Lucia Conti

Research activity: My research activity over the years has covered several aspects of the regulation of immune response in physiological conditions as well as in immune-mediated pathologies, such as viral infections, chronic inflammatory diseases, obesity and cancer. Current interests are the study of the mechanisms linking chronic inflammation to colorectal cancer, focusing on the role of lifestyle, and the search for cancer biomarkers. Author of 49 peer-reviewed publications in the fields of immune response regulation, cytokine networks and immune cell cross-talk, infections, chronic inflammation and cancer. Main scientific achievements: - Definition of the role of interferons and other cytokines and transcription factors in the control of human macrophage differentiation and HIV-1 replication - Identification of the dual role of the HIV-1 Vpr protein in the regulation of viral replication and cellular response to infection, and development of gene therapy strategies for the control of virus replication - Description of the impact of the tissue microenvironment and of specific cytokine networks on the generation and functional activity of macrophages and dendritic cells - First demonstration of the existence of a reciprocal functional interaction between dendritic cells and gamma/deltaT lymphocytes and of its role in the orchestration of immune response - Identification of alterations of this cross-talk in conditions of immune hyperactivation or chronic inflammation, such as HIV-1 infection, Crohn's disease, obesity and colorectal cancer - Definition of the role of oestrogen receptor beta as a regulator of human intestinal epithelium homeostasis and as a possible biomarker of response to biological therapy in inflammatory bowel disease - Identification of metabolic and immunological alterations at systemic level and in visceral adipose tissue in obesity and colorectal cancer and correlations with dietary habits Other activities: - Supervisor of Master and PhD theses in Biological Sciences/Immunology - Reviewer for International Scientific Journals - Editor of the Special Issue “Immune- and inflammatory-mediated disorders: from bench to bedside” of Journal of Immunology Research (2018-2019) - Editor of the Research Topic “Understanding the Immuno-Oncological Mechanism of Cancer Using Systems Immunology Approaches” of Frontiers in Immunology (2019-2023) - Member of the “ISSalute - Health Information Portal” committee of Istituto Superiore di Sanità Honors: AIRC (Italian Cancer Research Association) Fellowship (1992) Anna Villa Rusconi Foundation Fellowship (1993) AIDS Research Fellowship (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) (1993-1994)