Research activities: 1) Analysis of the pathogenesis, immunobiology and resistance to fungus infections (C. albicans and A. fumigatus). The groups show a vast research activity in the characterization of differential cytokine gene expression on cells of the innate immune system, such as DCs, in mice resisting or succumbing to the infection. Development of the following experimental protocols: cellular therapy using DC cells stimulated with RNA derived from C. albicans or A. fumigatus or from virus, DC administration with adjuvant as Toll-like receptors, drugs against micro-organisms and immunomodulators as cytokine, anti-cytokines and/or anti-TLRs. 2) Competence and experience in studying the fungus-host interaction, with particular attention to specific fungal antigens. The research activity is focus on selected key aspects of host-fungal interactions using as model the fungus C. neoformans. Characterization of local and systemic host response to C. neoformans infection: transcript profiling of host cells and host tissues exposed to fungal attack will be exploited to analyze the activation of specific immunological responses. Host tissues will be subjected to phenotypic (cytofluorimetry) and functional characterization (immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR). 3) Development of a vast scientific experience in the study of malaria, as documented by the repertoire of published papers in the field. The main objective is to identify parasite antigens to be utilised for the development of an effective malaria vaccine. Prof.ssa Spaccapelo and Prof. Crisanti has widely used and optimized antibody-capture assays utilising protein micro-arrays as substrate to investigate the humoral immune response against the entire proteome of microbial organisms including P. falciparum, T.gondii, Cytomegalovirus, Rubella and virus of the Herpes simplex type 1 and 2. Recently, we have acquire a technology for in vivo imaging and quantification of T. gondii and P.berghei.