Cell therapy laboratory

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research Lab. Leukemic, stromal, and immune cell interactions, and their role in AML onset, progression, and therapy resistance.

Research areas:

  • Normal and leukemic bone marrow microenvironment: role of inflammation in reshaping stromal and immune microenvironment to leukemic cell advantage.
  • Normal and leukemic bone marrow microenvironment: role of immuno-metabolism.
  • Leukemic and normal hematopoietic stem cell biology: role of bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) in modulating the functions of normal and leukemic hematopoietic cells and their interaction with the bone marrow microenvironment.
  • Leukemic and normal hematopoietic stem cell biology: TP53 mutation role in leukemic cell immune-regulation.
  • Role of the stroma in AML development and in the response to therapies: role of stromal cells in AML resistance to venetoclax (VTX).
  • Immunobiology of AML: study of the immune evasion mechanisms in leukemic cells.
  • Immunotherapy of AML: application of therapeutic strategies based on the use of alloreactive NK cells in the treatment of minimal residual disease.

 

Teaching:

  • students’ thesis (Health Biology, Biotechnology).
  • PhD students.
  • lessons at the School of Specialization in Hematology.

Laboratory equipment:

  • incubators
  • laminar flow hoods
  • chemical hood
  • thermal cyclers
  • real-time PCR (Taqman7900HT)
  • flow cytometer (FACScanto II, BD)
  • immunofluorescence microscope (Axiovert 40 CFL microscope, Zeiss).
  • Multiskan Ex reader (immunoassays, proliferation tests, cytotoxicity tests, cytokine assays ...)
  • Seahorse XF HS mini Analyzer
  • qNano Gold

Principal investigator

Collaborators:

Dr. Marilena Ciciarello, Ph.D.  Biologist, PhD

Dr. Valentina Salvestrini, Ph.D.  Biologist, PhD

Dr. Darina Ocadlikova, Ph.D.  Biologist, PhD

Roberto Lemoli (San Martino-Genova)

Francesco Di Virgilio, Elena Adinolfi (Università di Ferrara)

Francesco Bertolini (IEO-Milano)

Andrea Velardi (Ematologia-Perugia)

Giovanni Martinelli, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori "Dino Amadori"-IRST, Meldola (FC)

Sara Trabanelli, Camilla Jandus (PATIM-CMU, Università di Ginevra)

Simon Mendez-Ferrer (Università di Cambridge, UK)

Matilde Follo (DIBINEM, Università di Bologna)

Mario Colombo, Sabina Sangaletti (IRCCS, Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano)

Sergio Rutella (Nottingham Trent University Clifton Campus, Nottingham, UK)

Rafael José Arguello (CNRS, Marseille, France)

Paolo Gallipoli, University of London, UK

Roberto Maria Pellegrino, Università di Perugia

Marina Buzzi, ERCB, AOU Bologna

Laboratory location

Hematology Institute “L. e A. Seragnoli”, DIMES

IRCCS University Hospital of Bologna