Research Area

Active Research fields

Effect of ECM components (collagens), microenvironmental factors (PTHrP and conditioned media of differentiating human mesenchymal stem cells ), pollutants (cadmium) and enzyme inhibitors with potential pharmacologic application on viability, growth, motility/invasiveness, gene expression and other biological activities of human breast cancer cells in vitro;

Identification of markers of osteo-/adipodifferentiation in human mesenchymal stem cells.

Research projects of the last 5 years

 

-2011:  recipent of a grant for InterUniversity scientific collaborations from the University di Palermo for the realization of international degree courses (foreing partner: Prof. D. Reinscheid, HochSchule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, Germania).

 

-From 2012-: recipent of a grant for InterUniversity scientific collaborations form the University di Palermo for the monitoring of double degree program with the HochSchule of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (Germania).

-2012-2013: recipent of a grant from “Programma Vigoni” forn the staff exchange between Italian and German Universities (foreign partner: Prof. Edda Tobiasch, Università di Bonn-Rhein-Sieg; project title: PTHrP: a novel key factor controlling stem cell differentiation and angiogenesis for future large bone replacement)

 

 -2013-14: recipent of a research grant from the University di Palermo (FFR 2013).

 

 -2015: recipent of a grant for InterUniversity scientific collaborations from the University di Palermo for the realization of international degree courses  (foreign partner: Dott.ssa Pietra Candela, Università di Artois, Francia).

Collaborations

Collaboration with Prof. Edda Tobiasch Department of Natural Sciences, HochSchule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, D) in the field of the biology of human mesenchymal stem cells.

Collaboration with Dr. John Spencer (School of Science, University of Sussex, UK) in the field of cytotoxicity induced by enzymatic inhibitors with potential pharmacologic applications on tumor cells.

Active research

The laboratory is equipped with the main instruments for biochemical, cell and molecular biology investigation (centrifuges, thermocyclers, incubators, light and fluorescence microscopes, devices and power supplies for electrophoresis...) and with a room dedicated to cell cultures containing a CO2 incubator, a phase-contrast microscope and two laminar flow hoods.

Services delivered under the right of third parties

Evaluation of the biological activities (viability, apoptosis, autophagy, growth, in vitro motility and invasiveness, mitochondrial metabolism, cell cycle.....) of normal and tumor cells in response to the treatment with novel compounds with potential pharmacological applications