Education

23
April 2008 Phd in Molecular Medicine
at the “A. Avogadro” University of Piemonte Orientale. Thesis " Diacilglicerolo cinasi alfa, un elemento
chiave nella trasduzione del segnale (Diacylglycerol kinase alpha, a key
element in signal transduction)”.

6 November 2002 Specialist in Clinical Biochemistry
(Specializzazione in Medicina di Laboratorio - Biochimica Clinica) 60/60 cum
laude at University of Torino. Thesis “Nuovi ruoli per l’ormone Ghrelina (New
functions for the hormone Ghrelin)”.

9
July 1998 Graduate (Laurea) 110/110
cum laude in Biological Sciences at University of Torino. Thesis “L’attivazione di alfa Dacilglicerolo cinasi da
parte di HGF è mediata dalla attività tirosina cinasi di Src (Activation of
alpha Daicylglycerol Kinase by HGF is mediated from Src tyrosine kinase
activity)”.

Positions

May
– August 2012 Academic Visitor at
Sir W. Dunn School of Pathology, Oxford University. Working on diacylglycerol
regulation in lymphocytes.

June
2008-now Assistant professor in
biochemistry (Ricercatore universitario SSD BIO-10, 05/E1, Professore
Aggregato) at the “A. Avogadro” University of Piemonte Orientale.

May
– August 2008 Visiting Scientist at
the Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Queen Mary University of London.
Working in lipid metabolism in cancer.

2007-2008
Graduate Fellow at the “A. Avogadro”
University under the supervision of Prof. A. Graziani and Prof. F. Sinigaglia.

2007
Lecturer (Professore a contratto) at
the “A. Avogadro” University of Piemonte Orientale School of Medicine.

2004-2007
Graduate fellow in the “E. Menni”
scientific park of the Brescia hospital under the supervision of Dr. O.
Parolini. 

2002-2004
Graduate fellow in the laboratory of
Prof. A. Graziani at Department of Medical Sciences of “A. Avogadro”
University.

1998-2002
Graduate fellow in the laboratory of
Prof. Graziani at the Department of Genetics, Biology and Biochemistry of Turin
University.

1996-1998
Student in the laboratory of Prof.
Graziani, at the Department of Genetics, Biology and Biochemistry of Turin
University.

Research
Fellowships

2012
EMBO Short Term Fellowship for International Mobility

2008
EMBO Short Term Fellowship for International Mobility

February
2007-February 2008 fellowship for study and research training on the project
"Estrogen and estrogen related compounds signaling pathways in platelets
functions and proliferation", scientific advisor Prof. F. Sinigaglia.

March
2004-February 2007 research contract in the science center "E. Menni"
(Brescia, Italy) in the project “Function and regulation of  SAP/SH2D1A in T lymphocyte”, scientific
advisor Dr. O. Parolini.

2000-2003
Three years fellowship from Italian Federation for Cancer Research with a
project entitled “Evaluation of DGKa role in cell transformation”, scientific
advisor Prof. A. Graziani.

1998-2000
Two years graduate student fellowship from Turin University School of Medicine.

Summary
of Research Interests

2008-2014
Phosphatidic acid regulated proteins downstream to DGKα. Involvement of DGKα
regulated proteins such as PKCθ and MLCK in migration, invasion and polarity of
normal and transformed epithelial cells.

2004-2014
The SAP/SH2D1A gene, DGKα and XLP disease. Investigating the involvement of DGKα
in T lymphocyte signaling and its regulation by SAP.

1996-2008
Role of DGKα in cell transformation promoted by v-Src and NPM-ALK.  In vitro evaluation of DGKα as a possible
pharmaceutical target for the control of tumor cell growth and dissemination
promoted by oncogenic tyrosine kinases.

2006-2011
Signaling pathways promoting hepatocyte survival in preconditioned liver.
Investigating the activation of intracellular mediators such as PI-3K, DGKα and
Src upon adenosine and glycine release during preconditioning.

1996-2004
Study of the biochemical and molecular proprieties of DGKα and its interaction
with Src oncogene. Study of Src mediated DGKα regulation by growth factors such
as HGF and VEGF and determination of DGKα requirement for the angiogenic
process in vitro.

1998-2003
Study of the anti-apoptotic and pro-differentiating proprieties of the new
hormone Ghrelin and its synthetic derivates. Demonstrating that ghrelin and
des-acyl ghrelin exert anti-apoptotic and pro-differentiating effects on
endothelial and muscular cells.