PhD (Medical Biotechnologist)

Healthcare Researcher

• 2017: Ph.D. in Experimental Oncology and Pathology, cycle XXIX°, University of Bologna, Department of Specialized, Diagnostic and Experimental Medicine, Disciplinary Scientific Sector: MED/33.
• 2010: MSc in Medical Biotechnologies, University of Florence – Faculty of Medicine - 9/S Class of second level degree in Pharmaceutical, veterinary and medical biotechnologies, with honors.
• 2007: Bachelor degree in Techniques in the Biomedical Laboratory, University of Bologna- Faculty of Medicine - SNT/3 Class of first level degree in Health professions, with honors.

• From 2019: Healthcare Researcher at the Rizzoli Orthpaedic Institute - Laboratory of Experimental Oncology.
• 2018-19: Post-Doc Biotechnologist research fellow, on contract for the projects ‘Obtaining and morphogenetic characterization of in vivo experimental models derived from patients (PDX, patient-derived xenograft)’ and ‘Advanced technological platforms for the definition of new biomarkers and molecular targets in nano-technological vectors for the diagnosis and therapy of human neoplasia’ at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute - Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, coordinators Dr. Piero Picci and Dr. Katia Scotlandi.
• 2017-18: Post-Doc Biotechnologist research fellow, on contract for the project "Alleanza Contro il Cancro (ACC) sulla rete oncologica degli IRCCS" (“Alliance against Cancer on the oncologic network of Scientific Research Hospitals”) at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute - Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, coordinator Dr. Katia Scotlandi.
• 2017: Biotechnologist research fellow, on contract for the project ‘Preclinical validation of new treatment response markers and innovative therapeutic strategies in skeletal muscle sarcomas’ at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute - Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, coordinator Dr. Piero Picci.
• 2016-17: Biotechnologist research fellow, on contract for the project ‘Prospective Validation Of Biomarkers In Ewing Sarcoma For Personalised Translation Medicine (Transcan-Provabes)’. Activity: Application of biomolecular techniques for the identification and validation of specific biomarkers associated with the prognosis of Ewing's sarcomas, at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute - Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, coordinator Dr. Katia Scotlandi.
• 2013-15: Biotechnologist research fellow with a scholarship funded by the non-profit organization ‘Il Pensatore: Matteo Amitrano’. Activity: Assessment of molecular biomarkers in musculoskeletal sarcomas, at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute - Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, coordinator Dr. Stefano Ferrari.
• 2011-12: Internship funded by the European Project Leonardo Da Vinci - Unipharma graduates 7 - La Sapienza University of Rome with the title: “Investigate the role of the APS adaptor in normal and pathological B lymphocyte development” at the University Paris 13 North - INSERM - Unit of signaling adapters in hematology U978, coordinator Dr. Laura Velazquez – Bobigny-Paris, France.
• 2010: Graduate visitor for a genetic screening of novel candidate genes for neurodegenerative disorders at S. Orsola Malpighi Hospital - University of Bologna - UO Medical Genetics, coordinator Bologna.

• Italian: mother tongue.
• English: Trinity College certificate, level 5 (2003); C1 certificate (2015); TOEFL certificate (2011).
• French: fluent.
• Spanish: basic. 

• Good command of Windows operating system, OfficeTM tools (WordTM, ExcelTM, PowerPointTM), graphic design applications (PhotoShopTM), programs for data processing (Graph Pad Prism, GeneGO).
• Good knowledge of laboratory programs for data analysis and processing (Chromas, Sequencher Analysis, Image Lab 4.0 Biorad, Biorad Quantity One, CalcuSyn), of scientific databases such as PubMed, BLAST, Uniprot, NCBI GenBank, ENSEMBL, ENCODE.
• Use of  suspension and adhesion cultures of leukemia, carcinoma and sarcoma cell lines (HL60, COS7, Raji, X16, Jurkat,U2os, Saos, TC71, LAP35) and primary cultures from patients and xenografts (CVID , CLL, Osteosarcomas, Ewing sarcoma).
• Use and development of various protocols for nucleic acid extraction.
• Use of and development of different protocols for protein extraction.
• PCR and quantitative real-time PCR.
• Sequencing.
• Immunoprecipitation.
• Western Blotting.
• Immunofluorescence.
• Immunohistochemistry.
• Tissue micro array preparation.
• Methylation analysis of DNA(Meth-Specific PCR).
• ChIP (Chromatin Immuno-precipitation).

• Evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of new epigenetic drugs in sarcomas.
• Evaluation of drug resistance through the immunohistochemical analysis of p-Glycoprotein expression in patients with osteosarcoma.
• Isolation and characterization of cell lines derived from patients musculoskeletal sarcomas.
• Preparation of tissue microarray for molecular biomarkers detection in musculoskeletal sarcomas.

Convetions and conferences:

• 2018: EuSARC ‘The Biology of Sarcoma – A Residential Workshop’, Bertinoro, FC, Italy.
• 2018: AACR Special Conference ‘Targeting DNA Methylation and Chromatin for Cancer Therapy, Atlanta, GA, USA.
• 2017: ACC (Alleanza Contro il Cancro - Alliance Against Cancer) ‘New Technologies and Strategies to Fight Cancer – second annual meeting’.
• 2016: 58th Annual Meeting of SIC (Italian Cancer Society) – Verona, Italy.
• 2015: 5th Joint IOR/MSKCC/HSS XXVIII Course on Musculoskeletal Pathology – Bologna.

Applied research in the medical field, especially oncology with a focus on epigenetic regulation during the disease.