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I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnologies from the University of Bari, Italy in 2017. During my studies, I took the opportunity to do a one-month research internship in the field of Biochemistry and Elements of Enzymology. After graduation, I pursued a Master’s in Medical Biotechnologies and Molecular Medicine at the same university. This time, another research internship brought me to the University of Barcelona, Spain, where I conducted research in the field of Clinical Neurobiology and Neurophysiology for six months.
During my academic career and internships, the opportunity to study and deepen the pathophysiology and etiology of debilitating diseases has always intrigued me. It would be inspiring if we can identify novel functional therapeutic approaches to test in in vitro assays and animal models.
I am thrilled to be conducting my research within the MITGEST project, which offers a variety of stimulating work environments. Doing what I am passionate about, I hope to acquire both the theoretical knowledge and the practical experience needed to become the well-rounded, skilled researcher I aspire to be.
In this project, we will investigate the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) disorders and the cellular and metabolic response to mitochondrial dysfunction in order to identify therapies. Specifically, we will characterise mitochondrial dysfunction of iPCS cells derived from patient samples and of B lymphocytes cell lines with known mitochondrial mutation (LCL cells). We will also determine the impact of nutrient regimes on energy production as well as identify and compare the functionality of mitochondrial control mechanisms in mtDNA disease patients vs healthy subjects for better understanding mtDNA dynamics.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
This work is also supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [grant number EP/X02735X/1].
