Oncological pharmacology – Tumour microenvironment of solid tumour metastasis (Prof. Bergamo)

Research Strand:

Pharmacology and chemotherapy (Biomedicine)

Prof. Alberta Bergamo

Phone: +39 040 558 8639
Email: abergamo@units.it
Office: F.C. building, I floor, room 215, via A. Fleming 22, 34127 Trieste, Italy

Biosketch

Alberta Bergamo is Associate Professor of Pharmacology at University of Trieste since January 2020.

She graduated in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Trieste and holds a second level master in “Regulatory Disciplines and Drug Policy” from the University Unitelma Sapienza of Rome.

She started her research experience at Callerio Foundation Onlus – Institutes of Biological Researches – of Trieste, to refine then at OIH INSERM U463, Nantes (Fr). From 1999 to 2019 she was a researcher at Callerio Foundation Onlus of Trieste.

The scientific research is focussed on tumour metastases and their pharmacological control. In particular, with both basic and translational approaches, the studies were conducted focusing on the search for alternative in vitro models that allow simulating the complex environment of the tumour microenvironment for: i) the study of host-tumour relationships; ii) the identification of new therapeutic targets; iii) the characterization of the pharmacological action at the cellular and molecular level. Most of these researches investigated the pharmacological properties of metal-based complexes endowed with peculiar anti-metastatic activities, contributing to the preclinical characterization of the clinical candidate NAMI-A, the first ruthenium complex entered in clinical trials.

More than 80 articles published in international journals evidence the scientific activity.

Prof. Bergamo is a member of the Italian Society of Pharmacology (working group in Oncological Pharmacology and Immunopharmacology), scientific editor of SIF Magazine and member of the Italian Society of Chemotherapy.

Info

Research

1 – Tumour microenvironment in solid tumour metastases

The research program is focused on both basic and translational aspects of pharmacological approaches to the treatment of metastases from solid tumours. The main research interests are addressed through the combination of molecular, cellular and integrative methods and are represented by: 1) the study of the pharmacological modulation of integrins in the metastasis development and growth process; 2) the molecular characterization of the metastatic niche of colorectal cancer; 3) the identification of selective “lead compounds” towards the metastasis of solid tumours.

The main research model is the liver metastasis from colorectal cancer (CRC), a widespread neoplastic pathology with a high social impact in western countries, whose main cause of death is the metastatic spread to the liver. Tumour metastases are closely related to the microenvironment in which they develop, which acts as a functional entity that, at the same time, induces and reacts to tumour and host factors, influencing the migration, settlement and growth of cancer cells in a specific secondary metastatic site. In the process of formation and development of metastases, the interactions of integrins with the extracellular matrix (ECM) play a fundamental role in activating intracellular signalling pathways that control migration, survival, growth and differentiation.

Researches carried out in our laboratory have shown that the action of soluble factors released by hepatocytes, combined with selected ECM proteins, modulates the activity of a5b1 integrin, and also influences downstream other integrins involved in the adhesion process of CRC cells to the liver matrix. Furthermore, increasingly evidences suggest that miRNA deregulation contributes to neoplastic development and metastatic progression by controlling the expression levels of many cell adhesion molecules, integrins included.

The main objectives of the research project are: a) to deepen the biology of liver metastases from CRC, considering in particular the influence of the microenvironment in integrin-ECM interactions; b) to investigate the role of miRNAs in tumour malignancy; c) to identify and validate the miRNAs involved in the progression of CRC to the liver, in particular those subjected to the regulation of the microenvironment. The ultimate goal of this project is to establish whether miRNAs regulated by the microenvironment and or modulators of the same, can constitute therapeutic targets for the control of metastases from colorectal cancer and contribute improving the survival of patients.

Determinants of tumour malignancy and drug resistance

2 – Pharmacological approaches to the study of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID

The recent pandemic has stimulated the start of a new line of research line aimed at investigating the impact of cardiovascular drugs and natural bioactive compounds on risk prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This topic could be further expanded to study the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on different parts of the organism, such as the brain and heart, and their implications for new treatments and next-generation vaccines. These studies will be conducted using a combination of molecular, cellular, and integrated approaches.

People

Professors

Sabrina Pacor (Assistant professor, Pharmacology, Cytofluorimetry)
Phone: + 39 040 558806
E-mail: pacorsab@units.it
Google Scholar
Scopus

Sabrina Pacor is an Associate Professor in Applied Biology (BIO/13), teacher of Farmacology in the University of Trieste Pharmacy LM and STB BSc. She holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Padua, after obtaining a degree in Biology at the University of Trieste.
Main fields of expertise: Pharmacology, Chemotherapy, Citofluorimetry.
Thanks to post-lauream education, the time spent at the Immunopharmacology laboratory of Prof. Riccardi at the Department of Medicine, University of Peugia, and continued knowledge upgrades, she developed competences in the use of flow cytometry platforms (inclusing sorters), in the setup of protocols and data analysis.
Prof. Pacor has over 30 years of research experience in the fields of experimental oncology, with studies on the antimetastatic activity of ruthenium-based drugs in mouse solid tumour models; she collaborated with Boheringer Manneheim Italia S.p.A and the activities carried out with Prof. Sava òed to two European patents. She also studied drug delivery systems using carbon nanotubes and fullerenes (in collaboration with Prof. Prato) and self-assembled gold nanoparticles (in collaboration with Prof. Posocco).
Since 2000, within the group of Prof. Tossi, she carries out a research activity focused on the study of the mechanisms of action of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) towards G+ and G- bacteria (direct antimicrobial activity) and indirect (mediated by the host). Her research activities currently include the use of in vitro models, with cell lines or primary cells, for the purpose of cytotoxicity studies (necrosis/apoptosis, proliferation index) and for the study of the modulation of biological responses induced by host defense peptides through an evaluation of their functionality (chemotaxis, phagocytosis, ROS, etc.), phenotype (using membrane and cytosolic markers) and release of cytokines. Moreover, she uses model bacterial strains to study the effect o peptides on bacterial membranes though fluorescent labels and cytofluorimetry approaches.
She assists students in the preparation of experimental theses. She has been the referent for 70 experimental or literature review-based theses for the Phamacy and CTF LMs, as well as of 20 BSc elaborates. She is the co-author of over 100 articles published on international peer-reviewed journals.

Publications

Full list of the publications of the Principal Investigator

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ORCID
Scopus

Highly cited DSV papers

2018
2015
2012
2011

Selected publications

1. Bergamo A, Bitto A, Grolla A, Nocentini G, Pierno S, Pistis M, Sava G, Racagni G. Pharmacological approaches to SARS-CoV-2 infection: from drug repositioning for COVID-19 treatment to disease arrest/prevention with MoAbs and novel antivirals. Pharmadvances, 2022. DOI: 10.36118/pharmadvances.2022.37
2. Cari L, Alhosseini MN, Fiore P, Pierno S, Pacor S, Bergamo A, Sava G, Nocentini G. Cardiovascular, neurological, and pulmonary events following vaccination with the BNT162b2, ChAdOx1nCoV-19, and Ad26.COV2.S vaccines: an analysis of European data. J Autoimmun, 2021, 125: 102742. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2021.102742
3. Pagano E, Bergamo A, Carpi S, Donnini S, Notarbartolo di Villarosa M, Serpe L, Lisi L. Preclinical models in oncological pharmacology: limits and advantages, Pharmadvances, 2021, 3(2): 402-20. DOI: 10.36118/pharmadvances.2021.05.
4. Giacomello E, Sava G, Vita F, Delhom N, Mahl P, Bergamo A. Chitosan-coated alginate micro-particles delivery of active principles through conventional pelleted food – A study in Tilapia. Int J Biol Macromol, 2020, 165: 82-92. ISSN: 0141-8130. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.09.162
5. Bergamo A, Gerdol M, Pallavicini A, Greco S, Schepens I, Hamelin R, Armand F, Dyson PJ, Sava G. Lysozyme-induced transcriptional regulation of TNF-a pathway genes in cells of the monocyte lineage. Int J Mol Sci, 2019, 20: 5502.
6. Bergamo A, Dyson PJ, Sava G. The mechanism of tumour cell death by metal-based anticancer drugs is not only a matter of DNA interactions. Coord Chem Rev, 2018, 360: 17-33. ISSN: 0010-8545.
7. Bergamo A, Pelillo C, Chambery A, Sava G. Influence of components of tumour microenvironment on the response of HCT-116 colorectal cancer to the ruthenium-based drug NAMI-A. J Inorg Biochem, 2017, 168: 90-97.
8. Pelillo C, Mollica H, Eble JA, Grosche J, Herzog L, Codan B, Sava G, Bergamo A. Inhibition of adhesion, migration and of a5b1 integrin in the HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells treated with the ruthenium drug NAMI-A. J Inorg Biochem, 2016, 160: 225-35.
9. Bergamo A, Gerdol M, Lucafò M, Pelillo C, Battaglia M, Pallavicini A, Sava G. RNA-seq analysis of the whole transcriptome of MDA-MB-231 mammary carcinoma cells exposed to the antimetastatic drug NAMI-A. Metallomics, 2015, 7: 1439-50.
10. Pelillo C, Bergamo A, Mollica H, Bestagno M, Sava G. Colorectal cancer metastases settle in the hepatic microenvironment through a5b1 integrin. J Cell Biochem, 2015, 116: 2385-96.
11. A. Bergamo, G. Sava. Linking the future of anticancer metal-complexes to the therapy of tumour metastases. Chem Soc Rev, 2015, 44:8818-35.

Last update: 09-19-2025 - 23:30

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