BIO
Following a PhD working at the Candiolo Cancer Institute – IRCCS under the mentorship of Prof. Alberto Bardelli, I did my postdoctoral training in in the lab of Prof. Emilio Hirsch (Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino), to work on the role of PI3K signaling in cancer using genetically engineered mouse models of breast and pancreatic cancer. There, I contributed to define the molecular role of class II PI3K in controlling genome stability and promoting cancer development and progression.
In 2019, I started my own laboratory at the Molecular Biotechnology Center (MBC), University of Torino, as an assistant professor thanks to the Worldwide Cancer Research program.
RESEARCH
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the quintessential aggressive malignancy that thrives in nutrient-deprived, hypoxic environment. Pancreatic cancers overcome these limitations through upregulation of specific signaling pathways activation of scavenging processes to fuel tumor growth. Our laboratory focuses on pancreatic cancer biology, as well as the biology of other cancers, and we use a combination of approaches, including biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, organoids and transgenic models to define new signaling crosstalk mechanisms. Deciphering how these pathways function and integrate with one another can reveal novel angles of therapeutic attack.
HOBBIES / EXTRAS
In my free-time, I am an enthusiastic dancer. I danced since I was 6 years old and it helps me to wind down and clear my head after a long day at the lab. I am also a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien saga and the Harry Potter series, a passion that I share with other people in the lab.
“Dance taught me to be humble, to be hardworking and don’t give up easily”.