Cancer biology

Development and application of cell and molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry and nanotechnology to understand tumorigenesis and tumor progression

Cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease stemming from normal cells acquiring aberrant features, such as hyperproliferation, immunoevasion and deregulated cellular energetics.

The research activities in Cancer Biology employ several approaches to investigate the causes of this aberrant acquisition, using experiments and approaches both computational, genetical and molecular. Further screening of cancer cells is performed using data acquisition of biochemical, metabolic and transcriptional features. This scope aims also at understanding the action of pathogenic organisms (viruses and bacteria) with oncogenic properties and, more in general, focuses on the identification of novel anti-cancer molecular targets and innovational therapeutic strategies.

Research groups

People

Giulia Babbi

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

keywords: Proteomics, Database development, Protein annotation, Gene-Disease relation, Rare diseases, Machine learning, Genomics,

Monica Baiula

Senior assistant professor (fixed-term)

D cat. - technical, scientific and data processing area

keywords: Integrin, Drug discovery, Inflammation, Molecular Pharmacology

Federica Belluti

Associate Professor

keywords: natural products, multititarget drug discovery, design and synthesis of small molecules, antineurodegenetive small

Christian Bergamini

Associate Professor

keywords: Mitochondria, Mitochondrial electron transfer chain, Reactive Oxygen Species, Coenzyme Q10

Roberto Bernardoni

Assistant professor

keywords: Animal models of molecular mechanisms related to the onset and progression of childhood neuroblastoma, autism spectrum

Fabrizio Bertolazzi

PhD Student

Research fellow

Renato Brandimarti

Assistant professor

Natalia Calonghi

Associate Professor

keywords: EGFR, colon cancer, 9-hydroxystearic acid, lipid peroxidation, histone deacetylase, Cell signalling

Concettina Cappadone

Assistant professor

keywords: magnesium, biomineralization, cancer, cell cycle, MDR

Giovanni Capranico

Full Professor

keywords: DNA topoisomerases, R-loop and non-B DNA structures, Non-coding RNAs, Espressione genica, Transcription regulation,

Emidio Capriotti

Associate Professor

keywords: Analysis and interpretation of cancer genome., Genome interpretation and prediction of disease-related protein

Giacomo Cavalca

PhD Student

keywords: Data science, Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, Deep learning, Bioinformatics

Stefano Luciano Ciurli

Full Professor

keywords: Bioinorganic Chemistry, Biomodelling, Biomolecular NMR spectroscopy, Metallo-chaperons, Urease, X-ray absorption

Dario De Biase

Associate Professor

keywords: Molecular Pathology, Molecular alterations of solid tumors, Next Generation Sequencing, Tumors

Giovanna Farruggia

Assistant professor

keywords: fluorescece spectroscopy, flow cytometry, magnesium, fluorescent dye, cell proliferation

Diana Fiorentini

Assistant professor

keywords: Antioxidants, Lipid rafts, Aquaporins, Redox signalling, NAD(P)H oxidase, Acute myeloid leukaemia, Glucose transport,

Sofia Gasperini

Research fellow

PhD Student

Anna Maria Ghelli

Associate Professor

keywords: mitochondria, Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, apoptosis, complex I, OPA1, Dominant Optic Atrophy, cancer

Federico Manuel Giorgi

Associate Professor

keywords: Bioinformatics, Transcriptomics, Gene Networks, Plant Biology, Cancer Biology, Genomics, Biostatistics

Luca Grillini

PhD Student

Research fellow

Luisa Iommarini

Associate Professor

keywords: mitochondria, cancer, tumor, metabolism, hypoxia, oxidative phosphorylation

Stefano Iotti

Full Professor

keywords: fluorescent dyes, Magnesium, Biosensors, hydroxyquinoline derivatives, Synchreotron-based x-ray microscopy, magnetic

Emil Malucelli

Associate Professor

Jessica Marinello

Associate Professor

keywords: Human Topoisomerases, R-loops, Non canonical DNA structures, G-quadruplex, DNA damage

Luca Mazzei

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

Laura Menotti

Associate Professor

keywords: viral vectors, oncolytic virotherapy, HER2 receptor, tumor-specific receptors, viral retargeting ad detargeting, herpes

Emanuela Mensà

Research fellow

Giorgio Milazzo

Senior assistant professor (fixed-term)

keywords: Genetics, Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Neuroblastoma

Francesco Musiani

Associate Professor

Simona Pepe

Research fellow

Teaching tutor

Laura Poppi

PhD Student

Teaching tutor

Cecilia Prata

Associate Professor

keywords: Nutraceuticals, Signal transduction, NAD(P)H oxidases, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), Aquaporins, Antioxidants

Marco Russo

Research fellow

Teaching tutor

keywords: Bioinformatics, DNA secondary structures, Genome instability, R-loop, G-quadruplex

Cancer biology

Research groups

People