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FRANCESCA CIMA

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Position

Professoressa Associata

Address

VIA U. BASSI, 58/B - PADOVA

Telephone

0498276198

Prof Francesca Cima is Associate Professor of "Comparative Anatomy, Cell Biology and Developmental Biology" at the Department of Biology (DiBio), University of Padova.

In 1990, she had a degree in Natural Sciences at the University of Padova with full marks cum laude. In 1991, she was admitted as PhD student of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Padova and, in 1994, achieved the PhD qualification with her dissertation "Haemocytes and immunity in the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri". From 1996 to 1998, she obtained a two-year postdoctoral fellowship concerning the research field "Evolutionary Biology" in the Department of Biology. She was awarded the "Paolo Gatto's national prize" of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei regarding environmental problems of the Lagoon of Venice. From 1999 to 2001, she obtained a two-year research collaboration fellowship in the project entitled "Differentiation and cell interactions in Tunicates" with a further two-year renewal. In 2000, she was the Scientific Chief of the Research Project for Young Researchers entitled "Development of new bioindicators and biomarkers for the study of environmental impact by organotin compounds on coastal ecosystems". In 2001, she obtained a master in "Microscope analysis techniques in biological sciences" at the University of Pavia. From 2005 to 2018 she was Assistant Professor in "Comparative Anatomy and Citology" at the Department of Biology, University of Padova. Since 2019, she is Associate Professor and teaches the courses of "Cell Biology" and "Evolutionary History of Vertebrates" for the first degree in Biology, and "Principles of Animal Biology" for the first degree in Natural and Environmental Sciences.

She is a member of Italian Zoological Union, Italian Embryological Group, Italian Association of Naturalists, Natural Sciences Society of Trentino, Italian Society of Comparative and Developmental Immunobiology, Society for Histochemistry, and Italian Society of Histochemistry, of which she was a member of the management board in 2018-2021. She has been advisory board member of international journals such as "Applied Organometallic Chemistry" (ISSN:1099-0739, Wiley & Sons Ltd, Prof PJ Craig General Editor), "European Journal of Histochemistry" (ISSN: 1121-760X, PAGEPress; Editor in Chief: C. Pellicciari), and "Journal of Marine Science and Engineering" (ISSN: 2077-1312; Editor in Chief: Prof. T. Clare). Her research activity is documented by more than 200 in extenso scientific publications, contributions to international congresses, contributions to national congresses, book chapters; she is also author of 1 monograph, 2 book editings, 1 English-to-Italian translated book chapter.

Notices

PERSONAL WEBSITES:

https://sites.google.com/site/ascidianbiologylab/staff/francesca-cima
https://scholar.google.it/citations?user=QFlhikAAAAAJ&hl=it
http://www.researcherid.com/rid/D-6408-2011
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Francesca_Cima/?ev=hdr_xprf
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5232-3918

Office hours

  • at Laboratorio n. 19 ("Biologia delle Ascidie"), Dipartimento di Biologia (Complesso Vallisneri) - Area Scientifica, Primo Piano Sud
    si riceve su appuntamento (email: francesca.cima@unipd.it; tel. 049-8276198)

Research Area

1. COMPARATIVE IMMUNOBIOLOGY OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES (TUNICATES, BIVALVES, SIPUNCULA)
a) Haemocyte lines, innate immunity, and immunesurveillance in marine invertebrates
b) Evolution of the immune system in chordates

2. DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY AND COMPARATIVE ANATOMY
a) Apoptosis and colonial cycle in the ascidian Botryllus schlosseri
b) Morpho-functional aspects of the alimentary canal of Ascidians, Thaliaceans and Appendicularians
c) Spermatogenesis in Appendicularians

3. ECOTOXICOLOGY IN MARINE INVERTEBRATES
a) Immunotoxicity and bioaccumulation of antifouling compounds in coastal marine invertebrates used as bioindicators (ascidians, bivalves, sea urchins, sipunculans, soft corals)
b) Embryotoxicity and alterations of larval development by antifouling compounds on marine invertebrates
c) Effects of physical (i.e., ultrasound, geotextiles) and chemical (i.e., antifouling paints and biocides) antifouling systems on both single species of marine invertebrates and ecological succession of the hard-substratum macrofouling community in the coastal marine ecosystems.

Thesis proposals

1. EVOLUTION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM: characterisation of haemocytes and immunosurveillance in bivalves and tunicates, the latter phylogenetically important for their affinity with vertebrates. In particular, the different cell types will be studied by a morphological and functional point of view (phagocytosis, chemotaxis, cytotoxicity, recognition, inflammation) in order to define their role and the differentiation lines starting from undifferentiated pluripotent cells ("stem cells"), which are also under investigation.

2. STUDY OF THE HARD-SUBSTRATUM MACROFOULING COMMUNITY IN THE LAGOON OF VENICE: ecological topic. The ecological succession of hard-substratum macrofouling will be assessed periodically, using various descriptors of biodiversity, on panels of various materials or in the presence of antifouling systems immersed in selected stations of the lagoon with various hydrodynamics.

3. ECOTOXICOLOGY: a) Biochemical and behavioural studies of marine invertebrates exposed to ultrasound employed as new eco-friendly antifouling systems. b) Immunotoxicity caused by new antifouling compounds alternatives to organotin compounds in marine invertebrates. The issue of possible immunosuppressive action will be addressed on new antifouling substances recently introduced as alternatives to organotin compounds (TBT, TPT) which were banned worldwide for their high toxicity on non-target marine sessile invertebrates and for the consequent severe damages to coastal marine ecosystems.

4. RESTORATION AND CATALOGING OF VERTEBRATE COLLECTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY OR OF THE MUSNA VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY SECTION: the student will learn the main techniques of conservation, exposition, restoration and cataloguing of a class of Vertebrates concerning taxidermic specimens or preserved in fluid, skeletons and replicas of fossils. Patience, methodicalness, orderliness, initiative and creativity are required.

5. COMPILATION THESIS ON THE TOPIC OF EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF VERTEBRATES. Free choice of the topic by the student who, however, must have previously attended the "Evolutionary History of Vertebrates" course.