Yale University
I am an Associate Professor in the Yale School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics. I have over 20 years of experience in CF research, and my current studies focus on understanding the mechanisms by which monocytes and macrophages contribute to the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis (CF).
My journey in CF began at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome, where I worked in a human genetics center from 1996 to 1998. Our center was one of the few in central Italy providing prenatal genetic diagnostics for genetic diseases, including CF. Pursuing my interest in gene therapy, I focused my undergraduate studies on non-viral gene therapy strategies to correct the F508del-CFTR mutation from 1998 to 2002. During this period, I had the privilege of working under the supervision of Drs. Giuseppe Novelli and Federica Sangiuolo, both Professors of Human Genetics at the University of Tor Vergata, and Dr. Dieter Gruenert*, a Professor of Genetics at the University of Vermont.
For my postdoctoral studies in 2002, I joined Professor Diane Krause's laboratory in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. My goal was to integrate my knowledge of gene therapy with stem cell biology to develop new gene delivery models for tissues affected in CF patients. During my time at Yale, I began a fruitful collaboration with Dr. Marie Egan, a leading expert in CF research and Director of the CF Pediatric Center at Yale, which grew over the years.
In 2010, I was appointed to the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics at Yale. As an independent investigator, I established a research program dedicated to understanding how dysregulation of the immune system contributes to the progression of CF. I attended my first NACFC meeting in 2001, and since then, I have been part of this special community dedicated to finding a cure for people with CF.
*Dr. Gruenert passed away on April 10, 2016. He is greatly missed in the CF community.
W01--Effect of CFTR Modulator Therapy on Infection & Inflammation in CF
Thursday, September 26, 2024
7:45 AM – 9:45 AM ET