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Serra Massimo, Biologist

CV

Date of Birth
12/12/1961
Qualification

Biologist

Current assignment

Chief of the "Pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics" Research Unit (Struttura Semplice) at the Osteoncology, Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas and Innovative Therapies Unit

Title of qualification awarded

1984: Degree in Biological Sciences, with honors.

Other qualifications awarded

1985: Licensure in Biological Sciences at the University of Bologna.

Positions held
  • Since 1989: Staff Researcher at the Laboratory of Experimental Oncology of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute
  • 1998-2008: member of the Scientific Committee of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute and of the Directive Committee of the Musculo-Skeletal Oncology Department of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute
  • 1998-2009: Member of the Scientific Committee of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute
  • 1999-2009: Member of the Direction Committee of the Department of Musculoskeletal Oncology “I.F. Goidanich” of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute
  • 1999- 2009: Chief of the "Drug Resistance" Research Unit (Organizational Module) at the Laboratory of Experimental Oncology of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute
  • Since 2007: Head of the Educational activities of the Laboratory of Experimental Oncology of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute
  • Since 2009: Chief of the "Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacogenetics" Research Unit (Struttura Semplice) at the Laboratory of Experimental Oncology of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute
  • Years 2001-2003-2005-2007-2009-2011-2013-2015-2017-2019-2020: Substitute of the Director of the Laboratory of Experimental Oncology of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute
  • Since 2001: Consult member of the Inter-Departmental Cancer Research Centre of the Bologna University
  • Since 2009: Member of the Direction Committee of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute.
 
Languages
  • English: very good knowledge of spoken and written language. June 1994: First Certificate in English of the University of Cambridge (UK)
  • German: good knowledge of spoken and written language.
Technologies

Good knowledge of the most common operative systems (MacOS, windows) and software packages.

Teaching activities

Academic Qualification as Associate Professor (II Fascia - ASN-MIUR) for the period 12/02/2014 - 12/02/2020 in the subjects:

  • 05/F1 (Applied Biology) 
  • 05/E2 (Molecular Biology)

Invited speaker at different lectures and seminars at the University of Bologna.

Scientific activities
Research activities are performed in strict connection with the clinical Departments of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, of the Italian Sarcoma Group and of several European Partners, with the aim to translate research findings into clinical practice and to assure a rapid and efficient dissemination in the clinical environment.

 

Main research subjects

  • Analysis of the genetic and molecular mechanisms responsible for drug resistance, as well as on the genetic background associated with a differential drug sensitivity in osteosarcoma
  • Pharmacogenomic and pharmacogenetic characterisation of the most common musculoskeletal tumours, with particular regard to osteosarcoma
  • Preclinical validation of candidate prognostic and therapeutic markers in osteosarcoma and other bone tumor patients
  • Preclinical evaluation of the efficacy of new target-specific drugs and innovative therapeutic approaches for osteosarcoma and analysis of their interactions with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs and regimens
  • Identification of markers, which may be used for an early identification of drug unresponsive osteosarcoma patients.
Research educational experience
  • 1985-86: Student Fellow at the "Laboratory of Clinical Pathology and Microbiology" of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute
  • 1987-88: Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Oncological Research of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute
  • 1993: Research Fellow at the "Molecular Genetics Laboratory" (Salk Institute, San Diego, CA USA)
  • 1997: Research Fellow at the "Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics Laboratory" of the University of Helsinki (Finland).

Research projects

Coordinator and Representative of several Italian and International Research projects:

  • 1990-03: Principal Investigator of 20 Research Projects supported by the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute (total budget 110.000 Euro)
  • 1999-2002: Italian Representative for the Research Protocols "Analysis of P-glycoprotein expression in osteosarcoma" and "Micrometastatic disease in patients with osteosarcoma" of the Italian Sarcoma Group/Scandinavian Sarcoma Group Research Project "An Italian-Scandinavian treatment and research protocol for high-grade osteosarcoma of the extremities. Localized disease and metastatic relapse"
  • 1999-2000: Principal Investigator of the Italian Association for Cancer Research (A.I.R.C.) Project "Molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in sarcomas" (Total budget 60.000 Euro)
  • 2002-03: Principal Investigator of the Italian Association for Cancer Research (A.I.R.C.) Project "Study of genetic and molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in osteosarcoma as basis for innovative therapies" (Total budget 80.000 Euro)
  • Since 2003: Founder and active member of the Italian Sarcoma Group, of the European Musculo-Skeletal Oncology Society and of the Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer (ITCC) European consortium (http:www.ITCCconsortium.org)
  • 2004-06: Co-ordinator of the project “Genetic and biomolecular profiling to predict drug clinical response in musculo-skeletal sarcomas” granted by the Italian Ministry of Health for the years 2004-2006 (total budget 311.000 Euro)
  • 2004-06: Member of the Rizzoli Research Unit of the “Prognosis and Therapeutic targets in the Ewing family of tumours (PROTHETS)” European Research Project (Coordinator Dr. P. Picci);
  • 2006-09: Scientific Representative for the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute of the European Research Project “Selecting and validating drug targets from the human kinome for high risk paediatric cancers (KidsCancerKinome, KCK)” (Coordinator: Dr. G. Vassal – Pr. H. Caron, total budget 186.515 Euro)
  • 2006-11: Scientific Representative of the Workpackage 2.2 “Drug response and pharmacogenomics in osteosarcoma” of the Network of Excellence “European Network to Promote Research into Uncommon Cancers in Adults and Children: Pathology, Biology and Genetics of Bone Tumours (EuroBoNeT)” (Coordinator Dr. P. Hoogendoorn, total budget 337.000 Euro)
  • 2007-09: Principal Investigator of the Italian Association for Cancer Research (A.I.R.C.) Project "Validation of candidate drug resistance-related genes in osteosarcoma" (Total budget 170.000 Euro)
  • 2010-13: Principal Investigator of the Italian Association for Cancer Research (A.I.R.C.) Project "Overcoming drug resistance in osteosarcoma by targeting ABC transporters and protein kinases" (Total budget 240.000 Euro)
  • 2015-17: Principal Investigator of the Italian Association for Cancer Research (A.I.R.C.) Project "Cisplatin resistance in osteosarcoma: Validation of new therapeutic targets and drugs for tailored clinical approaches" (Total budget 281.000 Euro)
  • 2018-21: Principal Investigator of the project “Efficacy assessment of new targeted combination therapies for musculoskeletal sarcomas as the basis for tailoring patients' treatment”, granted by the Italian Ministery of Health
  • 2019-23: Principal Investigator of the Italian Association for Cancer Research (A.I.R.C.) Project “Toward tailored treatments for osteosarcoma through validation of pharmacogenomic markers” (Total budget for the first three years of the project 498.000 Euro)
  • 2019-22: Principal Investigator for the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute of the project "Harnessing BRCAness as therapeutic target in HR pediatric solid tumors (BRCAddict)" (project Co-ordinator: S. Pfister) granted by the Italian Ministery of Health- Alliance against Cancer (ACC) under the European call TRANSCAN-2 JTC-2017.

Editorial Boards

  • Since 2011: Member of the Editorial Board of the journal Expert Opinion on Emerging Drugs, later renamed as Outlook on Developing Drugs and, since November 2012, Journal of Developing Drugs
  • Since 2015: Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Molecular Cytotherapy
  • Since 2018: Member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (section Pathology, Diagnostics, Therapeutics).

Memberships of Scientific Associations

  • American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
  • Italian Sarcoma Group (ISG)
  • Italian Association for Cell Cultures (AICC)
  • "Mario Campanacci" Association for Study and Treatment of Bone and Soft-Tissue Sarcomas.

Publications (updated December 2019)

Author or Co-Author of: 

  • 150 publications on international journals with impact factor (H index SCOPUS = 50)
  • 10 book chapters
  • 100 contributions as invited speaker at national and international courses, meetings or seminars
  • over 300 contributions at national and international scientific meetings.
Clinical and/or Scientific interests
  • 1999-2002: Italian person in charge for the Research Protocols "Analysis of P-glycoprotein expression in osteosarcoma" and "Micrometastatic disease in patients with osteosarcoma" of the Italian Sarcoma Group/Scandinavian Sarcoma Group
  • Since 2011: Person in charge, together with the Chief of the Laboratory of Pathology of the Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, for the assessment of ABCB1/P-glycoprotein expression level in high-grade osteosarcoma patients enrolled in the ISG/OS2 treatment protocol (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01459484), which recruits patients referring to the Italian Sarcoma Group (ISG) and to the Grupo Español de Investigación en Sarcomas (GEIS).
Content updated
12/10/2022 14:35