Research Area
Active Research fields
Our lab is evaluating and validating newly discovered tuberculosis (TB) biomarkers as signatures for monitoring protective immunity against Tuberculosis.,Our lab also investigates γδ T cells, a subset of T cells that are involved in protective immune responses to tumours. Our Lab is evaluating a range of cancer therapies that exploit the complex interactions between tumours and γδ T cells. Moreover, our Lab is interested in elucidating mechanisms of autoimmune diseases.
Research projects of the last 5 years
EU Horizon2020 "Eliciting Mucosal Immunity in Tuberculosis" (EMI-TB). 2015-2018. www.emi-tb.org.
EU Horizon2020 "Tuberculosis vaccine 2020" (TBVAC2020). 2015-2018. www.tbvi.eu.
Collaborations
Prof. Ferenc Hudecz
Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös L. University, Hungary;
Progetto di ricerca: Analisi funzionale dei linfociti CD4 che riconoscono peptidi immunodominanti della proteina di 16 kDa del Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Prof. Tom H.M. Ottenhoff
Department of Immunohematology & Blood Transfusion and Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center
Progetto di ricerca: Caratterizzazione fenotipica e funzionale dei linfociti CD8 che riconoscono antigeni del Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Prof. Juraj Ivanyi
Division of Oral Medicine, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Kings College London, Guys Hospital, Londra
Progetto di ricerca: studio della risposta immunitaria protettiva nei confronti del Mycobacterium tuberculosis nell’uomo e nel topo.
Dr. Martin Vordermeier
TB Research Unit Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge, Surrey UK (Dr. Martin Vordermeir)
Progetto: studio della risposta immunitaria protettiva nei confronti del Mycobacterium tuberculosis nel topo e nei bovini.
Dr. Delia Goletti
National Institute for Infectious Diseases, “L. Spallanzani, Rome (Dr. Delia Goletti)
Progetto: Studio della risposta immunitaria in corso di infezione da Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Prof. Maurizio Fraziano
Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Romae “Tor Vergata”.
Progetto: Ruolo dei liposomi nella risposta immunitaria protettiva contro il Mycobacterium tuberculosis in un modello di infezione murino.
Prof. Maria Cristina Mingari- Dott.ssa Gabriella Pietra
Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università di Genova-
Immunologia, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genova
Progetto: Ruolo funzionale dei linfociti CD8 ristretti per la molecola HLA-E che riconoscono epitopi del Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Prof. Aòberto Mantovani
Dipartimento di Infiammazione e di Immunologia, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Università Humanitas, Rozzano
Progetto: Ruolo delle pentrassine nell’infezione da Mycobacterium tuberculosis in modelli sperimentali murini.
Prof. Jean Jacques Fourniè
Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse (CRCT), 31037 Toulouse, France
Progetto: Analysis of tumor-infiltrating γδ T lymphocytes in different types of human cancer.
Prof. Andrew G. Brooks
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
Progetto: Identification od human CD8 T cells recognizing Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens in the context of the non classical MHC molecule, HLA-E.
Prof. Adrian C. Hayday
Francis Crick Institute, Lincoln's Inn Fields Research Laboratories, London WC2A 3LY, UK and Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology, King's College London, London, UK.
Progetto: Exploiting γδ T lymphocytes for cancer immunotherapy.
Prof. Rajko Reljic
Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London, UK.
Progetto: Eliciting mucosal immunity to tuberculosis.
Prof. Carmen Fernandez, Prof. Anna Lena Spetz, Prof. Marita Troye-Blomberg
Department of Immunology, Stockholm University
Progetto: Eliciting mucosal immunity to tuberculosis.
Active research
Our research centre CLADIBIOR houses cancer biology, molecular biology and human immunology laboratories. There are excellent facilities for confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, cell sorting, ELISA, Elispot and Luminex platforms. CLADIBIOR has BSL2 and 3 laboratory facilities, tissue culture facilities, GMP Grade B and Grade D areas and state of the art equipment for advanced flow cytometry techniques including 6 multifunctional flow cytometers and a FACS Aria II cell sorter.