CURRICULUM VITAE CAROLINA BONI
University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name: Carolina Boni Birth Date: June 26, 1970
Citizenship: Italian
Business Address: University of Parma, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma
Via Gramsci 14, Parma 43126, Italy
E-mail (business): carolina.boni@unipr.it
Work Phone: 0521 703865
Work profile: Associate Professor
WORK EXPERIENCE
2023-present University of Parma Associate Professor in Infectious Diseases
2008-present Infectious Diseases and Hepatology Unit “Medical Expert Case Manager” University Hospital of Parma
2003-2007 Infectious Diseases and Hepatology Unit “Medical Case Manager” University Hospital of Parma
2002-present Infectious Diseases and Hepatology Unit Physician Assistant University Hospital of Parma
1999-2002 Infectious Diseases Researcher Fellow Regional Hospital of Parma Italy
EDUCATION and TRAINING
MEDICAL or SPECIALTY CERTIFICATION:
2022 Scientific National Qualification Assistant Professor in Infectious Diseases
1999 University of Parma, Italy Board Certified in Infectious Diseases
1996 University of Parma, Italy Medical Licensure
GRADUATE:
1995 Medical School Medical Doctor University of Parma, Italy
WORK ACTIVITIES
Awards
2017: Prize of the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver (AISF), for the best publication of 2015 on liver diseases entitled "Natural killer cell phenotype modulation and natural killer/T-cell interplay in nucleos(t)ide analogue-treated hepatitis e antigen-negative patients with chronic hepatitis B" (Rome)
2014: Prize of the “Fellowship Program and Community Award 2014”, for the study entitled “CD8 cell function and T cell receptor signaling as predictors of anti-viral T-cell rescue and early nucleos(t)ide analogue (NUC) suspension in HBeAg negative chronic hepatitis B patients” (Milan)
Editorial activity
2026-present Associate Editor for the international journal “Liver International”
2024-present: Editorial Board Member for the international journal "JHEP Reports"
2026-present: Guest Editor for the international journal "Cells" for the special issue entitled “Immune Cell Plasticity and Dysfunction in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Viral Hepatitis”
2022: Guest Editor for the international journal "Cells" for the special issue entitled “T Cell Dysfunction and Exhaustion in Disease”.
2022: Guest Editor for the international journal "Frontiers in Immunology" for the Research Topic entitled “Epigenetic and metabolic regulation of immunity during infection and cancer and associated immune biomarkers”.
2021-present: Member of the editorial board of the international journal "Cells" as expert in the field of immunopathogenesis and immunomodulatory treatments of chronic viral hepatitis B and C.
2020-2021: Guest Editor for the international journal "Cells" for the special issue entitled “T and NK Cell-Based Immunotherapy in Chronic Viral Hepatitis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma”.
Journal Reviewer
2010 – present: Nature Communications, Journal of Hepatology, Hepatology, Gastroenterology, Gut, PlosPathogens, JHEP Reports, Journal of Immunology, Antiviral Research, Liver International.
Scientific commitments for public and private institutions
2012-2014: external scientific advisor for Transgene (Lyon, France), at the international advisory boards in “Transgene's programmes in infectious diseases and the development of therapeutic vaccines to treat chronic hepatitis B (TG1050) and tuberculosis (MVA-TB)”.
2017: external scientific advisor for Gilead Sciences (International Advisory Board, Foster City, CA, 2017), as consultant in the field of immunopathogenesis and development of next-generation therapies for chronic hepatitis B.
2018: external reviewer and scientific advisor of Foundation FINOVI (University of Lyon, France) for the evaluation of research programmes in the field of hepatitis B and C virus immunopathogenesis.
2019 – present: Referent for clinical and pre-clinical research for the Unit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology with a special focus on non-profit studies - role assigned by the 'Research and Innovation Unit' belonging to the University Hospital of Parma.
2020-2022: Member of the review committee for the selection of abstracts submitted to the annual International Liver Congress (ILC) of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) for the category 'Viral Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E: Immunology'.
2022: Invited chair for the “Liver Immunology” Section, "International Liver Congress (ILC)” (London 22-25 June 2022).
2024-2025: Member of the scientific abstract review team of the 2024 and 2025 International HBV Meeting for the category “Immunology/Pathogenesis”, “Molecular Virology”, “Therapy” (Chicago 11-15 September 2024; Berlin 8-12 September 2025).
2025: Invited chair for the “Poster Tour Section: Liver immunology, " EASL Congress” (Amsterdam, 10 May 2025).
2025: Invited chair for the “Adaptive Immunity” Section, " International HBV Meeting” (Berlin 8-12 September 2025).
Invited speaker at international conferences:
- “Immune biomarkers in clinical management and treatment evaluation in HBV”, Future of Hepatology: Future biomarkers of HBV: from immunology to HBV DNA integration (Amsterdam, EASL Congress, 9 May 2025).
- “Can CD8 T cell analysis define patient propensity to achieve HBV cure?”, Seminar, (Collaborative Research Center 179, Munich, 15 April 2024).
- “Antiviral and immunotherapies to cure chronic HBV infection”, “New Frontiers in Hepatology” (San Giovanni Rotondo, 21 October 2023).
- “Immunology of HBV” and “Immune Pathways and Mechanisms leading to Functional Cure”, “The science of HBV cure meeting” (Singapore Hepatology Conference, May 30 and June 1 2022, Webinar).
- “Understanding Immune Mechanisms of HBV Functional Cure”, “The science of HBV cure meeting” (Singapore, Hepatology Conference, October 11 2021, Webinar).
-"Targeting innate immunity receptors and HBV-specific T cells to cure chronic HBV infection", “Immunotherapies for Infectious Diseases Congress 2018, Host-Directed Therapies (HDT)” (Lyon, France, 2018).
- "HBV: le terapie future", “Question Marks over Hepatology” (San Giovanni Rotondo, 2018).
- "HBV Infection and Disease-Antiviral immune response", “International Symposium - Biomarkers for Personalized Hepatology” (Pisa, May 30th–June 1st 2018).
-"HBV-specific T cells are exhausted in chronic HBV infection: the goal of immune therapies is to reconstitute their anti-viral function”, “Gilead HBV Immunology Summit Meeting 2017” (Foster City, CA, 2017).
- "Can we get rid of HBV?", International meeting “The Days of HCV Are Numbered, What About Other Liver Diseases?” (Lecce, 2016).
-"NK cell/T cell interplay in chronic hepatitis B treated patients”, "The International Summer Course - Intrinsic and Innate Immunity to pathogens” (Novara, 2016).
- "Immune reconstitution in HBeAg negative patients with chronic hepatitis B under long-term nucleos(t)ide analogue (NUC) treatment", “The 2nd Japan-Italy Liver Workshop - Hepatitis, Steatosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: molecular basis and clinical links” (Hiroshima, Japan 2014).
- "Functional T cell reconstitution in NUC-treated patients with chronic HBV infection", International Conference “Personalize the diagnosis and therapy of hepatitis B and C through the comprehension of viral pathogenesis” (Parma 2014).
-“Basic Science Seminars” in the Section “Immunology and Adaptive Immune Responses, "International Liver Congress” (ILC, Berlin, Germany, 2011).
Presentations selected through peer review of abstracts submitted to international conferences:
- “Characterization of transcriptional and functional CD8 T cell heterogeneity to design individualized correction strategies for chronic HBV infection”, AISF (Rome, March 2025)
- “Transcriptional and functional profiling of HBV-specific CD8 T cells in chronic HBV infection for the design of novel targeted T cell correction strategies for HBV cure”, EASL Congress (Amsterdam, May 2025).
- “Unraveling the role of peripheral and mucosal SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cell responses in shaping disease severity” ICAR (Padua, May 2025)
- “Transcriptional and functional HBV-specific CD8 T cell changes from disease to Functional Cure in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B”, International HBV Meeting (Berlin, September 2025).
- "Characterization of CD8 T cell heterogeneity in chronic HBV infection by functional/phenotypic profiling to predict the effect of immune modulation on the CD8 T cell function”, “The Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – AASLD” (2020, Webinar).
-"Heterogeneity of the exhausted HBV-specific CD8 T cell population as defined by functional/phenotypic profiling", “Annual International Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B viruses” (Taormina, Italy, 2018).
- “Combined GS-4774 and Tenofovir therapy can improve HBV-specific T cell responses in patients with chronic active hepatitis B", "International Liver Congress (ILC)” (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2017).
- "TLR-7 agonist GS-9620 can improve HBV-specific T cell and NK cell responses in nucleos(t)ide suppressed patients with chronic hepatitis B", “The Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – AASLD” (Boston, MA, U.S.A., 2016).
- "NK-T cell interplay in HBeAg negative patients with chronic hepatitis B under long-term nucleos(t)ide analogue (NUC) treatment", “Annual International Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B viruses” (Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A., 2014).
-“PD-1/PD-L1 blockade can improve the HBV-specific T cell function in chronic HBV infection”, "International Liver Congress (ILC)” (Barcellona, Spagna 2007).
- "Dynamic relationship between HBV-specific T cell responses, levels of HBV-DNA replication and liver inflammation in patients with anti-HBe+ chronic hepatitis B", “Annual International Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B viruses” (Heidelberg, Germany, 2005).
- "Analysis of acute phase T cell responses to hepatitis B virus (HBV) in persistent HBV infection", “Annual International Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B viruses” (Woods Hole, MA, U.S.A., 2004).
- “Effect of HBV and HCV coinfection on anti-viral T cell responses”, "International Liver Congress (ILC) (Ginevra, Svizzera 2003).
- "Anti-viral T cell responses in chronic HCV carriers with HBV superinfection", “Annual International Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B viruses” (Bergamo, Italy, 2003).
- “Different proliferative and cytolytic function of memory HBV and HCV-specific cytotoxic T cells in acute hepatitis B and C”, "International Liver Congress (ILC) (Madrid, Spain 2002).
- “The effect of Lamivudine treatment on cell-mediated immune responses suggests new strategies to treat chronic HBV infection” and “High frequencies of HBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes are present in chronic asymptomatic HBsAg carriers”, "International Liver Congress (ILC)” (Naples, Italy 1999).
- "Recovery of the anti-viral T cell response by lamivudine treatment in chronic hepatitis B", “Annual International Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B viruses” (Paris, France, 1997).
SUPERVISION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS
2016 – present: Supervision for theses degree in 'Medicine and Surgery', 'Genomic, Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology', 'Translational Biomedical Sciences' and 'Biomolecular, Genomic and Cellular Sciences', as well as for postgraduate theses in 'Infectious and Tropical Diseases' focusing on immunological research topics concerning HBV viral hepatitis and SARS-CoV-2 infection.
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
2023 – present Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases, University of Parma (Medicina e Chirurgia, Parma, and Medicine and Surgery, Piacenza)
2016 – present Adjunct Professor of Infectious Diseases, School of Specialisation in 'Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University of Parma
RESEARCH GRANTS
Active grants:
2026-2029: Principal Investigator, Italian Ministry of Health, Ricerca Finalizzata Program, of the project entitled “T cell functional reconstitution by immune modulation to treat chronic HDV-HBV coinfection and immunological predictors to optimize therapeutic efficacy”.
2020-2025: Principal Investigator of the project entitled "TherVac B: a therapeutic vaccine to cure hepatitis B", Horizon 2020 – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020), (Project N. 848223- European Commission).
2023-2025: Unit Coordinator, Ministry of the University and Research, Italy, PRIN 2022, of the project entitled “Mechanisms underlying dysfunctional CD8+ T cell responses in chronic hepatitis B”.
2023-2025: Unit Coordinator, Ministry of the University and Research, Italy, PRIN PNRR 2022, of the project entitled “Immunological and virological characterization of patients with chronic HBV-HDV infection: association with disease outcomes and response to Bulevirtide treatment”.
Completed grants:
2018-2020: Research team member of the project entitled “Characterization of immunological correlates of protection in HBV infection”, Gilead Research Program, funded by Gilead Sciences Europe Ltd (Grant n. 01553).
2017-2019: Research team member of the project entitled “Role of the host immunity in the non-response to DAA therapy” (Studio NR-DAA-HCV) funded by Abbvie, “Investigator Initiated Study (IIS) Program”.
2017-2019: Research team member of the project entitled “A novel integrated genomic and immunological strategy for the therapy of chronic hepatitis B” funded by the Ministry of Health, Italy, Progetti Ordinari di Ricerca Finalizzata (Project Code RF-2013-02359333).
2014-2016: Principal Investigator, '2014 Community Scholarship and Award Programme', of the project entitled “CD8 cell function and T cell receptor signaling as predictors of anti-viral T-cell rescue and early nucleos(t)ide analogue (NUC) suspension in HBeAg negative chronic hepatitis B patients”.
PERSONAL SKILLS
Mother tongue: Italian
Other languages: English
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Starting from 2000 Prof. Boni has been involved in clinical activity on patients with chronic HBV mono-infection and HBV/HDV co-infection. She provided original contributions to the HBV immune pathogenesis field, in particular for the characterization of the immunological correlates of protection in acute and chronic HBV infection and for the definition of new biomarkers to assess and predict the effect of novel immune therapies.
Thanks to the specific expertise matured in viral and molecular immunology, starting from 2014 she participated as Principal Investigator or sub-Investigator in a number of profit and no-profit clinical trials mainly focused on the treatment of HBV infected subjects and the characterization of the effect of therapy on HBV-specific cell-mediated immune responses. In particular, from 2017 to 2019 in collaboration with the Gilead Sciences research group in San Francisco she coordinated various projects aimed at characterizing the effect on protective antiviral immune responses of two new immunomodulatory drugs for hepatitis B, a TLR-7 agonist and a therapeutic HBV vaccine (Gastroenterology 2018-2019). In addition, from January 2020 she is PI of a project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 program, aimed at developing a novel therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of chronic HBV infection, entitled "TherVac B: a therapeutic vaccine to cure hepatitis B" (total funding of 10,426,000 Euros), with the specific task of performing a comprehensive monitoring of innate and adaptive immune responses modulated by vaccination.
Her immunological expertise has also been applied to the characterization of the role of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cells in preventing severe evolution of infection and of the effect of SARS-CoV-2 mutations in influencing CD8-mediated protective responses (iScience 2023 Jun 16;26(6):106940).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Statement of Research Interests
The main Prof. Boni’s research interests are focused on cellular immunology of viral infections and thanks to her previous involvement in various research projects in this area, all advanced immunological and molecular techniques needed to study not only peripheral blood but also intrahepatic innate and adaptive responses are already in place in her laboratory. Their application to sorted HBV-specific T cell subsets in chronic HBV infection will provide an already standardized strategy to understand how heterogeneity of anti-viral responses within individual infected hosts may represent a hurdle to successfully treat chronically infected patients through T cell immunomodulation and to identify possible strategies to circumvent them.
Long lasting experience in the management of the outpatient clinic at the Unit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology at the University of Parma, dealing with the clinical monitoring of HBV infected patients will guarantee a correct recruitment of the patient cohorts and a correct evaluation of the interplay between host immunity and clinical/virological parameters.
PUBLICATIONS AND METRICS
Total number of publications in peer-reviewed journals by Scopus: 62
Total number of citations by Scopus: 6,699
H-Index by Scopus: 36
