Address book
Contacts
PAOLO BONALDO
Position
Professore Ordinario
Address
VIALE G. COLOMBO, 3 - PADOVA
Telephone
0498276084
Education and training\n1986Graduated with honors (110/110 cum laude) in Biological Sciences, University of Padova, Italy. \n1986-1988 PhD Fellow, National Cancer Institute CRO−IRCCS, Aviano, Italy. \n1993-1995 Visiting Scientist, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Gottingen, Germany.\n\nHonors and awards\n1986Young Faculty Award for basic research, University of Padova.\n1987Young Faculty Award for biomedicine research, University of Padova.\n1987AIRC (Italian Association of Cancer Research) Fellow.\n1993EMBO Post-doctoral Fellow, Germany.\n1994-1995European Union Senior Fellow (Human Capital & Mobility Program).\n2005Civilitas Award, for his contributions in the field of muscular dystrophies.\n2010European Cell Death Organization (ECDO) Award.\n2011Gaetano Conte Prize for Basic Research, Mediterranean Society of Myology.\n\nAppointments and academic career\n1988-1990Senior Investigator, National Cancer Institute CRO-IRCCS, Aviano, Italy. \n1990-1998Assistant Professor of Histology, University of Padova. \n1998-2004Associate Professor of Cell Biology, Medical School, University of Padova. \n2005-presentFull Professor of Cell Biology, Medical School, University of Padova.\n2014-presentHead and Director of the CRIBI Biotechnology Center (Research Center for Advanced Biotechnology), Italy.\nOther Experience and Professional Memberships\n1995-presentMember, European Marie Curie Fellowship Association.\n2003-presentUniversity of Padova Scientific Committee for Biology & Biomedicine, member and deputy manager\n2004Research Evaluation Board: Biological Sciences, University of Padova.\n2004-2006Continuing Medical Education Board, University of Padova.\n2005-presentMember, Italian Myology Association.\n2005-2012Board of Advisors for Research Projects, University of Padova.\n2009-presentMember, World Muscle Society.\n2009-2011School of Medicine Board for Advanced Research and Technology, University of Padova, appointed member and coordinator.\n2011Life Sciences Peer Review Committee, University of Padova.\n2013-presentMember, European Cell Death Organization.\n2013-presentScientific Board of the Department of Molecular Medicine, coordinator.\n2014-presentDeputy manager of “Polo Vallisnery” campus of biology and biomedicine, University of Padova.\n2014-presentAnimal Research Ethics Committee, member and scientific reviewer.\n2016-presentCoordinator of the Vallisneri Interdepartmental Research and Teaching Pole.\n\nResearch activity\nAuthor of 146 full-length publications in peer-reviewed journals, journals (58 as first or last/corresponding author) including several high impact journals such as Nature Genetics and Nature Medicine. Total Impact Factor >900; mean Impact Factor: 6.5; total H-index: 46; H-index in the last five years: 37. Head of the “Matrix Biology and Functional Genomics” Unit at the Department of Molecular Medicine of the University of Padova. His team currently includes 1 senior investigator, 2 staff scientists, 4 postdocs, 2 PhD students and 2 postgraduate fellows. His research work has been founded, among others, by European Union, Telethon Foundation, and MIUR (FIRB programmes).
Notices
Publications
Complete list of published work in PubMed:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=bonaldo-p
Research Area
He has a long-standing interest in extracellular matrix and its role in organ physiology and pathology. From 1986 to 1992, he used molecular and cell biology approaches for the study of extracellular matrix components. In 1993, he joined the team of Prof. Peter Gruss at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysical Chemistry (Gottingen, Germany) and completed his education in mammalian development and functional genomics. After his return to Italy, he focused on the elucidation of the in vivo biological roles of extracellular matrix molecules. His team generated transgenic and knockout mice for a number of extracellular matrix genes. One major achievement was the discovery of a muscle phenotype in collagen VI knockout mice and the demonstration that they are a model of human inherited muscle diseases. In a landmark study, his team elucidated the pathophysiological defects underlying collagen VI disorders and identified new targets for therapy (Nature Genetics 35: 367, 2003). He next elucidated the mechanism causing accumulation of altered organelles in muscle, showing that persistence of abnormal organelles and apoptosis are caused by defective autophagy and opening new venues for the treatment of collagen VI diseases (Nature Medicine 16: 1313, 2010). This pioneering work was the first demonstration that deregulation of autophagy plays a key pathogenic role in muscle diseases, and paved the way for investigating autophagy in other muscular dystrophies. His team also pioneered the finding that physical exercise induces autophagy in muscle (Autophagy 7: 1415, 2011). More recently, he demonstrated that collagen VI is a key extracellular component of the adult stem cell niche required to maintain muscle regeneration (Nature Comm. 4: 1964, 2013).
