Faculty & Supervisors
University Faculty
A total of 21 staff members of the University of Pavia have joined the Faculty of the new, department-let PhD Programme in Translational Medicine. From October , 2019 these include 17 members of the Department of Molecular Medicine, 1 member of the University of Milano-Bicocca, 1 member of the University of Turin and 2 members of the Department of Internal Medicine (Antonio di Sabatino and Mario Mondelli). Collectively the core Faculty of the PhD Programme cover a range of research programmes ranging from the study of the structural basis of disease and disease mechanisms in experimental models such as transgenic or knocck-out mice, the search of new disease biomarkers, clinico/laboratory investigations in the areas of infectious, heart and blood diseases and drug discovery programmes, both small molecules and biologicals. A list of the Faculty members active in the PhD Programme of Translational Medicine, together with an outline of their activities, is given below in order to offer students ready access to the scientific profiles of their prospective supervisors.
Research Interests: Bone marrow microenvironment in the regulation of peripheral blood cell formation and diseases. The role of calcium in the regulation of platelet production from megakaryocytes. Extracellular matrice and megaKaryocytopoiesis. 3D bone marrow modelling for platelet production, mechanisms of disease and drug testing. Silk based biomaterials.
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, University and research, Cariplo Foundation, European Community, AIRC, Telethon
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translation Medicine
Research Interests: Development and regeneration of skeletal muscle. Molecular basis of contraction. Mouse models of muscular hypertrophy and hypotrophy. Cell therapy for muscular diseases.
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research, Cariplo Foundation
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translation Medicine
Roberto Ciccone, Associate Professor of Medical Genetics, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia. Research Interests: Molecular basis of rare genetic diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders. Genomic investigations for the identification of novel disease-causing genes. Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research Additional Roles: Dean of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Course, Department of Molecular Medicine
Research Interests: genetic basis of sudden cardiac death, in genetically transmitted arrhythmogenic diseases (channelopathies and cardiomyopathies), in the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), stillbirths and in more common diseases, such as myocardial infarction.
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research, Horizon 2020
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translational Medicine, University of Pavia.
Research Interests:
Funding:
Further Roles:Member of the PhD programme in Translation Medicine
Research Interests: Molecular basis of gastrointestinal inflammation, mechanisms of oral tolerance, traslational approaches for inflammatory bowel disease and coeliac disease, splenic hypofunction.
Funding: University of Pavia, San Matteo Hospital Foundation, Associazione Italiana Celiachia.
Further Roles: Honorary Senior Lecturer, Department of Medicine, University College London (UCL) London (UK)
Research Interests: Structural and functional characterization of proteins; Lectins; mutations of the Human Serum Albumin gene.
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research.
Further Roles:Member of the PhD programme in Translation Medicine
Research Interests: Cell beahviour: growth and migration, cancer cell biology, regenerative medicine, antibody engineering,
Funding: Arisla, Associazione Italiana per la lotta a Leucemia e Linfomi, Industry
Further Roles: Director of the Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Director Collegio A Volta, University of Pavia
Research Interests: Ischemicheat. Cell therapy for heart disease. Regenerative medicine. IPSC for cardiac disease modelling. Role of microRNA in heart disease.
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, Italian Ministry of Health
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translation Medicine -University of Pavia. Chair of the Cardiovascular Committee of the international Society of Cell Therapy
Umberto Laforenza, Prof of Physiology and Group Leader, University of Pavia.
Research Interests: Aquaporins functions in oxidative stress in: human obesity onset; in HPV infection in human male and female; in human Mesothelioma
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, Italian Ministry of Health
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translation Medicine
Research Interest: Signal transduction, development of tools for live cell imaging, Cardiovascular physiology, cAMP and PKA nuclear signalling, cell death (apoptosis and necroptosis).
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research, CARIPARO Foundation
Additional Roles:
* Member of the PhD programme in Translation Medicine, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia.
* Principal Investigator, Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padova, IT.
Marco Lolicato, Assistant Professor of Applied Biology, University of Pavia – Department of Molecular Medicine
Research Interests: Biophysics of ion channels and molecular basis of cancer mechanobiology. We use a combination of X-ray crystallography, Cryo-Electron microscopy and Electrophysiology to dissect the molecular mechanism of ion channel function.
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research.
Additional Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translation Medicine
Alessandro Malara, Group Leader, University of Pavia.
Research Interests: Bone marrow microenvironment in hematopoietic homeostasis and diseases
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translational Medicine
Giampaolo Merlini, Prof of Clinical Biochemistry and Group Leader, University of Pavia.
Research Interests: Pathogenesis, natural history, diagnosis, and treatment of monoclonal gammopathies and systemic amyloidosis
Funding: Italian Ministry of Health, Cariplo Foundation, Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC), Telethon, European Commission (E-Rare)
Further Roles: Scientific Director, Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia
Research Interests: Acute and chronic liver disease. Immune response to hepatitis viruses. Innate immunity. Natural killer cells. Tumor immunology and immunotherapy. Viral hepatitis and autoimmune liver disease.
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research, Ministry of Health, Regione Lombardia
Further Roles: Deputy Scientific Director, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo. Editor-in-Chief, Liver International. President, Viral Hepatitis Group, Eur Soc for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID)
Research Interests: Biomarker-based diagnosis, prognostic stratification and monitoring of systemic amyloidosis. Therapy of AL amyloidosis.
Funding: ERA-Net for Research Programmes on Rare Diseases, Cariplo Foundation, International Myeloma Sciety
Further Roles: Acting Director, Laboratory for Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Advanced Diagnostics and Center for Amyloidosis Research and Treatment, Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of muscle plasticity
Funding: AFMTelethon
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translational Medicine
Research Interests: Diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of myeloproliferative neoplasms with special interest for familial cases.
Funding: Associazione italiana per la ricerca sul cancro (AIRC)
Further Roles: Principal investigator and subinvestigator in sponsored and non-sponsored trials in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms
Virginie Sottile, Associate Professor, University of Pavia.
Research Interests: Tissue development and regeneration. Stem cell biology. Cellular differentiation. Neural stem cells. Cellular models of disease. Adult stem cells. Regenerative medicine.
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research
Additional Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translation Medicine
Research Interests: Development and wiring of the central nervous system. Molecular basis of neuronal differentiation. Mouse models of genetic diseases of the brain. Genetic basis of cognition.
Funding: European Commission, Italian Ministry for Health, Telethon
Further Roles: PhD Programme Coordinator, Translational Medicine
Research Interests: Nanotechnology for tissue regeneration, nanomedicine and infection control
Funding: Italian Space Agency (ASI), Crowdfunding Platform (University of Pavia), Industry
Further Roles: Member of the Center for Health Technologies, University of Pavia; Scientific Committee of the European Center for Nanomedicine (CEN), Scientific Committee of the Italian Society for Biomaterials; (SIB). Type A Researcher at INSTM, Inter-university Consortium of Materials Science and Technology. Type A Researcher at INSTM, Inter-university Consortium of Materials Science and Technology.
External Faculty
A distinctive feature of the PhD Programme in Translational Medicine – arguably a unique feature for a PhD Prgramme rooted in an Italian University, is the international character of the Programme. This is reflected in the effort that the Programme has undertaken to recruit students from abroad and by a major involvment of international scientists in the advisory board of the PhD Programme working at Universities (Oxford, Cambridge, Amsterdam, Zurich, Karolinska, Utah, Yale, Harvard, MIT) and Research Institutes (German Cancer Research Institute, Ludwig Cancer Institute, Dana Farber Cancer Institute). Further, the Programme is committed to involve Research Institutes active in Italy in order to develop the Programme as both a national and international enterprise. Two Italian Research Institutes (CNR and RiMED) have been involved from start, namely from 2017/18. Negotiations are in progress with several other Research Institutes with the view to includethem in the Programme from the academic year 2018/19.
Research Interests: Neurogenetics, Huntington disease, molecular basis of hereditary ataxias (spinocerebellar ataxias and episodic ataxias).
Funding: National Ataxia Foundation (NAF), National Research Council of Italy (CNR)
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translational Medicine, University of Pavia.
Other Supervisors
In addition to the 19 members of the Department of Molecular Medicine who act as Faculty of the PhD Programme in Translational Medicine a further 12 members of the Department and of others have agreed to take a role in the Programme and the majority of them has offered projects. These staff members therefore act as independent and lead project supervisors and their projects are offered to prospective students alongside the projects offered by Faculty members. if the students who are offered awards choose any of these projects. Thus they are full and equal members of the Programme alongside Faculty members.
Research Interests:
Funding:
Further Roles:
Research Interests: the research activity concerns the study of the cellular and molecular determinants of skeletal muscle structural and functional plasticity.
The main ongoing projects include: (i) the study of the mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle disuse atrophy through different human models (Bed Rest and ULLS) and animal models (hindlimb suspension on wild type mice, FOXO knockout mice e PIN1 knockout mice); (ii) the study of the mechanisms involved in muscle mass recovery following muscle disuse by using mouse models subjected to hindlimb suspension followed by recovery with and without exercise; (iii) the characterization of the neuromuscular junction during muscle disuse and aging; (iv) the study of the regenerative capacity of muscle satellite cells subjected to muscle disuse and / or subjected to cardiotoxin damage.
Funding: None
Further Roles: None
Research Interests: Molecular basic of contraction. Nerve-muscle interctio. Mouse and Human models of muscular atrophy.
Funding: Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research, Blue Sky Research
Further Roles:Member of the PhD programme in Translational Medicine
Hugo de Jonge, Research Staff in General Pathology, University of Pavia and member of the Cancer Research Centre (CRC) in Pavia.
Research Interests: Hepatocyte Growth Factor/Scatter Factor induced receptor activation of the tyrosine kinase receptor c-Met in Cancer and the development of potent antagonistic and agonistic molecules for the application in cancer and regenerative medicine respectively, using protein engineering, monoclonal antibody technology and structural biology.
Funding: None
Further Roles: Laboratory management, student supervision and lecturing first year Harvey medicine course “Essay Writing Techniques” and third year “Precision Medicine”.
Research Interests: Adipose stem cells utilization in tissue engineering for osteoarticular disease. Role of aquaglyceroporins in hydrogen peroxide cellular cleavage
Funding: Collaborative research agreements with industrial partners
Further Roles: Member of the Centre for Health Technologies (CHT)
Research Interests: molecular studies on Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, including 1. mutation analysis of SBDS gene, 2. study of clonal chromosome abnormalities by genotyping approach in bone marrow and in cells separated from peripheral blood, 3. studies of genomic and clinical variations in Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome
Funding: shwachman-Diamond Syndrome Italian Research Grant from Associazione Italiana Sindrome di Shwachman (AISS)
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translational Medicine
Mario Nuvolone, Assistant Professor in Clinical Chemistry, University of Pavia.
Research Interests: Systemic amyloidoses. Prion diseases. Mouse models of protein misfolding and deposition diseases. Biomarkers.
Funding: Synapsis foundation
Further Roles:Member of the PhD programme in Translational Medicine
Research Interests: mutation analyses in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT).
Funding: Italian HHT charity: Fondazione Italiana per la Teleangiectasia Emorragica Ereditaria.
Further Roles: member of the joint committee of Master Degree in Medical and Phamaceutical Biotechnologies.
Research Interests: Auditory neuroscience. Tinnitus. Neuroimmune interactions in the auditory system. Mesoscale microscopy of clarified organs. Structure and roles of the choroid plexus
Funding: University of Pavia, AIT Onlus
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translational Medicine
Roberto Pizzala, Prof of General Pathology and Group Leader, Unversity of Pavia.
Research Interests: Microglial Activation: Understanding Neuroinflammation’s Origins
Funding: Universitiamo crowdfunding campaign
Further Roles:Member of the PhD programme in Translational Medicine
Elena Rossi, Prof of Medical Genetics and Group Leader, Un of Pavia.
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Funding: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod
Further Roles: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do
Research Interests: Molecular basis of physiology and disease. Antibody structure and engineering. Asparaginase engineering. Leukaemia. Lipoprotein(a) related diseases pathogenesis
Funding: Regione Lombardia – Cariplo Foundation
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translational Medicine, University of Pavia.
Research Interests:Molecular basis of liver cancer and chronic liver disease; mouse models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); tumor microenvironment; cancer-related inflammation; miRNAs; biomarkers.
Funding: /
Further Roles: Member of the PhD programme in Translational Medicine, University of Pavia.
