Since 2015, when I joined the University of Trieste, I have been leading the Experimental Biology research group at the Department of Life Sciences. Previously, from 2005 to 2015, I coordinated the research group at the University of Eastern Piedmont in Novara. The research activities of the group integrate a broad set of multidisciplinary competencies — spanning basic research, clinical investigation, high-throughput technologies, and bioinformatics — within a unified platform focused primarily on elucidating the fundamental mechanisms governing the diversity and specificity of the human antibody response.

Two principal areas of research interest are identified:

Genetic and structural characterisation of the human antibody response

The group investigates the genetic and structural determinants of human antibody responses, with a particular focus on autoimmune diseases as a model system. These studies are conducted primarily through phage display and yeast display technologies — platforms enabling the cloning and affinity-driven selection of gene libraries. These approaches have been applied to the comprehensive characterisation of antibody repertoires at both the genotypic level (the germline and rearranged genes encoding antibody variable regions) and the phenotypic level (the binding properties and specificities of the encoded antibodies). In parallel, an animal model of ectopic expression of recombinant antibodies has been developed and validated within the group.

Identification and validation of antibodies with therapeutic and diagnostic potential

Within collaborative projects, recombinant antibodies have been successfully isolated against a broad range of targets, including bacterial toxins, human complement fractions, complement inhibitory proteins, cell surface receptors, cytokines, viral proteins, and small molecules.

This activity is carried out in close collaboration with Dr. Andrew Bradbury (Specifica Bio, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA), a world-leading expert in antibody engineering.

The research objectives pursued across these two areas have generated results of dual scientific impact: advancing the understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms at the basic research level, and — as a direct translational outcome of this knowledge — contributing to the identification of novel therapeutic and diagnostic tools.

The validation of therapeutically relevant antibodies has been conducted across multiple cellular and animal models, supported by a strong network of scientific international collaborators as well as several companies: Eurospital spa (Italy); Diasorin spa (Italy); Quark Pharma (Israel); Tecna (Italy). Adienne Pharma (Italy), Aczom Pharma (Italy).