mean IF 6.3, h-index, 24.
Reviewer for scientific international Journals: Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB), Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Blood, Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB), Haematologica. Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal “Thrombosis Research”.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER- Inventor of a patent of modified small RNAs for therapeutic purposes and entitled “Molecule of human U1snRNA, gene encoding a molecule of modified human U1snRNA, expression vector including the gene, and use in gene therapy”. Founder of Raresplice.srl, a start-up company at UniFE that received financial support by MIUR for industrial research activities.
