Marta Serafini - Researcher


Department and institution: Dulbecco Telethon Institute - Centro Riccerca M. Tettamanti, Monza
serafinim72@gmail.com
tel. +39
lab's website: Unità STEMMPS TELETHON Dulbecco Institute
see also: PubMed
other related links: http://www.telethon.it/.../, http://www.comitatomarialetiziaverga.it/


Keywords: Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Stem Cell Niche, Hurler Disease, Neonatal Bone Marrow Transplantation

Research interests

    Overall objective: using pluripotent and multipotent stem cells to elucidate the mechanisms of rare diseases and to explore new therapeutic strategies

    The research projects carried out within the unit are as follows:
    1. In vivo system for the generation of the stem cell niche: study of healthy and affected hematopoiesis
    2. Characterization of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from alternative sources, such as umbilical cord blood and amniotic fluid.
    3. In vivo differentiation of cartilage and bone through the use of mesenchymal stromal cells isolated from bone marrow of patients affected by Hurler syndrome
    4. New strategies for bone marrow transplantation in the neonatal period for treatment of skeletal abnormalities in Hurler syndrome.
    5.Characterization of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS ) derived from Hurler patients.

Curriculum vitae

    Date and place of birth: July 31st 1972, Carate Brianza (MB)
    Citizenship: Italian
    Status: married, three children
    Work address: Centro Ricerca M.Tettamanti, Ospedale San Gerardo, via Pergolesi 33, 20900 Monza
    Phone +39 0392332232
    e-mail serafinim72@gmail.com

Education

    2007 British PhD, Immunology, Open University, London, UK

    Project: “Preclinical and experimental development of the CD20 suicide system”
    Project Directors: Dr. Martino Introna (Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan) and Professor Jane F. Apperley (Department of Haematology, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London)

    2003 Pharmacological Research Specialist, Post-graduate School of Professional
    Education in Pharmacology, Lombardy Government Department of Education, Milan, Italy

    2000 University Degree, Chemistry and Pharmacology, University of Milan
    Project: “Use of stroma supported cultures of leukemic cells to assess antileukemic drugs: potent cytotoxicity of aplidine in acute lymphoblastic leukemia”
    Project Director: Professor Andrea Biondi (Centro Ricerca M.Tettamanti, Clinica Pediatrica Università di Milano Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy)

Research experience

    2008 Assistant Telethon Scientist, Dulbecco Telethon Institute (Telethon Foundation, Rome) at Centro Ricerca M.Tettamanti, Clinica Pediatrica Università di Milano Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy
    Project: Exploring Hurler syndrome through the study of disease-specific multipotent and pluripotent stem cells

    2006 Principal Investigator, Stem Cell Unit, Centro Ricerca M.Tettamanti, Clinica Pediatrica Università di Milano Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy
    2004 –2005 Post-Doctoral Associate, Stem Cell Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. Director: Professor C.M. Verfaillie
    Project: Hematopoietic reconstitution by multipotent adult progenitor cells
    2003 Research Visitor, Department of Haematology, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK. Director: Professor J.F. Apperley
    2000 –2004 Graduate Research Associate, Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, Laboratory of Molecular Immunohaematology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milano, Italy.
    1999 –2000 Graduate Research Associate, Centro Ricerca M.Tettamanti, Clinica Pediatrica Università di Milano Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy

Awards and patents

    2005 Best Post-Doc Young Investigator Award, 34th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Experimental Haematology, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
    2007 Telethon Career Award, Dulbecco Telethon Institute, Telethon Foundation, Italy.
    2005 Inventor, International Patent under international application N° PCT/US2005/027147, Minneapolis, MN, USA. Title: “Use of MAPC or progeny there from to repopulate lymphohematopoietic tissues

Society membership

    2014 Member, European Hematology Association (EHA)

Publications

    1. Alice Pievani, Valeria Scagliotti, Francesca Maria Russo, Isabella Azario, Benedetta Rambaldi, Benedetto Sacchetti, Simona Marzorati, Eugenio Erba, Giovanni Giudici, Mara Riminucci, Andrea Biondi, Patrizia Vergani and Marta Serafini. "A comparative analysis of multilineage properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from fetal sources evidenced an advantage of MSCs isolated from cord blood in chondrogenic differentiation potential". Cytotherapy, in press.

    2. Serafini M., Sacchetti B., Pievani A., Redaelli D., Remoli C., Biondi A., Riminucci M., Bianco P. "Establishment of bone marrow and hematopoietic niches in vivo by reversion of chondrocyte differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells". Stem Cell Research, in press.

    3. Gatto F., Redaelli D., Salvadè A., Marzorati S., Sacchetti B., Ferina C., Roobrouck V.D., Bertola F., Romano M., Villani G., Antolini L., Rovelli A., Verfaillie C.M., Biondi A., Riminucci M., Bianco P., Serafini M. “Hurler disease bone marrow stromal cells exhibit altered ability to support osteoclast formation”. Stem Cells Dev. 2012 Jun; 21(9): 1466-77.

    4. Serafini M., Dylla S.J., Oki M., Heremans Y., Jiang Y., Tolar J., Jiang Y., Buckley S.M., Pelacho B., Burns T.C., Frommer S., Rossi D.J., Bryder D., Panoskaltsis-Mortari A., O’Shaughnessy M.J., Nelson-Holte M., Fine G.C., Weissman I.L., Blazar B.R. and Verfaillie C.M. “Hematopoietic reconstitution by multipotent adult progenitor cells: precursors to long-term hematopoietic stem cells”. J Exp Med, 2007; 204(1):129-139.

    5. Serafini M., Bonamino M., Bernasconi S., Golay J., Introna M., “EF1-a promoter in a lentiviral backbone improves the CD20 suicide gene expression in primary T lymphocytes allowing efficient Rituximab-mediated lysis”. Haematologica, 2004; 89(1): 86-95.


last update: January 2018