AICF's 2022-23 Fellows:
Project Abstracts
Filippo Birocchi, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Project Title - Development of an orthogonal chemokine pair to increase CAR-T cells homing and function in solid tumors
Dr. Birocchi conducted his PhD at the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy in Milan, under the supervision of Professor Luigi Naldini. He focused his doctoral studies on the development of a hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy approach for treating solid tumors. During his post-doctoral studies at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, he will investigate novel strategies to increase the infiltration and activity of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in solid tumors. With the AICF's support, he aims to contribute to the development of more effective and specific cell and gene therapies.
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Project Title - Development of an orthogonal chemokine pair to increase CAR-T cells homing and function in solid tumors
Dr. Birocchi conducted his PhD at the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy in Milan, under the supervision of Professor Luigi Naldini. He focused his doctoral studies on the development of a hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy approach for treating solid tumors. During his post-doctoral studies at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, he will investigate novel strategies to increase the infiltration and activity of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in solid tumors. With the AICF's support, he aims to contribute to the development of more effective and specific cell and gene therapies.
Giuseppina Caligiuri, PhD
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Project Title - Establishing the role of type I/II interferon response in Kras-mediated immunosuppression
Dr. Caligiuri obtained her PhD in January 2020 at the University of Glasgow and then joined the laboratory of Dr. David Tuveson at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to study pancreatic cancer. In the Tuveson lab she is investigating the reasons behind the resistance to therapies displayed by pancreatic cancer patients that harbor a mutation in the KRAS gene, which make up 95% of total cases. With the AICF support, she is employing cutting-edge techniques to study how KRAS instructs the other cells in the pancreas to promote tumor growth by hijacking their physiological functions. Through her work she will be able to predict the long-term consequences of the use of the novel KRAS-targeting drugs and identify new targets to improve patients’ response to therapies.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Project Title - Establishing the role of type I/II interferon response in Kras-mediated immunosuppression
Dr. Caligiuri obtained her PhD in January 2020 at the University of Glasgow and then joined the laboratory of Dr. David Tuveson at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to study pancreatic cancer. In the Tuveson lab she is investigating the reasons behind the resistance to therapies displayed by pancreatic cancer patients that harbor a mutation in the KRAS gene, which make up 95% of total cases. With the AICF support, she is employing cutting-edge techniques to study how KRAS instructs the other cells in the pancreas to promote tumor growth by hijacking their physiological functions. Through her work she will be able to predict the long-term consequences of the use of the novel KRAS-targeting drugs and identify new targets to improve patients’ response to therapies.
Andrea Cosentino, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Project Title - Epitope Engineered Hematopoiesis to Enable CAR-T Cell Immunotherapy for Multiple Myeloma
Dr. Cosentino is a hematologist who believes that clinical work and basic science are not two parallel and disconnected universes. In fact, early on in his career, he realized that being a clinician can have a major impact in the biomedical research field. Therefore, after completing his hematology residency, he joined the Genovese Lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, working on a project exploiting cutting-edge gene editing techniques in order to overcome the limitations of current adoptive immunotherapies in the Multiple Myeloma setting.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Project Title - Epitope Engineered Hematopoiesis to Enable CAR-T Cell Immunotherapy for Multiple Myeloma
Dr. Cosentino is a hematologist who believes that clinical work and basic science are not two parallel and disconnected universes. In fact, early on in his career, he realized that being a clinician can have a major impact in the biomedical research field. Therefore, after completing his hematology residency, he joined the Genovese Lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, working on a project exploiting cutting-edge gene editing techniques in order to overcome the limitations of current adoptive immunotherapies in the Multiple Myeloma setting.
Melody Di Bona, PhD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Project Title — Unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying micronuclear membrane in advanced cancers
Dr. Di Bona received her PhD in Physics in 2019 at the University of Genoa, where she developed a passion for microscopy. Her background in biotechnology and her interest in microscopy fully merge in her current Post-Doc position in the Chromosomal Instability Laboratory of Dr. Bakhoum at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Chromosomally unstable cancers undergo frequent missegregation, resulting in small rupture-prone cytosolic structures called micronuclei. Their rupture triggers a series of events and pathways resulting in distant metastasis and poor prognosis. Dr. Di Bona’s focus is on unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying micronuclear rupture, providing untapped targets for the treatment of these aggressive cancers.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Project Title — Unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying micronuclear membrane in advanced cancers
Dr. Di Bona received her PhD in Physics in 2019 at the University of Genoa, where she developed a passion for microscopy. Her background in biotechnology and her interest in microscopy fully merge in her current Post-Doc position in the Chromosomal Instability Laboratory of Dr. Bakhoum at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Chromosomally unstable cancers undergo frequent missegregation, resulting in small rupture-prone cytosolic structures called micronuclei. Their rupture triggers a series of events and pathways resulting in distant metastasis and poor prognosis. Dr. Di Bona’s focus is on unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying micronuclear rupture, providing untapped targets for the treatment of these aggressive cancers.
Michele Gabriele, PhD
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Project Title - Dissecting chromatin looping and FOXG1 activation dynamics in gliomagenesis
Dr. Gabriele received his PhD in System Medicine at the University of Milan, where he studied the impact of chromatin regulators mutations in human diseases. As a Post-Doc Fellow, he joined the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT. During his first postdoctoral experience and the first year of AICF postdoctoral fellowship, he used super-resolution 3D live-cell imaging to understand the dynamics of formation and duration of genome structures called topologically associated domains. Then, he adapted the same methodology for the study of de novo formation of enhancer-promoter interactions during neuronal differentiation in a physiologically relevant system to understand how alterations of this process are responsible for tumorigenesis. During his second year, he will employ super-resolution 3D live-cell imaging to study FOXG1 expression establishment and understand the role of its enhancer-promoter interactions in gliomagenesis.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Project Title - Dissecting chromatin looping and FOXG1 activation dynamics in gliomagenesis
Dr. Gabriele received his PhD in System Medicine at the University of Milan, where he studied the impact of chromatin regulators mutations in human diseases. As a Post-Doc Fellow, he joined the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT. During his first postdoctoral experience and the first year of AICF postdoctoral fellowship, he used super-resolution 3D live-cell imaging to understand the dynamics of formation and duration of genome structures called topologically associated domains. Then, he adapted the same methodology for the study of de novo formation of enhancer-promoter interactions during neuronal differentiation in a physiologically relevant system to understand how alterations of this process are responsible for tumorigenesis. During his second year, he will employ super-resolution 3D live-cell imaging to study FOXG1 expression establishment and understand the role of its enhancer-promoter interactions in gliomagenesis.
Claudia Galassi, PhD
Weill Cornell Medical College
Project Title - Breaking resistance of breast cancer to radiotherapy-CDK4/6 inhibitors combination by targeting cancer stem cells
Dr. Galassi obtained her PhD in Oncological Sciences in 2021 at the Catholic University of Rome. Few months later, she joined the laboratory of Dr. Lorenzo Galluzzi at Weill Cornell Medical College to study breast cancer stem cells, an immature population of cells linked with poor disease outcome, in an innovative mouse model of hormone receptor positive breast cancer which recapitulates key features of the human disease. In particular, her research is focused on the development of strategies based on radiation therapy plus CDK4/6 inhibitors targeting breast cancer stem cells in order to prolong survival of women with metastatic breast cancer.
Weill Cornell Medical College
Project Title - Breaking resistance of breast cancer to radiotherapy-CDK4/6 inhibitors combination by targeting cancer stem cells
Dr. Galassi obtained her PhD in Oncological Sciences in 2021 at the Catholic University of Rome. Few months later, she joined the laboratory of Dr. Lorenzo Galluzzi at Weill Cornell Medical College to study breast cancer stem cells, an immature population of cells linked with poor disease outcome, in an innovative mouse model of hormone receptor positive breast cancer which recapitulates key features of the human disease. In particular, her research is focused on the development of strategies based on radiation therapy plus CDK4/6 inhibitors targeting breast cancer stem cells in order to prolong survival of women with metastatic breast cancer.
Lorenzo Gallicchio, PhD
Stanford University
Project Title - Regulation of switches in cell state by alternative 3’end cleavage of nascent mRNAs
As a PhD student at the University of Manchester, Dr. Gallicchio studied the regulation of gene expression by microRNAs during Drosophila embryonic development. He was particularly interested in understanding how undifferentiated cells adopt the correct terminal fate, as mistakes in cellular differentiation often result in serious diseases, including several kinds of cancers and developmental disorders. For his post-doctoral training at Stanford University, he aims to understand how differential processing of nascent mRNAs affects cell fate decisions, using the Drosophila testis as a model system. He will use the programming skills he developed during his undergraduate studies in Mathematics and his lab-based experience to gain a genome-wide understanding of how changes in mRNA processing promote cellular differentiation.
Stanford University
Project Title - Regulation of switches in cell state by alternative 3’end cleavage of nascent mRNAs
As a PhD student at the University of Manchester, Dr. Gallicchio studied the regulation of gene expression by microRNAs during Drosophila embryonic development. He was particularly interested in understanding how undifferentiated cells adopt the correct terminal fate, as mistakes in cellular differentiation often result in serious diseases, including several kinds of cancers and developmental disorders. For his post-doctoral training at Stanford University, he aims to understand how differential processing of nascent mRNAs affects cell fate decisions, using the Drosophila testis as a model system. He will use the programming skills he developed during his undergraduate studies in Mathematics and his lab-based experience to gain a genome-wide understanding of how changes in mRNA processing promote cellular differentiation.
Giovanni Gambi, PhD
New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Project Title - Dynamic 3D Chromatin Remodeling in Acute Leukemia
After obtaining his PhD at Universitè de Strasbourg, Dr. Gambi joined the lab of Professor Iannis Aifantis in the Department of Pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Supported by his AICF’s Fellowship, he will investigate how the rewiring of 3D chromatin architecture contributes to the development of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and the emergence of therapy resistance. By combining genomic analyses of a large cohort of leukemia patients (at diagnosis and relapse) with orthogonal CRISPR strategies in vitro and in vivo, he aims to uncover novel transcriptional and epigenetic regulators that drive transformation and resistance.
New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Project Title - Dynamic 3D Chromatin Remodeling in Acute Leukemia
After obtaining his PhD at Universitè de Strasbourg, Dr. Gambi joined the lab of Professor Iannis Aifantis in the Department of Pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Supported by his AICF’s Fellowship, he will investigate how the rewiring of 3D chromatin architecture contributes to the development of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and the emergence of therapy resistance. By combining genomic analyses of a large cohort of leukemia patients (at diagnosis and relapse) with orthogonal CRISPR strategies in vitro and in vivo, he aims to uncover novel transcriptional and epigenetic regulators that drive transformation and resistance.
Edoardo Gelardi, PhD
Columbia University Medical Center, New York
Project Title - The Cryo-EM structure of APO-WLS, a promising target for cancer therapy
Dr. Gelardi obtained his PhD at the University of Piemonte Orientale under the supervision of Prof. Menico Rizzi and Prof. Silvia Garavaglia. He then moved to the European Institute of Oncology to work in the group of Dr. Marina Mapelli, supported by a fellowship from Associazione Italiana Ricerca Cancro. With the support of the prestigious AICF Fellowship, in the group of Prof. Filippo Mancia at Columbia University, he will focus on the biochemical and structurally dissection of the structure of APO-WNTless, to provide a framework for the design of molecules that modulate WNTs association, and thus signaling of hyperproliferative cells, setting the stage for the development of novel anti-cancer therapeutics.
Columbia University Medical Center, New York
Project Title - The Cryo-EM structure of APO-WLS, a promising target for cancer therapy
Dr. Gelardi obtained his PhD at the University of Piemonte Orientale under the supervision of Prof. Menico Rizzi and Prof. Silvia Garavaglia. He then moved to the European Institute of Oncology to work in the group of Dr. Marina Mapelli, supported by a fellowship from Associazione Italiana Ricerca Cancro. With the support of the prestigious AICF Fellowship, in the group of Prof. Filippo Mancia at Columbia University, he will focus on the biochemical and structurally dissection of the structure of APO-WNTless, to provide a framework for the design of molecules that modulate WNTs association, and thus signaling of hyperproliferative cells, setting the stage for the development of novel anti-cancer therapeutics.
laria Gritti, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Project Title - Proteogenomic Approch to identifying vulnerabilities of Fibrolamellar Carcinoma
Dr. Gritti obtained her PhD in Immunology and Oncology at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, where she investigated mechanisms that sustain Multiple Myeloma. She then moved to Boston where she joined the lab of Dr. Nabeel Bardeesy, at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. Her Post Doc project aims to identify vulnerabilities in Fibrolamellar Carcinoma (FLC), a rare and poorly understood liver cancer of young adults. Her goal is to define the oncogenic circuitry underlying FLC and the potential therapeutic targets, which are still unknown. This project has implications for the increasing number of cancers with genomic alterations in the PKA pathway.
Massachusetts General Hospital
Project Title - Proteogenomic Approch to identifying vulnerabilities of Fibrolamellar Carcinoma
Dr. Gritti obtained her PhD in Immunology and Oncology at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, where she investigated mechanisms that sustain Multiple Myeloma. She then moved to Boston where she joined the lab of Dr. Nabeel Bardeesy, at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. Her Post Doc project aims to identify vulnerabilities in Fibrolamellar Carcinoma (FLC), a rare and poorly understood liver cancer of young adults. Her goal is to define the oncogenic circuitry underlying FLC and the potential therapeutic targets, which are still unknown. This project has implications for the increasing number of cancers with genomic alterations in the PKA pathway.
Emanuela Marchese, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Project Title - Dissecting immunity in tissues with oncogenic germline mutations: an innovative approach for cancer prevention and therapy
Dr. Marchese obtained her PhD in Clinical Medical and Experimental Science in 2021. During her research experience, she became increasingly fascinated by the role and impact that immune system activation has on the early phases of cancer development. With the support of the AICF Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, she is currently studying the nature of the early immune response in “normal” tissues with germline oncogenic mutations and its impact on early carcinogenesis. The results of this project could have clear immunopreventive implications by directly blocking the cancer promotion in patients at high risk of cancer development and recurrence.
Massachusetts General Hospital
Project Title - Dissecting immunity in tissues with oncogenic germline mutations: an innovative approach for cancer prevention and therapy
Dr. Marchese obtained her PhD in Clinical Medical and Experimental Science in 2021. During her research experience, she became increasingly fascinated by the role and impact that immune system activation has on the early phases of cancer development. With the support of the AICF Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, she is currently studying the nature of the early immune response in “normal” tissues with germline oncogenic mutations and its impact on early carcinogenesis. The results of this project could have clear immunopreventive implications by directly blocking the cancer promotion in patients at high risk of cancer development and recurrence.
Marta Mastrogiovanni, PhD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Project Title - Defining drivers of HSPC dysfunction in MDS
Dr. Mastrogiovanni has always been interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying pathogenic processes, such as cancer. During her PhD at Institut Pasteur in Paris, she studied the impact of the mutations in the tumor suppressor APC on T lymphocyte migration and anti-tumor immunity. As a post-doc fellow in Dr. Teresa Bowman’s Laboratory, at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, she will use the zebrafish model system to study hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) development. In particular, she aims to define how inflammation synergizes with genotype-specific factors to fuel aberrant HSPC expansion, further leading to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and other myeloid malignancies.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Project Title - Defining drivers of HSPC dysfunction in MDS
Dr. Mastrogiovanni has always been interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying pathogenic processes, such as cancer. During her PhD at Institut Pasteur in Paris, she studied the impact of the mutations in the tumor suppressor APC on T lymphocyte migration and anti-tumor immunity. As a post-doc fellow in Dr. Teresa Bowman’s Laboratory, at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, she will use the zebrafish model system to study hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) development. In particular, she aims to define how inflammation synergizes with genotype-specific factors to fuel aberrant HSPC expansion, further leading to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and other myeloid malignancies.
Eleonora Nicolò, MD
Weill Cornell Medicine
Project Title - Reappraising the role of HER2 expression in circulating tumor cells: biological insights and clinical perspectives in patients with metastatic breast cancer
Dr. Nicolò is a medical oncology fellow at the European Institute of Oncology. The focus of her clinical and research activity is breast cancer. Dr. Nicolò is fascinated by the great potential of liquid biopsy as a tool to capture the complexity and continuous changes of cancer, which is why she decided to commit to the study of this method. Her research project aims at investigating the role of HER2 expression in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Characterization of HER2-positive CTCs will improve our ability to define prognosis and enable better treatment selection for breast cancer patients.
Weill Cornell Medicine
Project Title - Reappraising the role of HER2 expression in circulating tumor cells: biological insights and clinical perspectives in patients with metastatic breast cancer
Dr. Nicolò is a medical oncology fellow at the European Institute of Oncology. The focus of her clinical and research activity is breast cancer. Dr. Nicolò is fascinated by the great potential of liquid biopsy as a tool to capture the complexity and continuous changes of cancer, which is why she decided to commit to the study of this method. Her research project aims at investigating the role of HER2 expression in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Characterization of HER2-positive CTCs will improve our ability to define prognosis and enable better treatment selection for breast cancer patients.
Giada Pontecorvi, PhD
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Project Title – SHIFTING THE PARADIGM OF PANCREATIC CANCER PROGRESSION: Unveiling the Role of Pancreatic Enzymes
Dr. Pontecorvi obtained her PhD in Morphogenesis and Tissue Engineering in 2021 at the University of Rome, Sapienza. Then, she moved to the UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) in Dallas to join the Ligorio Lab, where she will have the possibility to combine the latest multi-“omics” technologies with the most advanced molecular biology techniques in mouse modelling. She will work on clarifying the etiology of the extraordinary amount of stroma present during the development of Pancreatic Cancer and to understand its immunosuppressive microenvironment with the final goal to develop novel immune-therapeutic strategies for this deadly malignancy.
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Project Title – SHIFTING THE PARADIGM OF PANCREATIC CANCER PROGRESSION: Unveiling the Role of Pancreatic Enzymes
Dr. Pontecorvi obtained her PhD in Morphogenesis and Tissue Engineering in 2021 at the University of Rome, Sapienza. Then, she moved to the UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) in Dallas to join the Ligorio Lab, where she will have the possibility to combine the latest multi-“omics” technologies with the most advanced molecular biology techniques in mouse modelling. She will work on clarifying the etiology of the extraordinary amount of stroma present during the development of Pancreatic Cancer and to understand its immunosuppressive microenvironment with the final goal to develop novel immune-therapeutic strategies for this deadly malignancy.
Giuseppe Tarantino, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Project Title - Liquid biopsy derived tumor features to predict melanoma progression and ICB response
Dr. Tarantino obtained his PhD in Oncology at the University of Bologna, where he worked on the prediction of the potential of the immune checkpoint blockade treatment on gastrointestinal stromal tumors. He recently started a postdoctoral research fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute under the supervision of Professor David Liu. His project aims to identify tumor-intrinsic features enriched in anti-PD1 responders melanomas patients. The goal is to identify new insights into melanoma progression and response to treatment by leveraging deep multi-modal sequencing data and machine learning methods, expand clinical actionability, and directly impact patient care.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Project Title - Liquid biopsy derived tumor features to predict melanoma progression and ICB response
Dr. Tarantino obtained his PhD in Oncology at the University of Bologna, where he worked on the prediction of the potential of the immune checkpoint blockade treatment on gastrointestinal stromal tumors. He recently started a postdoctoral research fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute under the supervision of Professor David Liu. His project aims to identify tumor-intrinsic features enriched in anti-PD1 responders melanomas patients. The goal is to identify new insights into melanoma progression and response to treatment by leveraging deep multi-modal sequencing data and machine learning methods, expand clinical actionability, and directly impact patient care.
