Below you will find the main lines of research for each operative unit.

Clinical Immunology

1. Mechanisms and biological factors able to modulate the function of the immune system, with specific attention to regulatory lymphocytes;
2. The characterization of antigen-specific anti-tumor immune responses;
3. The study of clinical and immunological aspects of systemic autoimmune diseases;
4. The setting of original gene vaccination protocols against tumors and autoimmune disorders;
5. The analysis of genetic and immunologic pathogenic mechanisms of autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and cancers.

Structural and Cellular Biochemistry

1. Study of abscisic acid functional effects and related biomolecular mechanism in different human and animal cellsi. Specifically, we will investigate ABA role in the physiology of glucose homesostasis regulation and in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, by evaluating on in vitro and in vivo models, the possible cross-talk between ABA and the incretin GLP-1 and the effect of oral ABA administration in glycemia regulation, in diabetes animal models.
2. Identification of antagonist of Sirtuin 6, an enzyme with a NAD+-dependent deacetylase activity and their potential use in the treatment of cancer.
3. Analysis and characterization of GDP-L-fucose metabolism and uptake into the Golgi system
4. Synthesis and structural characterization, by mean of gas (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography (HPLC-ESI-MS) coupled to mass spectrometry, of farmacological compounds.