When I look at my career (so far) and my scientific interests, I must admit that my deep original inclination as clinical neurologist (during my university training) has been progressively shifted towards Genomics; nevertheless, I have always kept a close contact with the clinical characteristics of the pathologies of interest (especially rare neurological diseases) by focusing on their translational aspects. I attended research Institutes in Italy and abroad (UK, USA) with the aim of learning not only new molecular investigations but also innovative approaches to research. At present I have collaborations with clinical neurological Centers, as well as with other research Institutes (other than at CNR), and I am currently involved in several interesting projects concerning neurodegenerative and rare diseases. Above all, I consider myself extremely lucky to work with a group of colleagues whose expertise ranges from biology to bioinformatics and biostatistics, to chemistry and physics. I believe in fact that no disease should be studied with a single-discipline approach, but that comparisons and discussions among different expertise are essential. At the same time, I am involved in editorial work as a reviewer of articles and research projects (both national and international).
Research Activities
Transcriptomic profiling for coding and non-coding RNAs biomarker discovery and regulatory pathway analysis
Transcriptomic profiling of tumor extracellular vesicles (EVs) as intercellular communication mediators and for liquid biopsy and drug delivery applications
Identification of genetic and regulatory variants influencing drug response and adverse events
Transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood cells to assess changes in gene expression triggered by specific dietary patterns or nutrients.
Searching for the molecular signatures of rare neurological diseases and their phenotypes (e.g. cognitive impairment)
