Personale docente

GIOVANNI DELOGU

PERSONAL DATA
Date and place of birth: August 28th, 1969 – Sassari (SS), Italy;

CURRENT POSITION:
Full Professor of Microbiology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma
Head of the Microbiology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma.

Address: Unit of Microbiology, University Hospital of Parma, Parma.
Via Antonio Gramsci, 14 – 43126 – Parma
Tel. ++39 0521 903495
Email: giovanni.delogu@unipr.it

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:
PhD in General and Clinical Microbiology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome.
Specialty School in Microbiology and Virology, University of Sassari
Degree in Biological Sciences, University of Sassari

PREVIOUS RESEARCH EXPERIENCES:
2021-2025 Full Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome (Italy)
2007- 2021 Associate Professor of Microbiology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome (Italy).
2013-2016 Research Consultant, Dep. Epidemiology and Preclinical research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani, Rome.
2003-2007 Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome (Italy).
2000-2003 Post-doctoral fellow, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari (Italy).
2002 Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Fellowship at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, MD (USA).
1996-2000 Fogarty Fellow at the Laboratory of Mycobacteria, Center for Biologics Evaluations and Research, Food and Drug Administration, in a program sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Since 1993 the main focus of Giovanni Delogu research activities has been Mycobacterium tuberculosis, starting with molecular epidemiology studies and development of new molecular diagnostic tools; studies on the mechanism of pathogenesis of Mtb; the functional and immunological characterization of new antigens; the design, development and evaluation of new vaccines against tuberculosis. A main area of research has been the development new immunological tools for the diagnosis of tuberculosis infection with prognostic value and the development of innovative therapeutic strategies against tuberculosis based on the concept of host-directed therapy. The knowledge, expertise, tools have been used to investigate other microbes with a role in cancerogenesis as HPV and Fusobacterium nucleatum. In summary the main research interests involve:
- Molecular and functional characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence factors with emphasis on mycobacterial surface proteins as HBHA and the PE_PGRS protein family.
- Molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis, functional characterization of M. tuberculosis strains belonging to different phylogeographic lineages with the goal to define important virulence factors.
- Design and evaluation of new vaccines against tuberculosis by using different technological platforms such as subunit protein-based vaccines, DNA vaccines and recombinant BCG and different delivery systems.
- Implementation and development of new diagnostic systems in clinical microbiology with a focus on molecular diagnosis and immunological diagnosis (based on the measurement of the antigen specific T cell responses).
- Development of assays for the evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of new compounds or regimens, involving also the use of ex vivo models such as the granuloma-like structure.
- Development and evaluation of host-directed therapies against tuberculosis amd mycobacterial infections.
- Development of new diagnostic protocols for detection of HPV infections, with a focus on head and neck tumors, and for the diagnosis of other bacterial and viral infections.
- Molecular and immunological characterization of mycobacterial antigens and virulence factors and antigens and their evaluation as vaccine candidates. Development of new vaccines against tuberculosis and evaluation of their activity in the mouse model of tuberculosis.
- Study at the genetic level of molecular mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity.
Study and characterization of HBHA and PE_PGRS proteins of M. tuberculosis. Development of assays for the in vitro evaluation of antimicrobial agents. Development and evaluation of new diagnostics for TB and other infectious agents. Molecular epidemiology of TB.
- Development of research protocols for the detection and identification of HPV in biological specimens and investigation on the role of HPV in head&neck cancers.
- Development of protocols for the detection and identification of Fusobacterium nucleatum from biological specimens.
- Characterization of the pathogenic properties of F. nucleatum

AFFILIATION TO PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES.
Società Italiana di Microbiologia; American Society for Microbiology; European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Società Italiana di Microbiologia Generale e Biologia Molecolare

EDITORIAL ACTIVITY:
Academic Editor PLOS ONE.

Reviewer activity:
PlosPathogens, Lancet Infectious Diseases, Scientific Reports, PLOSone, Molecular Microbiology, Cellular Microbiology, Frontiers Journals, Journal of Infection, Expert Reviews, Journal of Bacteriology, Gene, Journal of Infectious Diseases, BMC Microbiology, Microbes and Infection, Vaccine, FEMS Microbiology Letter, Microbiology, Tuberculosis, etc

Reviewer activity for research project funded by:
MIUR (PRIN e Futuro in Ricerca); Agence National de Recherche, France; Member of the Panel Infection and Immunity (2015, 2016). ATIP-Avenir Program , France government (INSERM e CNRS); Research program Poland; Health and Medical Research Fund, Hong-Kong. South Africa research program; several Italian universities.

GRANTS AWARDED AS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

2022 Omics Guided Radiation Therapy - Italian Mnister of Economic Development. Sustainable Growth Funds – Innovation Programs Life Sciences.

2022 Research project funded by Minister of Health, Ricerca Finalizzata 2022. Trim proteins in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection: characterization of the role in innate immune response and host-directed therapy.

2018-2020 CCM Program of the Italian Ministrer of Health: Definition of control strategies for TB associated with HIV in Italy within a TB elimination strategy.

2016-2017 Personalized pharmacological treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease based on phenotyping granted by Fondazione Roma (50000 Euro for the UO with Prof. Delogu as PI). Understanding the role of microbiota in the aetiology of COPD.

2013-2016 - Research project funded by Minister of Health, Ricerca Finalizzata: “Genetic variability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its implications for transmission dynamics, pathogenesis and immune” (RF-2011-02348713). Funding of 100.000 Euro for the Unit where Prof. Delogu served as PI.
2013 – 2016 – Research project funded by the Minister of Health, Ricerca finalizzata: “Role of IP-10 and its truncated form in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis” (RF-2011- 02349395). Funding of 95.000 Euro for the unit where Prof. Delogu served as PI.
2010 - 2013 - PRIN – MIUR – National Principal Investigator “Latent tuberculosis and development of a model of post-exposure vaccination” (2008Y8RZTF). Funding 128.900 Euro.
2010 - 2013 - Progetto FILAS – Regione Lazio – Development of a new vaccine against tuberculosis. Funding 75.000 Euro - Partner: Okairos; Università di Tor Vergata.
2008 – 2011 Research project funded by Minister of Health, Ricerca Finalizzata “Innovative approaches to reduce the non –appropriate use of diagnostic tests and drugs in patients ith infectious diseases”(RF07.103) Funding of 53.000 Euro for the unit where Prof. Delogu served as PI.
2008 -2012 – European Commission funded project with the FP7 program NOVSEC-TB (Novel Secretion System in M. tuberculosis)(FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement n°201762.). Funding to the unit 321,900 Euro.
2007 – 2010 - European Commission funded project with the FP6 program INNOVAC (Innovative Vaccination Strategies against Poverty related diseases, PROJECT NUMBER LSH-2005-036871). Funding to the unit Euro 300.000.
2006 -2008 - PRIN MIUR - “Isolation, identification and genotypic and phenotypic characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated in subjects living in social stres ” (2005060582_002), funding to the unit 59.000 Euro
2002 – 2004 - Sequella Global TB Foundation dal titolo: “Purification and efficiency testing of a novel adjuvanted HBHA vaccine for tuberculosis”. Funding of 50.000 $ within the VIP (Vaccine Innovation Program) (USA).
2007 – 2018 - Recipient every year of projects funded by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Linea D1), competitively assigned on scientific outputs.

CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
2025- present Head of the Unit of Microbiology, University Hospital of Parma.
2019-2025 Head of the Laboratory Medicine Unit at the Mater Olbia Hospital, a centralized laboratory for the Hospital.
2003-present Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor with Clinical Microbiology duties at the Servizio di Analisi II (Microbiologia e Virologia) of the Policlinico Universitario “A. Gemelli”, Roma. From 04/2009 to 11/2016 Prof. Delogu has been head of the Virology and Molecular Biology Unit and since 12/2016 head of the Unit of Molecular and Immunological Diagnosis.

RESEARCH METRICS AND BIBLIOMETRICS INDICATORS.

Total number of publications in peer reviewed international journals available in PubMed: 189
Number of publications in the last ten years: 85

H-index: Scopus: 45;
Total citations: Scopus: 7000;