About me

​I am a Molecular Cell Biologist devoted to bridge the 'translational gap' between basic and clinical research. I have joined the University of Leeds as part of the 250 Great Minds University Programme to lead the Cell Signalling and Cancer Research Group in the Leeds Institute of Medical Research, one of the biggest research institutes in the Faculty of Medicine and Health.

I have studied Molecular Biology and received my doctorate in Experimental Medicine from University of L'Aquila in Italy. During my doctoral training, I had the great opportunity to join the laboratory of Professor Guido Franzoso at Ben May Institute of Cancer Research at University of Chicago in USA and study the molecular mechanisms controlling cell death (also know as apoptosis). A subject that I was very passionate about during my master studies. I also enjoyed living in Chicago, where I spent eight years first as a graduate student and then as a postdoc. The city had so much to offer: walks, picnics and bike rides by the lake in summer; and  sipping a hot cup of American coffee and watching Christmas lights and crowds of people by the Michigan Avenue during the freezing (-17°C) windy winters.

 

In 2009, I have been awarded a prestigious Brain-Gain Start-up Grant from the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC). This award was the step-stone to start my independent research career as Visiting Professor at Sapienza University Rome while establishing my own research group at Imperial College London first and then at the Institute of Hepatology London.  In 2021, I was promoted to Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at University of Leeds.

 

I am driven by a passionate curiosity to understand the molecular basis of malignant disease to inform the search for clinical solutions. The discovery of novel molecular targets and innovative cancer therapeutics in areas where medical needs are greatest is therefore my primary research focus.  Research expertise is in:

• Solid tumours, especially breast, liver-gastro and brain cancers; 

• Onco-haematology, including lymphoma, leukaemia and especially myeloma.

​By using interdisciplinary approaches combining pre-clinical, biochemical and structural methods we aim to identify novel targets that are responsible for cancer survival, spread and development.​

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In addition of being an active researcher, I a member of the editorial boards of several scientific journals to manage the publication of submitted manuscripts by selecting and inviting scientific reviewers, monitoring the work of the reviewers and taking final acceptance/rejection decisions.

Current Editorial appointments:

• Associate Editor, Cancer Gene Therapy (Nature Portfolio)

• Associate Editor, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental (Frontiers Media)

• Editorial Board Member, Oncogene (Nature Portfolio)

• Editorial Board Member, Oncogenesis (Nature Portfolio) 

 

I am also serving on the committee review panels of charitable organisations (Leukaemia & Myeloma Research UK) and governmental agencies granting research funding, including Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of the UK Research and Innovation funding agency investing in science and research