Personale docente

PhD-equivalent in Biology (1981). University Diploma in Marine Biochemistry (1983). PhD in Biochemistry (1990). Research Associate at the Ben May Institute for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, USA (1987-89). Post-doctoral Fellowships in 1) Biochemistry and 2) “Ricerca e Formazione Avanzata di Ateneo” (1996-2000). Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Parma (2001). Full Professor of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Parma (2005-present). Research interests: physiology and pathology of the prostate, androgen-dependence of the prostate, prostate cancer, polyamines and Clusterin (CLU, also known as SGP-2, TRPM-2, ApoJ).
Research achievements: 1989, cloning and identification of Clusterin as the major over-expressed gene during castration-induced involution of rat prostate gland; 1991, human Clusterin maps to chromosome 8; 1992-1995, Clusterin is involved in ageing and cellular atrophy in rat prostate; 1999, Clusterin is down-regulated during cell-cycle progression; 2000, early repression of Clusterin gene during prostate cancer progression; 2002, Clusterin is involved in the growth control of immortalized human prostate epithelial cells; 2003, molecular diagnosis and prognosis of human prostate cancer; 2004, down-regulation and localization of Clusterin in human prostate cancer; 2005, identification of nuclear CLU as a pro-apoptotic factor inducing anoikis in both SV40-immortalized PNT1a and androgen-independent prostate cancer PC-3 cells; CLU is a tumor-suppressor factor in prostate cancer (in the TRAMP mice animal model) and human colon cancer (p21-dependent); 2006, chemoprevention of prostate cancer in subjects at high risk to develop prostate cancer (HG-PIN volunteers) by administration of Green Tea Catechins (GTCs); validation of a qPCR method for molecular diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer in the TRAMP mice model; 2007, nCLU disrupt cell cytoskeleton by interaction with α-actinin; 2008, administration of GTCs to patients at high risk to develop prostate cancer result in a treatment effect on early lesions.

Publications: 71 international papers reviewed by ISI (average Impact Factor 4.2) and over 150 international abstracts. Total Impact Factor: 298; Citation Index: higher than 2000. H-index: 26.

Memberships:
Società Italiana di Biochimica (SIB), 1999.
Istituto Nazionale Biostrutture e Biosistemi (INBB), 2001.
Società di Medicina e Scienze Naturali di Parma, 2002.
European Society of Urological Research (ESUR), 2003.
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), 2004.
European Association of Urology (EAU), 2006.