Dipartimento di Biologia e
Biotecnologie Charles Darwin

Our main research lines are: Analysis of the molecular mechanisms involved in host-pathogen interaction in intestinal or pulmonary bacterial infections. Characterization of pathways controlling virulence gene expression, biofilm formation, and host immune evasion in bacterial pathogens. Identification of novel targets for the development of antibacterial drugs. Viral oncogene-induced cell transformation and impairment of the differentiation program in myogenic cells. Dissection of the molecular pathways involved in the regulation/dysregulation of both innate and adaptive immune responses in physiology (signal transduction in lymphocytes) or in models of monogenic (cystic fibrosis) or polygenic (autoimmune disorders: ankylosing spondylitis, multiple sclerosis) diseases or in chronic viral infections (HCV). Analysis of the genetic and epigenetic modifications determining monocyte/macrophage differentiation.