Michela Alessandra Denti

Professoressa associata

Dipartimento di Biologia Cellulare, Computazionale e Integrata - CIBIO

Via Sommarive, 9 - 38123 Povo
tel. 0461 283820
michela.denti[at]unitn [dot] it
Settore scientifico disciplinare: BIOS-10/A - Biologia cellulare e applicata (BIOS-10/A)
Competenze:
Biologia
Biologia del cancro
Biologia dell'RNA
Biologia molecolare
Biotecnologie
Exon skipping
Interferenza dell'RNA (RNAi)
Malattie neurodegenerative
Medicina di precisione
MicroRNA
Proteomica
Proteomica quantitativa
RNA non codificante
Sequenziamento di nuova generazione
Terapia genica
Formazione

• 22 January 2000: EUROPEAN DOCTORATE IN BIOTECHNOLOGY awarded by the European Association for Higher Education in BioTechnology.

• 24 November 1997: PhD DEGREE (Perfezionamento) in Biological Sciences obtained with honours (70/70 cum laude) at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa (Italy) with the Thesis: "A Study on the Newt Hammerhead Ribozyme: In vivo Application, Intracellular Localisation and Association to RNA Binding Proteins".

• April 1995: State assessment examination for professional biologists ("ABILITAZIONE ALLA PROFESSIONE DI BIOLOGO").

• December 1993- November 1997: PhD Course (Corso di Perfezionamento) in Biological Sciences. Classe di Scienze, Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa, Italy).

• 4 November 1993: LAUREA with honours (110/110 cum laude) in Biological Sciences at the University of Pisa (Italy) with the Thesis "Strategie per l’uso di ribozimi per l’inattivazione di funzioni geniche: il sistema "newt self-cleaving RNA"/ metilguanina:DNA metiltrasferasi".

• November 1988-November 1993: Faculty of Sciences, University of Pisa: Corso di Laurea in Biological Sciences.

• July 1988: Diploma di Maturita' Scientifica (60/60) at the Liceo Scientifico Statale "E. Fermi", Cosenza, Italy.
Carriera accademica ed attività didattica

• October 2014 - present: ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR of Applied Biology (PROFESSORE ASSOCIATO BIO/13), CIBIO, University of Trento, (Italy).

• March 2008-September 2014: ASSISTANT PROFESSOR of Molecular Biology (RICERCATRICE UNIVERSITARIA BIO/11), CIBIO, University of Trento, (Italy).

• November 2007-February 2008: VISITING PROFESSOR, Faculty of Science, University of Trento (Italy).

TEACHING

  • Course Biophysics (1st unit), for the students of Corso di Laurea triennale in Fisica, Corso di Laurea triennale in Matematica, Corso di Laurea specialistica in Fisica. University of Trento. (6 credits; 42 hours, A.Y. 2008/2009).
  • Lessons in the Course Communication of Science for the students of Corso di Laurea triennale in Fisica, Corso di Laurea triennale in Matematica, Corso di Laurea specialistica in Fisica. University of Trento (4 hours, A.Y. 2008/2009;  4 hours, A.Y. 2010/2011).
  • Lessons in the Course Molecular Biology I for the students of Corso di Laurea triennale in Scienze e Tecnologie Biomolecolari. University of Trento (6 hours, A.Y. 2009/2010)
  • Practicals for the Course Molecular Biology I for the students of Corso di Laurea triennale in Scienze e Tecnologie Biomolecolari. University of Trento (64 hours, A.Y. 2010/2011)
  • Course RNA Biology and Biotechnology for the students of PhD School in Biomolecular Sciences. University of Trento (12 hours, A.Y. 2010/2011; 12 hours, A.Y. 2011/2012).
  • Course Systems Biology I (Biomolecular Networks) for the students of Corso di Laurea triennale in Scienze e Tecnologie Biomolecolari. University of Trento (58 hours, A. Y. 2011/2012; 58 hours, A. Y. 2012/2013).
  • Course Molecular Biology for the students of the Corso di Laurea treinnale in Tecniche di Laboratorio Biomedico. Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Verona, Polo di Rovereto (20 hours,  A. Y. 2012/2013; 20 hours,  A. Y. 2013/2014).
  • Course HIGH-THROUGHPUT METHODOLOGIES I: TECHNOLOGIES for the students of the Master in Biotechnology, University of Trento (50 hours, A. Y. 2013/2014).

EXPERIENCE IN TRAINING AND SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS AND POSTDOCS

  • Since October 2008 - Tutorship of 10 undergraduate students:
  • Since March 2009 - Tutorship of 3 Master students: Simone Adami, Corso di laurea magistrale in Bioinformatica e Biotecnologie Mediche, University of Verona; Elena Pachera, Corso di laurea Specialistica in Biotecnologie Medico-Farmaceutiche, University of Ferrara; Claudia Tonelli, Corso di Laurea Specialistica in Biotecnologie Farmaceutiche, University of Bologna.
  • Since January 2010 - Supervision of 5 PhD students of the International Doctoral School in Biomolecular Sciences, University of Trento: Lv Xiaoyun, Niccolò Bacchi, Francesca Fontana, Kavitha Siva and Laura Avogaro.
  • Since April 2008  - Supervision of 3 Postdoctoral Researchers
  • Since June 2009 - Supervision of 3 international visiting fellows
Interessi di ricerca

• Molecular Biology of RNA
• Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression
• RNA-protein interactions
• Application of non-canonical properties of RNA to gene therapy
- antisense RNAs
- ribozymes
- RNA interference

RNA impacts nearly every aspect of gene expression and it is now clear that the majority of human genetic diseases are caused by mistakes in RNA metabolism. It has become progressively evident that RNA is not just a carrier of genetic information, but also a catalyst and a guide for sequence-specific recognition and processing of other RNA molecules. Progress in our understanding of RNA biology has made it possible to identify RNA molecules as targets of therapeutic intervention and to use RNA as a tool for functional studies and as a novel therapeutic molecule to treat human disease. Since a few years, RNA-based techniques (RNA interference, antisense RNA etc.) are becoming more and more useful in gene therapy and applied research.

I am interested in the study of micro RNAs (miRNAs), ca. 21 nt regulatory RNAs that control development and differentiation acting as post-transcriptional negative regulators of the expression of key target genes.
Moreover, I am interested in the use of antisense RNA to modulate mRNA splicing and thus, correct genic defects.

Research support

  • Jun/13-Jun/16     Co-PI, Provincia Autonoma di Trento - Grandi progetti 2012: TRANSCRAPPLE “Transcriptional and Post-transcriptional regulation of apple fruit development”    (251,124 Euro)
  • Dec/11-Dec/13    Co-PI, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e Rovereto “A multiscale approach to the study of the mutifactorial substrate of postoperative atrial fibrillation".     (70,000 Euro)
  • Dec/10-Dec/14    National Coordinator, Fondo per gli Investimenti della Ricerca di Base 2008 - Futuro in Ricerca – Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research RBFR-0895DC     “Mechanisms of post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in dementias” (186,000 Euro)
  • Dec/10-Dec/13    Giovani Ricercatori (Young Investigators) 2008 – Italian Ministry of Health GR-2008-1136933 “Antisense RNA-mediated gene therapy of retinal dystrophies and dysfunctions” (292,961 Euro)
  • Jun/10-Sep/12    National Coordinator, Programmi di Ricerca Scientifica di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale – Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research PRIN-2008-
  •         W8JTPA “A functional study of hereditary mutations in the non-coding regions of cancer proneness genes: CDKN2A, MEN1 and PTEN” (90,133 Euro)
  • Jan/09-Dec/11    Telethon Italia Research Grant GGP08244 “Antisense RNA-induced exon skipping for the gene therapy of FrontoTemporal Dementia and Parkinsonism associated with         chromosome 17(FTDP-17)”. (183,400 Euro)

Research support to collaborators

  • Jun/11-Jun/14    Outgoing Marie Curie Fellowship - Provincia Autonoma di Trento- “Histone methylation alteration associated to transcriptional mis-regulation during lung tumor development” (179,520 Euro) to Dr. Valerio Del Vescovo
  • Sept - Oct/13    IBRO (International Brain Research Organization) InEurope Short Stay grant to PhD student Kavitha Siva, for a one-month research visit to Rohan DeSilva's laboratory at Reta Lila Weston Institute, Institute of Neurology, University College London (3,000 Euro)
  • Oct - Nov/13    IBRO (International Brain Research Organization) InEurope Short Stay grant to PhD student Francesca Fontana, for a one-month research visit to Catherine Greene’s laboratory at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin (3,000 Euro)
Attività di ricerca
• November 2007- present: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, Laboratory of RNA Biology and Biotechnology, Centre for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, (Italy).

• January 2002-October 2007: POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER, Prof. Irene Bozzoni’s laboratory at the Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome, (Italy).
The research project concerned the exploitation of non-canonical properties of RNA to control gene-expression in a sequence-specific way:
- Development of DNA vectors for RNA interference in mammalian cells and their application to knock down genes of interest
- Gene therapy of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD): restoring of dystrophin synthesis in vivo by antisense-RNA-induced exon skipping

• January 1998 – December 2001: POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER, Prof. Martin Tabler’s and Prof. Mina Tsagris’ laboratories at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, FORTH, Heraklion, Crete, (Greece).
The research project included:
- Study of the interaction between the Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid (PSTVd) RNA and the tomato RNA-binding protein Virp1 by mutational analysis of the RNA and protein moieties
- Functional characterisation of the tomato protein Virp1
- Cloning and characterisation of Virp1 homologs from other Solanaceae
- Study of the viroid-induced post-transcriptional gene silencing in tomato.

• March 1996 – March 1997: VISITING RESEARCHER, Prof. Martin Tabler’s laboratory at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, FORTH Heraklion, Crete, (Greece).
The research project, part of the PhD studies, consisted in learning and implementing a Northwestern technique for the identification of RNA-binding proteins from cDNA expression libraries, developed in the host laboratory, and applying it to the identification of newt proteins binding to the newt hammerhead ribozyme.

• July 1995 - September 1995: VISITING RESEARCHER, Prof. Joseph G. Gall’s laboratory at the Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Baltimore, Maryland, (USA).
The research project, carried out during the doctoral studies, aimed at the investigation of the localisation of the newt hammerhead ribozyme in coiled bodies and other subnuclear bodies by in situ hybridisation on newt oocyte sections and germinal vesicles spread preparations.

• December 1993 - November 1997: POST-GRADUATE PROJECT as PhD Thesis concerning the in vivo application, the intracellular localisation and the association to RNA-binding proteins of the newt hammerhead ribozyme. Supervisor: Professor G. Barsacchi (University of Pisa).

• January 1992 - November 1993: UNDERGRADUATE PROJECT as Degree Thesis concerning the construction of a newt hammerhead modified ribozyme to inactivate gene functions in mammalian cells in culture. Supervisor: Professor G. Barsacchi (University of Pisa).
Appartenenza a società e comitati scientifici
  • Member of the Società Italiana di Biochimica (SIB, Italian Society of Biochemistry) since 1996.
  • Member of the Associazione Alunni, Ricercatori e Professori della Scuola Normale Superiore since 1997.
  • Member of the RNA Society since 2012.
  • Member of the Società Italiana di Biofisica e Biologia Molecolare (SIBBM) since 2013.
Premi e riconoscimenti
• RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP (Assegno di Ricerca) at the Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology of the University "La Sapienza", Roma, Italy. E05B - MOLECULAR BIOLOGY. Title of research: "Use of non-canonical properties of RNA for the site-specific modulation of gene expression". Scientific supervisor: Prof. Irene Bozzoni. January 2002-June 2003

• FELLOWSHIP OF THE CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE, Comitato Nazionale per le Scienze Biologiche e Mediche, awarded to visit the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Heraklion, Greece. November 1998-November 1999

• FELLOWSHIP OF THE CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE, Comitato Nazionale per le Biotecnologie e la Biologia Molecolare, awarded to visit the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Heraklion, Greece. May-October 1998

• FEBS YOUTH TRAVEL GRANT, awarded to attend the FEBS Advanced Course "Young Scientists' Views of Molecular Biology 5: From the Understanding to the Design of Biological Function". St. Jakobushaus, Goslar, Germany. 21-29 March 1998

• FEBS SHORT TERM FELLOWSHIP, awarded to visit the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Heraklion, Greece. January-February 1998

• EMBO SHORT TERM FELLOWSHIP, awarded to visit the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Heraklion, Greece. March–May 1996

• FEBS YOUTH TRAVEL GRANT, awarded to attend the FEBS/NATO/EMBO International Summer School on Molecular and Cellular Biology. “A World of RNA: Structure and Function”. Spetses, Greece. 28 August-10 September 1994
Convegni e conferenze
• 10th Annual Meeting Federazione Italiana Scienze della Vita (FISV). Riva del Garda, (TN) Italy.24-27 September 2008

• 5th meeting of the GBM study section "RNA-Biochemistry" "RNA Biochemistry 2008 & Workshop Single Molecule Techniques". Kassel, Germany.18-21 September 2008

• RNA 2008. Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the RNA Society. Berlin, Germany. 28 July-3 August 2008

• International Conference on Viroids and Viroid-Like RNAs. Berlin, Germany. 26-27 July 2008

• 20th Pezcoller Symposium: “Molecular Biology in Cancer: 20 years of progress punctuated by the Pezcoller Symposia”. Trento, Italy. 11-13 June 2008

• 1st Meeting of the International Collaborative Effort for DMD: Towards clinical trials for DMD using gene and cell therapies. Monte Carlo, Monaco. 7 June 2008

• EMBO Conference Series “RNA and Disease: RNA Metabolism and associated pathologies”. Villa Mondragone, Rome, Italy. 31 May-5 June 2008

• 80th Meeting of the Italian Society of Experimental Biology. Trento, Italy. 29 November-1 December 2007

• TREAT-NMD Workshop on Outcome Measures for experimental studies in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Naarden (Amsterdam) – The Nederlands.30 June-1 July 2007

• Retreat of the Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, University La Sapienza. Ponzano Romano. Roma. Italy. 26-27 June 2007

• The world of small non-coding RNAs: from basic to applied science. Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei- Roma, Italy.11-12 June 2007

• 10th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene Therapy, Seattle, Washington, USA.30 May-3 June 2007

• 14th Telethon Scientific Convention. Salsomaggiore Terme. Italy.12-14 March 2007

• EMBO Conference on Pre-mRNA processing and disease. Cortina d’Ampezzo (BL), Italy. 14-17 January 2007

• I fatti e le parole: la sperimentazione sull’uomo nella distrofia di Duchenne e Backer. Milano, Italy. 23 September 2006

• First Annual Scientific Conference of Istituto Toscano Tumori (ITT). Certosa di Pontignano, Siena.Italy. 22 July 2006

• Conference Jacques Monod “Multiple functions of RNA in gene regulation”. Roscoff, France. 3-7 May 2006

• 8th National Biotechnology Congress. Siena, Italy. 7-9 September 2005

• Retreat of the Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, University La Sapienza. Ponzano Romano, Roma, Italy. 14-15 June 2005

• IV Conferenza Internazionale Distrofia Muscolare Duchenne e Becker. Roma, Italy. 10-12 June 2005

• Progress report meeting V Programma Nazionale di Ricerca sull’AIDS. Roma, Italy. 2-06 May 2005

• 13th Telethon Scientific Convention. Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy. 6-8 March 2005

• 2nd EURIT Conference: RNAi-The Method to Unravel Gene Function. Royal Holloway University, London, UK. 23-24 September 2004

• Riunione annuale Gruppo Nucleotidi, Acidi Nucleici e Genomi (NANG), Societa’ Italiana di Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare (SIB), Chieti, Italy. 28-29 May 2004

• Keystone Symposia Conference: "siRNAs and miRNAs". Keystone Resort, Keystone, Colorado, USA. 14-19 April 2004

• 5th Meeting Federazione Italiana Scienze della Vita (FISV). Rimini, Italy. 10-13 October 2003

• Epigenetics. The Annual Meeting of the German Genetics Society. Kassel, Germany. 26-29 September 2003

• Riunione annuale Gruppo Nucleotidi, Acidi Nucleici e Genomi (NANG), Societa’ Italiana di Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare (SIB), Pisa, Italy. 16-17 June 2003

• 4th Meeting Federazione Italiana Scienze della Vita (FISV). Riva del Garda, Italy. 20-23 September 2002

• RNA 2001. Sixth Annual Meeting of the RNA Society. Banff, Alberta, Canada. 29 May–3 June 2001

• EMBO Workshop "Plant Virus Invasion and Host Defence". Kolymbari, Crete, Greece. 28 May–1 June 2000

• RNA ’99. The Fourth Annual Meeting of the RNA Society. University of Edinburgh, Scotland. 23-27 June 1999

• Second European RNA Symposium-Training for young researchers. Löwenhagen, Germany.7-10 October 1998

• Workshop on "Plant viroids and viroid-like satellite RNAs from plants, animals and fungi". Instituto Juan March de Estudios e Investigaciones. Madrid, Spain. 1-3 December 1997

• Joint Meeting "Associazione Biologia Cellulare e Differenziamento (ABCD), Società Italiana Biofisica e Biologia Molecolare (SIBBM), Società Italiana Microbiologia Generale e Biotecnologie Microbiche (SIMGBM)". Montesilvano Lido, Pescara, Italy. 30 September-3 October 1997

• European Research Conference on "Molecular Biology of RNA: translation, stability and localisation of mRNA". Giens, France.13-18 September 1997

• First European RNA Symposium-Training for young researchers. Schloss Rheinfels, St. Goar, Germany. 15-18 September 1996:

• Meeting of the HCM Network "Catalytic RNA: Structure, function and applications". Pisa, Italy. 11-13 September 1996

• Meeting of the HCM Network "Catalytic RNAs: Structure, function and applications". Norwich, U.K. 7-9 April 1995

• Joint Meeting "Associazione Biologia Cellulare e Differenziamento (ABCD), Associazione Genetica Italiana (AGI),Società Italiana Biofisica e Biologia Molecolare (SIBBM), Società Italiana Microbiologia Generale e Biotecnologie Microbiche (SIMGBM)". Montesilvano Lido, Pescara, Italy. 26-30 September 1994

• Workshop of the "Molecular Structure and Gene Expression" Group. Capalbio, Grosseto, Italy. 19-21 May 1994

• XI National Congress of the "Associazione Biologia Cellulare e Differenziamento" (ABCD). Milano, Italy.16-19 September 1993

• Workshop of the "Molecular Structure and Gene Expression " Group. Capalbio, Grosseto, Italy. 13-15 May 1993
Altre attività
  • Jun/13- present    Member of the Institutional Review Board and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (“Comitato Etico per la Sperimentazione con l’Essere Vivente”) of the University of Trento.
  • Jul/13 - present    Member of the Management Committee of the COST Action BM1207 “Networking towards clinical application of antisense-mediated exon skipping”. Nominated by the COST National Coordinator for Italy. http://exonskipping.eu/

 

Ad-hoc referee:

Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research - FIRB Futuro in Ricerca 2010 and 2012
Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research - PRIN 2009
Research Promotion Foundation (RPF) of Cyprus
The Dutch Duchenne Parent Project (DDP/NL)

Ad hoc reviewer for the journals: The International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Molecules, The Journal of Gene Medicine, BMC Molecular Biology, The Journal of Virological Methods, RNA Biology, Molecular Biotechnology, Gene.

 

Co-organiser of meetings:

 “ANIS4 International Winter School on Nano and Biotechnology: RNAome.0 - functions methodologies and diagnostics”. 27-31 January 2014, Sterzing (Bozen). Italy http://alpnanobioschool.com/

“mRNA fate 2012: Life and death of mRNA in the cytoplasm”. 23-26 May 2012, Riva del Garda (Trento). Italy. http://events.unitn.it/en/mrnafate2012

 “The Biotechnolgy Program @UNITN”. 24-25 June 2011, University of Trento, Italy. http://events.unitn.it/en/biotechnologies2011

 “RNA 2-day: The RNA world: from basic science to applied research”. 10-11 June 2004, University “La Sapienza”, Roma. Italy

“RNA day: Regolazione dell’espressione genica a livello post-trascrizionale”. 28 January 2003, University “La Sapienza”, Roma. Italy