DOCTORAL
CANDIDATES
Background
In 2021, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" in Caserta, Italy. My thesis focused on using the CRISPR-Cas9 system to knock out a gene involved in cancerogenesis (the ZNF639 gene) in a cellular model of human glioblastoma. During my internship, I developed basic skills in cell cultures, cloning, and CRISPR-Cas9 under the guidance of Prof. Paolo Vincenzo Pedone and Dr. Ilaria Baglivo.
In 2023, I began a Master’s program in Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" in Caserta, Italy. I delivered my thesis internship at the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM) in Pozzuoli (Naples, Italy). Working in Dr. Alessia Indrieri’s lab of mitochondrial medicine under the supervision of Prof. Vincenzo Nigro, I investigated the modulation of two microRNAs (miR-181a/b) as a potential treatment for a rare mitochondrial disease, Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). I completed my Master of Science in March 2024, gaining experience in molecular biology, cell cultures, histology, microscopy, and animal models.
In May 2024, I became a postgraduate research fellow at the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine in Pozzuoli (Naples, Italy). Continuing my research activity in Dr. Alessia Indrieri’s laboratory of mitochondrial medicine, I contributed to two research projects: (a) investigating the modulation of miR-181a/b for the treatment of Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) and (b) exploring the role of miR-181a/b modulation in Parkinson’s disease (PD).
In September 2024 I relocated to France, and I am currently a PhD student in Immunology in Dr. Philippe Pierre’s laboratory of dendritic cell biology at the Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CIML) in Marseille. I am employed by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and enrolled at the Aix-Marseille University (AMU). My doctoral project focuses on investigating the modulation of the integrated stress response (ISR) in autoimmunity.
Outside the lab, I serve as a volunteer for the Italian Red Cross and Fondazione Telethon ETS. I have also gained experience as an English teacher and in creative writing.
Research
As part of the IMMERGE project, my research in Dr. Philippe Pierre’s lab will investigate autoimmunity, with a focus on plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), which exhibit integrated stress response (ISR)-like features and recurrently produce type-I interferon (IFN) during interferonopathies.
In collaboration with Dr. Frédéric Rieux-Laucat (IHU Imagine, Paris), we will examine gene variants predisposing to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and STING-associated vasculopathy in infancy (SAVI). That will include investigating the molecular and omics features of pDCs, mutated patient cells, and/or engineered model cell lines. Additionally, we will explore the crosstalk between microbe or toxin sensing and the ISR in pDCs as a potential contributor to the onset of interferonopathies.