Marcon Luisa

Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare

Cristiano Salata

Francesco Nicoli

Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare

Valentina Telatin

Development of new vaccines against AIDS based on the HIV-1 Tat protein or Tat-derived peptides.

Development of biocompatible synthetic delivery systems for vaccine candidates (DNA and proteins), and their preclinical validation in the mouse model

Development of mono and polyvalent vaccines by using a new generation of HSV-1 vectors and their preclinical validation in the mouse model

Analysis of antibody and cellular responses against infectious agents (HPV, HCV)

Polymeric nanoparticles and microparticles for protein, DNA and drug delivery

Murine models for vaccine development

Immunizations

Protein purification

Elispot assays

Elisa (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays)

Cytofluorimetry

Cytotoxicity assays

PCR

Tissue cultures

Methods to study viruses

transfection and transduction

cloning techniques

Caputo A, Castaldello A, Brocca-Cofano E, Voltan R, Bortolazzi F, Altavilla G, Sparnacci K, Laus M, Tondelli L, Gavioli R, Ensoli B. Induction of humoral and enhanced cellular immune responses by novel core-shell nanosphere- and microsphere-based vaccine formulations following systemic and mucosal administration. Vaccine, 27:3605-15, 2009.

Caputo A, Gavioli R, Bellino S, Longo O, Tripiciano A, Francavilla V, Sgadari C, Paniccia G, Titti F, Cafaro A, Ferrantelli F, Monini P, Ensoli F, Ensoli B. HIV-1 Tat-Based Vaccines: An Overview and Perspectives in the Field of HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development. International Reviews of Immunology, 28(5):285-334. 2009.

Nicoli F, Finessi V, Sicurella M,  Rizzotto L, Gallerani E, Destro F, Cafaro A, Marconi P, Caputo A, Ensoli B, Gavioli R. The HIV-1 Tat Protein Induces the Activation of CD8+ T Cells and Affects In Vivo the Magnitude and Kinetics of Antiviral Responses. Plos One 2013 8(11):e77746.

Titti F, Maggiorella MT, Ferrantelli F, Sernicola L, Bellino S, Collacchi B, Belasio EF, Moretti S, Pavone Cossut MR, Belli R, Olivieri E, Farcomeni S, Compagnoni D, Michelini Z, Sabbatucci M, Sparnacci K, Tondelli L, Laus M, Cafaro A, Caputo A, Ensoli B. Biocompatible Anionic Polymeric Microspheres as Priming Delivery System for Effetive HIV/AIDS Tat-Based Vaccines.PLoS One. 2014 Oct 30;9(10):e111360. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111360. eCollection 2014.

Sicurella M, Nicoli F, Gallerani E, Volpi I, Berto E, Finessi V, Destro F, Manservigi R, Cafaro A, Ensoli B, Caputo A, Gavioli R, Marconi PC. An attenuated herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) encoding the HIV-1 Tat protein protects mice from a deadly mucosal HSV1 challenge.PLoS One. 2014 Jul 17;9(7):e100844. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100844. eCollection 2014.

Finessi V, Nicoli F, Gallerani E, Sforza F, Sicurella M, Cafaro A, Caputo A, Ensoli B, Gavioli R. Effects of different routes of administration on the immunogenicity of the Tat protein and a Tat-derived peptide. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2015;11(6):1489-93.

Nicoli F, Gallerani E, Skarlis C, Sicurella M, Cafaro A, Ensoli B, Caputo A, Marconi PC, Gavioli R. Systemic immunodominant CD8 responses with an effector-like phenotype are induced by intravaginal immunization with attenuated HSV vectors expressing HIV Tat and mediate protection against HSV infection. Vaccine. 2016 Apr 27;34(19):2216-24.

Nicoli F, Gallerani E, Sforza F, Finessi V, Chachage M, Geldmacher C, Cafaro A, Ensoli B, Caputo A, Gavioli R. The HIV-1 Tat protein affects human CD4+ T cell programming and activation, and favors the differentiation of naïve CD4+ T cells. AIDS. 2017 Dec 26. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000001734. [Epub ahead of print]