Curriculum studiorum
− 1983−1984: Degree In Biology, Università degli studi di Padova, (110/110 cum laude)
− 1987−1989: Fellowship at European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germania
− 1990−1991: Guest researcher at Glaxo Group Research, Greenford, U.K.
− 1992: PhD in Morphogenetic and Cytological Sciences

Positions and Employment
− 1983−1984: University of Padova, Department of Biology, Graduation training
− 1985−1986: University of Padova, Department of Biology, Postgraduate training
− 1987−1989: European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, Heidelberg,
Germany, Ph.D fellow (K.K. Stanley Group, E. Wagner Group)
− 1990−1991: Glaxo Group Research, Department of Genetics, Greenford, U.K., Ph.D fellow (Transgenic Facililty)
− 1993−2002: University of Padova, Institute of Histology and Embryology, Technical assistant
− 2003−2007: University of Padova, Institute of Histology and Embryology, Research assistant
− 2007−2015: University of Padova, School of Medicine, Assistant Professor of
Cell Biology
− October 2015−present: University of Padova, School of Medicine, Associate Professor of
Cell Biology

Research work
During the stay at the EMBL, she has been involve in the development of prokaryotic vectors for the production of fusion proteins and the production and use of antibodies for membrane proteins of the trans−Golgi network. Since 1987 her main research interest has always been the study of the organization and function of extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen VI and all the members of the Emilin/Multimerin family. She performed analysis of the expression of extracellular matrix components and of the regulatory regions specifying temporal and spatial distribution. For this purpose she started a training in functional genomics, both at the EMBL in the group of E. Wagner and at Glaxo Group Research in the group of G. Schmidt. She then settled those techniques in the University of Padova, where she organized a lab in which many different techniques for the production and the use of transgenic mice are thoroughly applied (production of transgenic and knockout mice by microinjection of DNA in oocytes, culture and site directed mutagenesis of murine ES cells and microinjection in blastocysts and lentiviral production for in vivo knockdown via RNAi and overexpression of gene of interests). The use of these techniques and of cell and molecular biology procedures allowed the disclosure of the phenotype of two knockout mice, both lacking extracellular matrix proteins: collagen VI and emilin-1. In collaboration with Prof. Paolo Bonaldo the dystrophic phenotype of collagen VI deficient mice was describe and the important role of apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction and of impaired autophagy in the pathology were established. Emilin-1 deficient mice appeared to be a striking model for monogenic hypertension linked to TGF-beta control. She has been involved also in the development of new approaches for the recover of the dystrophic phenotype of mdx mice utilizing synthetic nanoparticles delivering oligonucleotides for exon-skipping. She recently established the techniques for the cryopreservation of mouse germplasts and is now running a Transgenic Production Facility and of the Cryopreservation Unit in the Department of Molecular Medicine and founded an University spin-off called MEMMIA.

Author of 55 peer−reviewed papers in international journals (h-index: 22).

Notices