BIO
I got my PhD working at the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste, Italy under the mentorship of Mauro Giacca. For my postdoctoral training, I moved to Philadelphia, USA, to work on tumor metabolism in the laboratory of Kathryn Wellen (Univ. of Pennsylvania) where I began working on murine models of pancreatic carcinogenesis. I focused on metabolic pathways involved in tumor onset. In 2020, I moved back to Italy to start my own laboratory at the Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, an independent research institute affiliated to the University of Padova.
RESEARCH
Pancreatic cancer is characterized by poor overall survival and few efficacious therapeutic interventions. One area that has offered significant scope for further exploration are the numerous metabolic disturbances that take place in all phases of tumor development. Several of these derangements lead to imbalances in metabolites, including S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), α-ketoglutarate (αKG), and acetyl-CoA that are crucial to the regulation of epigenetic landscapes. In particular, we demonstrated that the availability of acetyl-CoA influences global levels of histone acetylation.
We showed that pancreatic cancer initiation features elevated acetyl-CoA levels and abundant epigenetic reprogramming, and that the cytoplasmic enzyme ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY), which produces acetyl-CoA from citrate, is essential to the neoplastic transformation of pancreatic cells. In mouse models, ACLY deletion results in fewer tumors and improved survival.
Building from these findings, we are now trying to better dissect the role of acetyl-CoA in tumor-initiating mechanisms. In particular, ongoing research focuses on: 1) Characterize genes sensitive to acetyl-CoA fluctuations and responsible for initiating tumorigenesis. 2) Understand how the dynamics of mitochondria (metabolic hubs of the cell) may impact acetyl-CoA availability during cancer initiation and progression. 3) Dissect the metabolic fates of acetyl-CoA. 4) Interrogate the impact of known risk factors for pancreatic cancer on cellular metabolism.
HOBBIES/EXTRAS
I am a husband and a father. During my free time I love to spend time with my family, playing with my kid, and cooking for my wife. I enjoy to travel as much as possible. When I can’t travel far, I still love to take a day trip to Venice, to enjoy the beauty of the city, the art, the food. I am a big sports fan, and still love to watch and play all sorts of sports.