My research focuses on the development and application of advanced imaging technologies for both clinical and preclinical use, with particular emphasis on neuroimaging, oncology, and pharmacokinetics.
I act as Radiation Protection Coordinator for activities involving ionising radiation at the Monterotondo site, in compliance with Italian Legislative Decree 101/2020 and subsequent amendments.
I coordinate the operation of a MILabs OI/CT preclinical imaging system within the EMMA/INFRAFRONTIER infrastructure at IBBC-CNR, managing hybrid imaging workflows (CT, fluorescence, bioluminescence) to support biomedical research.
My work combines expertise in nuclear medicine, engineering, and biology to support translational imaging studies, infrastructure management, and the development of innovative tools for in vivo functional and morphological imaging.
Current Role
Technologist – Level III (since 2023) at IBBC-CNR – Monterotondo site:
• Technical-Scientific support to the EMMA/INFRAFRONTIER infrastructure for preclinical in vivo imaging (CT, SPECT, fluorescence, bioluminescence).
• Coordination of radiation protection activities in compliance with Legislative Decree 101/2020.
• Supervision of the STRIMS portal for tracking radioactive waste and sources.
Previous Experience
• Technologist at IBBC-CNR – Preclinical imaging, radioprotection, coordination of STRIMS operations, and administration of AniBio software. (Oct 2023 – present)
• Postdoctoral researcher at IBBC-CNR – Development and implementation of morpho-functional imaging techniques for in vivo preclinical applications. (2022–2023)
• Associate researcher at IBBC-CNR – Implementation of behavioural neuroimaging innovative techniques. (2020–2022)
• R&D engineer at ImagenSys (CNR innovative start-up) – Research and development of advanced scintigraphic technologies for clinical and preclinical imaging. (2017–2022)
• Associate researcher at IBCN-CNR – Neuroimaging in awake animal models (ASD studies). (2019)
• Lecturer at IGB-CNR – Course on entrepreneurship and start-up creation (EU INCIPIT PhD program). (2019)
• Research fellow at IBB-CNR – ROC analysis and 3D modelling in oncological surgery (Torno Subito Regione Lazio grant). (2016–2017)
• Research fellow at University of Rome Tor Vergata – Graphene-based sensors for tissue engineering. (2015–2016)
• Research collaborator at IBB-CNR – Ultrasound and high-resolution scintigraphy for cancer therapy. (2013–2015)
• Intern at ISIB-CNR – Evaluation of surgical clip (Valblock) performance. (2012–2013)
• Technical sales engineer at Alse Medica – OR support for cardiovascular and endovascular devices, for Cordis, Johnson & Johnson Medical. (2013)
Education
• Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, curriculum in Physical Biochemistry and Pharmacology. Thesis entitled: “Development of innovative neuroimaging techniques in laboratory animals for applications in neuroscience” – Roma Tre University (2022)
• Academic English Intensive Course, New York University (NYU)– English Language Institute (ELI), NY, USA (2019)
• Executive Master in Global Health and Migration – Caritas Diocesana di Roma, Fondazione Idente di Studi e di Ricerca, Rielo Institute for Integral Development, New York (2019)
• Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering – Campus Bio-Medico University (2011)
• Professional license – Engineer (Rome Register A35033)
Awards and Recognitions
• ADI Design Index Award 2021 – for the Pocket Gamma CAM project as an innovative imaging product (2021)
• “100 Italian Life Sciences Stories” 2021 – for the start-up ImagenSys, recognition by Fondazione Symbola, Enel, Farmindustria (2021)
• Best PhD Research Project (34th cycle) – Annual Meeting of PhD Students in Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, Roma Tre University (2020)
• Top Young Engineer 2019 – Best Young Engineer Award 2018 by CNI and Federmanager (2019)
• Best work AIIC 2018 – for the project “Gamma Camera for Oncological Diagnostics” at the AIIC National Congress (2018)
• AIIC Special Award “Health Care Innovation” – as part of the Italian National Innovation Award (PNI) (2017)
• Second Prize StartCup Lazio 2017 – competition for the best regional business ideas (2017)
Over 20 peer-reviewed publications, chapters in academic books, conference proceedings.
Topics: high-resolution imaging, neuroimaging, tracers, advanced imaging technologies.
- Prosperi, N. Marchetti, A. D’Elia, R. Massari, M. Giusto, A. Pietrodangelo, T. Rossi, A. Nucara, F. Scavizzi, G. Strimpakos, S. Marinelli, S. Mandillo, F.R. D’Amato, S. Farioli-Vecchioli: “Inhalation of nanoplastics in the mouse model: Tissue bio-distribution and effects on the olfactory system.” Sci Total Environ 968, 178853, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178853, (2025).
- M. Lazar, F. Gelardi, A. Sagona, M. Rodari, L. Leonardi, R. Massari, A. D’Elia, A. Soluri, A. Chiti, L. Antunovic: “Smaller is better? Compact vs. Conventional gamma camera for sentinel lymph node localization in patients with breast cancer.” Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 52(3), 1028-1037, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-024-06970-w, (2024).
- Ceccarelli, S. Rossi, F. Bonaventura, R. Massari, A. D’Elia, A. Soluri, L. Micheli, G. D’Andrea, B. Mancini, M. Raspa, F. Scavizzi, R. Alaggio, F. Del Bufalo, E. Miele, A. Carai, A. Mastronuzzi, F. Tirone: “Intracerebellar administration of the chemokine Cxcl3 reduces the volume of medulloblastoma lesions at an advanced stage by promoting the migration and differentiation of preneoplastic precursor cells.” Brain Pathol 35(1), e13283, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/bpa.13283, (2024).
- D’Elia, S. Schiavi, A. Manduca, V. Buzzelli, F. Ascone, T. Orsini, S. Putti, A. Soluri, F. Galli, A. Soluri, M. Mattei, R. Cicconi, R. Massari, V. Trezza: “FMR1 deletion in rats induces hyperactivity with no changes in striatal dopamine transporter availability.” Sci Rep 12, 22535, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26986-2, (2022).
- D’Elia, A. Soluri, F. Galli, S. Schiavi, G. De Silva, A. Biasini, V. Trezza and R. Massari, “Development of a high-resolution SSR-SPECT system for preclinical imaging and neuroimaging.” Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res A, 166161, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2021.166161 (2021).
- D’Elia, S. Schiavi, A. Soluri, R. Massari, A. Soluri, V. Trezza, “Role of Nuclear Imaging to Understand the Neural Substrates of Brain Disorders in Laboratory Animals: Current Status and Future Prospects.” Front Behav Neurosci 14, 596509, doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.596509 (2020).
- Il Cnr alla mostra “L’Italia dei Brevetti. Invenzioni e Innovazioni di Successo”
https://www.cnr.it/it/nota-stampa/n-13111/il-cnr-alla-mostra-l-italia-dei-brevetti-invenzioni-e-innovazioni-di-successo
- La start up Imagensys vince il premio Health Technology Challenge 2018 AIIC
https://www.cnr.it/it/news/8111/la-start-up-imagensys-vince-il-premio-health-technology-challenge-2018-aiic
- La start up Imagensys premiata al PNI di Napoli
https://www.cnr.it/it/news/7802/la-start-up-imagensys-premiata-al-pni-di-napoli
- Il Cnr tra i vincitori della StartCup Regione Lazio 2017
https://www.cnr.it/it/news/7743/il-cnr-tra-i-vincitori-della-startcup-regione-lazio-2017
- Tutti i vincitori di Start Cup Lazio. E la ricerca si fa impresa
https://www.fsitaliane.it/it/media/comunicati-stampa/2017/10/24/tutti-i-vincitori-di-start-cup-lazio–e-la–ricerca-si-fa-impres.html
- Nanoplastiche e olfatto, lo studio del Cnr: danni alle capacità sensoriali dopo l’inalazione, possibili correlazioni con Alzheimer e Parkinson
https://www.ilmessaggero.it/salute/ricerca/nanoplastiche_e_olfatto_lo_studio_del_cnr_danni_alle_capacita_sensoriali_dopo_l_inalazione-8679709.html
- Premio Top Young Engineer per la start-up ‘Imagensys’: è in finale per il Premio Leonardo 2018
https://www.cnr.it/it/news/8521/premio-top-young-engineer-per-la-start-up-imagensys-e-in-finale-per-il-premio-leonardo-2018
- 100 Italian Life Sciences Stories
https://symbola.net/ricerca/100-italian-life-science-stories/
https://symbola.net/approfondimento/imagensys-ls100/
- BIO-COATCH Project – Novel sustainable bioactive coatings for the preservation of metal surfaces in cultural heritage and healthcare (PRIN 2022 PNRR, funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU, MUR Decree 2023).
- MESSENGER Project – Development of patient-specific models of the tumor microenvironment and magnetically guided immune system for innovative therapeutic strategies in personalized medicine (Lazio Region, Research Groups 2020 – POR FESR 2014–2020).
- HiRIS Project – Development of a high-resolution SPECT imaging system for preclinical applications (Lazio Region, Research Groups 2020 – POR FESR 2014–2020).
- PACIB Project – Platform for the acquisition, analysis, and classification of biomedical images for the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases (Lazio Region, Creativity 2020 – POR FESR 2014–2020).
- Directional Gamma Probe – Design and validation of a directional gamma probe for intraoperative imaging (Joint research project between CNR–IBCN and TORRENT S.p.A., 2019).
- Portable Gamma Camera – Development of a compact gamma camera for real-time surgical guidance (Joint research project between CNR–IBCN and TORRENT S.p.A., 2017).
- Mini Gamma Camera with Super Resolution – Development of a high-resolution portable gamma imaging device (Collaborative project with Sapienza University of Rome, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, 2020).
- Small Animal SPECT Detectors – Development of detector systems for high-resolution preclinical SPECT imaging (Joint research project between CNR–IBB, Peking University (PKU-COE), and ConBio (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., 2016).