Dottorato in Medicina Molecolare

1. Anti-tumor immunization of mothers delays tumor development in cancer prone offspring.  Oncoimmunology, 2015

BARUTELLO G, Curcio C, Spadaro M, Arigoni M, Trovato R, Bolli E, Zheng Y, Ria F,  Quaglino E, Iezzi M, Riccardo F, Holmgren L, Forni G, Cavallo F (2015).

2. Microenvironment, oncoantigens, and antitumor vaccination: Lessons learned from BALB-neuT mice. BioMed Research International, vol. 2014, 2014

Conti L, Ruiu R, BARUTELLO G, Macagno M, Bandini S, Cavallo F,  Lanzardo S

3. DNA vaccination against membrane-bound Kit ligand: A new approach to inhibiting tumour growth and angiogenesis European Journal of Cancer, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 234–246, 2014

Olgasi C, Dentelli P, Rosso A, Iavello A, Togliatto G, Toto V, Liberatore M, BARUTELLO   G, Musiani P, Cavallo F, Brizzi MF.

4. Early onset and enhanced growth of autochthonous mammary carcinomas in C3-deficient Her2/neu transgenic mice. OncoImmunology, vol. 2, no. 9, 2013

Bandini S, Curcio C, Macagno M, Quaglino E, Arigoni M, Lanzardo S, Hysi A, BARUTELLO G, Consolino L, Longo DL, Musiani P, Forni G, Iezzi M, Cavallo F

5. On the fate of MRI Gd-based contrast agents in cells. evidence for extensive degradation of linear complexes upon endosomal internalization. Analytical Chemistry, vol. 85, no. 12, pp. 5627–5631, 2013

Di Gregorio E, Gianolio E, Stefania R, BARUTELLO G, Digilio G, Aime

6. MiR-135b coordinates progression of ErbB2-driven mammary carcinomas through suppression of MID1 and MTCH2. American Journal of Pathology, vol. 182, no. 6, pp. 2058–2070, 2013

Arigoni M, BARUTELLO G, Riccardo F, Ercole E, Cantarella D, Orso F, Conti L, Lanzardo S, Taverna D, Merighi I, Calogero RA, Cavallo F, Quaglino E (2013)

7. A vaccine targeting angiomotin induces an antibody response which alters tumor vessel permeability and hampers the growth of established tumors. Angiogenesis, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 305–316, 2012

Arigoni M, BARUTELLO G, Lanzardo S, Longo D, Aime S, Curcio C, Iezzi M, Zheng Y, Barkefors I, Holmgren L, Cavallo F.

A vaccine targeting Angiomotin alters tumor vessel permeability and hampers the growth of established tumors.

Angiomotin (Amot) is one of angiostatin receptors expressed on the surface of endothelia of angiogenic tissues. We have shown that a DNA vaccine targeting Amot overcome immune tolerance and induce an antibody response that hampers the progression of incipent tumors. Following our observation of increased Amot expression on tumor endothelia concomitant with the progression from pre-neoplastic lesions to full-fledged carcinoma, we evaluated the effect of anti-Amot vaccination on clinically evident tumors. Electroporation of plasmids coding for the human Amot (pAmot) significantly delayed the progression both of autochthonous tumors in cancer prone BALB-neuT and PyMT genetically engineered mice and transplantable TUBO tumor in wild-type BALB/c mice. The intensity of the inhibition directly correlated with the titer of anti-Amot antibodies induced by the vaccine. Tumor inhibition was associated with an increase of vessels diameter with the formation of lacunar spaces, increase in vessel permeability, massive tumor perivascular necrosis and an effective epitope spreading that induces an immune response against other tumor associated antigens. Greater tumor vessel permeability also markedly enhances the antitumor effect of doxorubicin. These data provide a rationale for the development of fresh anticancer treatments based on anti-Amot vaccination in conjunction with chemotherapy regimens.

Abstract presentato con poster in:

- First Ascoli Piceno Conference on “ Gene Vaccination in Cancer”, Ascoli Piceno, Italy (Poster presentation)

 - StratCan Interactive Summer School in Tumor Immunology, Stockholm, Sweden (poster presentation)

 - 7^th International Cancer Vaccine Symposium, Convitto della Calza, Firenze, Italy (Poster presentation)

Maternal immunization:  transfer of a protective  anti-tumor immunity from mothers to the  offspring; a first evidence
Maternal immunization is successfully applied against some life-threatening infectious diseases as it can protect the mother and her offspring through the passive 
transfer of maternal antibodies. Here, we sought to evaluate whether the concept of maternal immunization could also be applied to cancer immune-prevention.
We have previously shown that antibodies induced by DNA vaccination against rat Her2 (neu) protect heterozygous neu-transgenic female (BALB-neuT) mice from autochthonous 
mammary tumor development. We, herein, seek to evaluate whether a similar maternal immunization can confer antitumor protection to BALB-neuT offspring. Significantly extended 
tumor-free survival was observed in BALB-neuT offspring born and fed by mothers vaccinated against neu, as compared to controls. Maternally derived anti-neu immunoglobulin G (IgG) 
was successfully transferred from mothers to newborns and was responsible for the protective effect. Vaccinated mothers and offspring also developed active immunity against neu 
as revealed by the presence of T–cell-mediated cytotoxicity against the neu immunodominant peptide. This active response was due to the milk transfer of immune complexes that 
were formed between the neu extracellular domain, shed from vaccinetransfected muscle cells, and the anti-neu IgG induced by the vaccine. These findings show that maternal immunization has the potential to hamper mammary cancer 
in genetically predestinated offspring and to develop into applications against lethal neonatal cancer diseases for which therapeutic options are currently unavailable.

Abstract presentato con poster in:

-  Second Gene Vaccination in Cancer, Ascoli Piceno. Ottobre 2013 (poster che ha vinto il II premio e Presentazione orale)

-Agosto 2013 - 15th International Congress of Immunology, Milan (poster presentation)

-          CIMT 2014. Mainz, Germania, 6-8/05/14

-          IX National Conference of SIICA. Firenze, 28-31/05/14

International Workshop “International Workshop on metastasis research: unravelling cancer cell invasion and metastasis” Dicembre 2010

First Ascoli Piceno Conference on “ Gene Vaccination in Cancer”, Ascoli Piceno. Settembre 2011

StratCan Interactive Summer School in Tumor Immunology. Rastaborg, Stockholm, Sweden. Giugno 2012

 7^th International Cancer Vaccine Symposium, Convitto della Calza, Firenze. Settembre 2012

 

15th International Congress of Immunology SIICA. 22-27/08/13

Ascoli Piceno Meeting: Gene Vaccination in Cancer(presentazione poster e selezione per presentazione orale con vincita di premio in denaro). 9-11/10/13
 
CIMT Cancer Immunotherapy Annual Meeting 2014. Mainz, Germania. 6-8/05/14

IX National Conference of SIICA. Firenze. 28-31/05/14

Multiplexing ELISPOT Workshop. Bronte V. Verona. 22-23/09/14

“Simposio” Frontiers in regenerative medicine. Camussi G. 18-20/02/15

CIMT Cancer Immunotherapy Annual Meeting 2015. Mainz, Germania. 10-13/05/15

Pezcoller Symposium. Trento. 18-20/06/15

2015 SIBBM SEMINAR. Poli V./ Taverna D./ Oliviero S. Torino. 1-3/07/15 

"Regulation of self-renewal in cancer stem cells" P.G. Pelicci. 25/01/12

"The hitchhiker's guide to the screening facility" R. Piva. 24/02/12

"Foxp3+ regulatory cells: what do they really do?" E.M. Shevach. 27/03/12

”Where Do MHC Class II-bound Peptides Come From? Implications for Immunity to Viruses, Self and Cancer” Laurence C. Eisenlohr. 06/05/13

“Thioredoxin-displayed multipeptide immunogens for the construction of a low-cost, broadly cross-protective vaccine against human papillomavirus” Ottonello S. 17/07/13

BoHV-4-A-based vector for vaccination and oncolysis. Donofrio G. 26/09/13

"Why do B cells (not) respond to CXCL12. Thelen M. 19/11/13

“Fast-tracking Molecular Diagnostics in Oncology” Gallagher W. 03/02/14

“Molecular Imaging of Enzymatic Activity in Inflammation and Cancer” Bogdanov A. 13/02/14

“Prominin-1 (CD133) Reveals Novel Insights into the Stem and Progenitor Cell Biology” Corbeil D. 25/02/14

“Reciprocal metabolic deregulation of tumors and their stroma: a new druggable synergy” Chiarugi P. 22/05/14

“Microenvironmental regulation of breast cancer metastasis” Karnoub A.E. 12/06/14

Tumor microenvironment course. Karolinska Insitutet. 3-7/11/14

Mini-symposium: "Advances in melanoma research and treatment; Australien and Swedish experiences" Kiessling R. Karolinska Institutet. 11/11/14

"Telomeres in cancer and aging"

 “Il trasferimento di conoscenze in ateneo: dalla ricerca alla valorizzazione dell’innovazione” 03/02/15

“Dallo studio di linfociti e recettori cellulari alla cura di leucemie ad alto rischio” Moretta L. 05/05/15

“Circular and linear non-Coding RNAs in tumorigenesis” Pandolfi P.P. 06/05/15

 

Fellowship at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet (Cancer Centrum), Stockholm, Sweden.   

Project “Generation and characterization of new mouse models for the study of tumor angiogenesis”.

Supervisor: Prof. Lars Holmgren

Period: 3 months