Keywords : Metastatic disease, preclinical model, ovarian cancer, breast cancer
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally with 18.1 million new cancer cases, and 9.6 million cancer deaths in 2018. Globally, about 1 out of 6 deaths is due to cancer, mainly to solid tumours. Among the solid cancer, the high mortality rate is due to metastatic events and to the heterogeneity and variability of the disease among individuals, a feature that is now the basis for personalized healthcare. While current cancer medicine often employs a “one treatment fits all” approach, personalized healthcare aims to become tailored – providing the right drug to the right patient at the right time. My research focuses on understanding the mechanism of tumour progression to translate it in the development of preclinical models for tailored anti-cancer drugs therapy
Education:
- May 2009 – Jan. 2014 PhD
KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
PhD student in Biomedical Science, Mechanism of Human Disease, Claudia Bagni’s lab,. As PhD student my project aimed to elucidate the role of FMRP in breast cancer progression and the molecular mechanism behind it. - Oct. 2006 – Mar. 2009 M.Sc
University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, italy
Master degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Claudia Bagni’s lab. The research project was focused on study cancer cells migration ability mediated by FMRP. - Sept. 2002 – April 2006 B.Sc
University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Bachelor in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Giancarlo Rapazzo’s lab. The research project conducted was focused on the role of SpanX genes family in prostate cancer.
Positions:
- September 2019 – today : Full time scientific Researcher IBBC-CNR
- Jan. 2016 – August 2019: AIRC-FIRC Post-doctoral fellow
IBCN-CNR, Laboratory for cell response and stress signals, Rome, Italy
Focusing on the mechanisms of ovarian cancer progression - April 2014 – Dec. 2015: Post-doctoral fellow
IBCN-CNR, Rome, Laboratory for cell response and stress signals, Rome, Italy
Focusing on Mdm4 function in cancer progression - May 2013 – Sept. 2013: Full time scientific researcher:
KU Leuven, Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Leuven, Belgium
Working on cancer progression in Fragile X patients.
Honours/Awards:
FIRC- Edvige and Mario Gervasini Post-Doctoral fellow 2016-2019
Patents:
The Role of Fragile X Mental Retardation Gene and Protein In Cancer Metastasis” Filed July 2nd, 2010.
- Rossella Lucà, Giorgia di Blasio, Daniela Gallo, Valentina Monteleone, Isabella Manni, Laura Fici, Marianna Buttarelli, Germana Ciolli, Marsha Pellegrino, Emanuela Teveroni, Silvia Maiullari, Alessandra Ciucci, Alessandro Apollo, Francesca Mancini, Maria Pia Gentileschi, Gian Franco Zannoni, Alfredo Pontecorvi, Giovanni Scambia, Fabiola Moretti. Estrogens counteract platinum-chemosensitivity by modifying the subcellular localization of MDM4. Cancers, 2019.
- Emanuela Teveroni*, Rossella Lucà*, et al., Peptides and peptidomimetics in the p53/MDM2/MDM4 circuitry – a patent review. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, 2016.
- Pellegrino, F. Mancini, R. Lucà, et al., Targeting the MDM2/MDM4 interaction interface as a promising approach for p53 reactivation therapy. Cancer Research, 2015.
- Rossella Luca’*, Michele Averna*, Francesca Zalfa*, Manuela Vecchi*, et al.,. The Fragile X Protein binds mRNAs involved in cancer progression and modulates metastasis formation. EMBO Molecular Medicine, 2013
- Kim De Keersmaecker*,ZeynepKalender Atak *, Ning Li*, Carmen Vicente, Stephanie Patchett,T izianaGirardi, ValentinaGianfelici, Ellen Geerdens,Michaël Porcu, Idoya Lahortiga, Rossella Lucà, et al., Exome sequencing identifies mutation of the ribosome in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nature Genetics, 2012.
- Rossella Luca’*, Michele Averna*, Francesca Zalfa*, Manuela Vecchi*, et al.,. The Fragile X Protein binds mRNAs involved in cancer progression and modulates metastasis formation. EMBO Molecular Medicine, 2013
- Kim De Keersmaecker*,ZeynepKalender Atak *, Ning Li*, Carmen Vicente, Stephanie Patchett,T izianaGirardi, ValentinaGianfelici, Ellen Geerdens,Michaël Porcu, Idoya Lahortiga, Rossella Lucà, et al., Exome sequencing identifies mutation of the ribosome in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nature Genetics, 2012.
- Hung-En Hsia, Rohit Kumar, Rossella Lucà, et al., The Ubiquitin E3 Ligase Nedd4-1 Acts as a Downstream Target of PI3K/PTEN-mTORC1 Signaling to Promote Neurite Growth. PNAS, 2014.
- Rossella Lucà, Maria Rita Assenza, Fabio Maiullari, Luisa Pieroni, Giulia Federici, Federica Marini, Roberto Rizzi, Andrea Urbani, Silvia Soddu, Fabiola Moretti. Inhibition of the mTOR pathway and reprogramming of protein synthesis by MDM4 reduce ovarian cancer metastasis Cell Death and Disease 2021.
- M. Pellegrino, F. Mancini, R. Lucà, et al., Targeting the MDM2/MDM4 interaction interface as a promising approach for p53 reactivation therapy. Cancer Research, 2015.
- Emanuela Teveroni*, Rossella Lucà* , et al., Peptides and peptidomimetics in the p53/MDM2/MDM4 circuitry – a patent review. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, 2016.
- Victor Briz#, Leonardo Restivo#, Emanuela Pasciuto,#, Konrad Juczewski Valentina Mercaldo, Antonella Borreca, Tiziana Girardi, Rossella Luca, et al., The non-coding RNA BC1 regulates experience-dependent structural plasticity and learning. Nature Communication, 2017.
- Rossella Lucà, Giorgia di Blasio, Daniela Gallo, Valentina Monteleone, Isabella Manni, Laura Fici, Marianna Buttarelli, Germana Ciolli, Marsha Pellegrino, Emanuela Teveroni, Silvia Maiullari, Alessandra Ciucci, Alessandro Apollo, Francesca Mancini, Maria Pia Gentileschi, Gian Franco Zannoni, Alfredo Pontecorvi, Giovanni Scambia, Fabiola Moretti. Estrogens counteract platinum-chemosensitivity by modifying the subcellular localization of MDM4. Cancers, 2019.
- P. Scalia, SJ Williams, R.Lucà, Antonio Giordano and E Bucci. Genetic and cell biology discriminants of Sars-CoV2 infection and susceptibility to Covid-19 pulmonary complication. European Journal of Molecular and Clinical Medicine 2020.
- Gabriele Romani, Francesca Dal Mas, Mirko Modenese, Helena Biancuzzi, Maria Francesca Manca, Maria Ferrara, Lorenzo Cobianchi, Rossella Lucà. La gestione dell’emergenza COVID-19. Il caso dell’azienda unità sanitaria locale di Modena. Politiche sanitarie 2020 .
- Gabriele Romani, MD, Francesca Dal Mas, PhD, Maurizio Massaro, PhD, Lorenzo Cobianchi, MD, PhD, Mirko Modenese, PhD, Amelia Barcellini, MD, Walter Ricciardi, MD, MPH, MSc, Paul Barach, MD, MPH*, Rossella Luca`, PhD* and Maria Ferrara*, MD. Population Health Strategies to Support Hospital and Intensive Care Unit Resiliency During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Italian Experience. POPULATION HEALTH MANAGEMENT 2020 (*co-last author).
- Francesca Dal Mas, Gabriele Romani, Mirko Modenese, Rossella Lucà, Maria Francesca Manca, Maria Ferrara, Lorenzo Cobianchi. Healthcare and human centered organizational culture during the Covid-19 pandemic: The Italian Experience. Book chapter: Human centered organizational culture. March 9, 2021, Routledge.
- Rossella Lucà, Maria Rita Assenza, Fabio Maiullari, Luisa Pieroni, Giulia Federici, Federica Marini, Roberto Rizzi, Andrea Urbani, Silvia Soddu, Fabiola Moretti. Inhibition of the mTOR pathway and reprogramming of protein synthesis by MDM4 reduce ovarian cancer metastasis Cell Death and Disease 2021.
2022 – Progetti di Ricerca @CNR