PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology

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CURRICULUM VITAE CARLOTTA GIORGI

Date and place of birth: Castiglione delle Stiviere, Mantova  (Italy),  November 11th, 1977      Nationality: Italian
Affiliation and official address: Dept. of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Paolo Pinton's Lab, c/o CUBO Via Fossato di Mortara 70, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
Telephone: +39 0532 455803
e-mail: grgclt@unife.it

EDUCATION
2002: University Degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnologies at University of Bologna (Italy)
2006-2010: PhD in Molecular Medicine, Section of Neuroscience-biotechnology (Vita-Salute University & Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy)

CAREER/EMPLOYMENT
2010: Post Doc (University of Ferrara)
2010-2018: Assistant Professor of General Pathology (University of Ferrara)
2019-present: Associate Professor (University of Ferrara)

RESEARCH EXPERIENCES
2006: Visiting researcher at the laboratory of Prof. P.P. Pandolfi, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
2007: Visiting researcher at the laboratory of Prof. P.P. Pandolfi, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston USA.
2009: Visiting researcher at the laboratory of Prof. M. Pagano, New York University (NYU), New York, USA
2011: Visiting researcher at the laboratory of Prof. M. Pagano, New York University (NYU), New York, USA
2012: Visiting Professor at the laboratory of Prof. M. Carbone, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, USA
2013: Visiting researcher at the laboratory of Prof. M. Pagano, New York University (NYU), New York, USA
Visiting Professor at the laboratory of Prof. M. Carbone, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, USA
2014: Visiting researcher at the laboratory of Prof. M. Pagano, New York University (NYU), New York, USA
Visiting Professor at the laboratory of Prof. M. Carbone, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, USA
2015: Visiting researcher at the laboratory of Prof. M. Pagano, New York University (NYU), New York, USA
Visiting Professor at the laboratory of Prof. M. Carbone, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, USA

PATENTS
“Method for the detection of intracellular parameters using luminescent proteic probes for the screening of molecules able to induce changes on that parameters” (MI2004A000598; PCT/IB2005/000795)
“Chimeric proteins for the measurement of ATP concentrations in the pericellular space and relative screening method” (RM2005A000252)
2018: “1,3,8-Triazaspiro derivatives and their use in therapy” (number 102018000007580)

GRANTS
2012-2016: Principal Investigator AIRC (Italian Association for Cancer Research)
2015-2018: Cariplo Foundation
2016-2019: Italian Ministry of Health
2018-2023: Principal Investigator AIRC (Italian Association for Cancer Research)
2019-2022: Principal Investigator PRIN (COFIN) 2017 (Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research)

AWARDS
2008: winner of the ”PhD thesis” annual prize of the Italian Society Cell Biology (ABCD)
2011: winner of “Fornasini fellow” for young researchers (University of Ferrara)
2011: Nicolò Copernico Award for Biomedical Science

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Dr. Giorgi graduated in 2002, with a thesis work on the chondrogenic differentiation of human  bone marrow mesenchimal stem cells (MSC) cultured into polymeric scaffolds at the Department of Histology, Microbiology and Medical Biotechnologies, Section of Histology and Embryology, University of Padova on the laboratory of the Prof. Giovanni Abatangelo and under supervision of Prof. Gian Paolo Bagnara (University of Bologna). During her thesis, by in vitro studies, she has demonstrated that human MSC were able to proliferate and deposit extracellular matrix inside the scaffold interstices. All the obtained data supported the evidence that MSC grown onto hyaluronan-derived three-dimensional scaffold were able to acquire a unique phenotype of chondrocytes depending on the presence of specific differentiation inducing factors added into the culture medium. Immunohistochemical and molecular biology analyses (RT- PCR) for the principal cartilage markers confirmed the correct cell commitment.
Afterwards, Dr. Giorgi moved on the laboratory of Prof. Rosario Rizzuto (at the Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of General Pathology, University of Ferrara) working on the development of new cellular biosensors for the detection of intracellular parameters.
In particular, Dr. Giorgi in collaboration with Prof. Pinton has recently developed a new technique for measuring PKC translocation, which is based on the recombinant expression of the Ca2+-sensitive photoprotein aequorin. This approach has allowed the deposition of the following patent: “Method for the detection of intracellular parameters using luminescent proteic probes for the screening of molecules able to induce changes on that parameters” and the foundation of a biotechnology spin off (AEQUOTECH S.R.L.).

PUBLICATIONS (at August 2021)
145 research articles in international, peer-reviewed journals (total impact factor: >1200, total citations > 5800, h-index 58 from Google Scholar; citations > 4100, h-index 52 from Scopus) and > 50 meeting abstracts