During my Ph. D. in Experimental Oncobiology I studied the regulation of gene expression, epigenetics, nuclear organization and chromatin remodeling in Drosophila melanogaster.
Thereafter, my main research line took shape: the molecular aspects that underlie the processes of human aging and their effects on cancer and aging-related diseases. I work with the Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome as a model of aging.
I enhanced my skills in bioinformatics, working both with consolidated technologies (i.e., Illumina) and edge technologies, such as the Oxford Nanopore Technology, from the bench to the analyses. I have worked in quantifying the expression of human repetitive sequences, analyzing metagenomic data and microbial transcriptome reconstruction.
In details, I am interested mainly in the mutual influences among repetitive sequences (e.g., LINE-1, HERV, satellites), ncRNAs (e.g., small, circular and chromatin-associated RNAs; ceRNA analyses), nuclear architecture (e.g., chromatin remodeling, histone modifications, chromatin territories) and the microenvironment.
I am proficient in genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology and computational biology.
