MAZZOLENI Giovanna

Birth: Brescia (Italy), June 09, 1961
Citizenship: Italian
Address: Bergamo (Italy) Via Monte Bastia 8

Current position: Associate Professor of General Pathology (SSD MED/04), School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Brescia (Brescia, Italy)

Co-Director of the Interuniversity Research Center “Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health” (MISTRAL); University of Brescia (UNIBS), University of Verona (UNIVR), University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB).

Head of the “Tissue Engineering Unit”
Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences
Division of Anatomy & Physiopathology
School of Medicine
University of Brescia
Viale Europa, 11 - 25123 Brescia (I)
tel. + 39 030 37 17 273 / 281
mobile: +39 344 1330224
e-mail: giovanna.mazzoleni@unibs.it
giovanna.mazzoleni61@gmail.com

Languages:

Italian: mother tongue
English and French: high level (understanding, speaking, writing)
Spanish: scholastic

Scientific IDs:

• ORCID ID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9433-1649
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9433-1649
• SCOPUS: Author ID 7006805277
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7006805277
• Web of Science ResearcherID: H-1299-2017
https://publons.com/researcher/2115753/giovanna-mazzoleni/publications/
• ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Giovanna_Mazzoleni


Academic Positions and Honors:

1990 - 2006: Assistant Professor, General Pathology (SSD MED-04); School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Brescia (Brescia, Italy)

2006 - 2012: Associate Professor, General Pathology (SSD MED-04); Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnologies, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Brescia (Brescia, Italy)

2012 - now Associate Professor, General Pathology (SSD MED-04); Department of Clinical and Experimental sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Brescia (Brescia, Italy)

1998-2006 &
2010 - 2012: Member of the Research Council of the University of Brescia

1999-2002: Member of the Senatus Academicus of the University of Brescia

2004-2006: Member of the Scientific Council of the Italian Interuniversitary Institute of Myology

2005-2012: Member of the Scientific Council of the “Center for the Prevention of the Biological Effects of Environmental and Occupational Pollutants” (Universitary Consortium of Oriental Lombardy, EULO)

2008-2014: Member of the Commissione Tecnico-Pedagogica of the Medical School (University of Brescia).

2011 - 2016 Member of the Directive Council of the “Associazione Italiana Tossicologia In Vitro” (CellTox).

2011 -now Member of Collegio Esperti of the “Centro di Referenza Nazionale per i Metodi Alternativi, benessere e cura degli animali da laboratorio” (D.M. del 20.04.2011; EU Directive 2010/83/UE).

2014 - 2020 Proponent and Member of the Directive Council of the Inter-departmental University Research Center “Adattamento e rigenerazione tissutale e d’organo” (ARTO), Brescia University.

2014 - 2020 Proponent and Member of the Directive Council and, from 2017, Director, of the Inter-departmental University Research Center ““Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health” (MISTRAL), which, in 2020 became associated with the University of Verona (UNIVR) and University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB).

2015-oggi Proponent and Member of the “Gruppo Italiano Staminali Mesenchimali” (GISM)

2015 - 2017 Member of the Didactic Council of the II level Master “Osteoporosi e Malattie del Metabolismo Osseo” (coordinator: University of Brescia).
2019-now Member of the Commissione Paritetica Docenti-Studenti , Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia.

2020-now Proponent and Member of the Directive Council and Co-Director, of the Inter- University Research Center ““Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health” (MISTRAL), University of Brescia University of Verona (UNIVR) and University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB).


Didactic activity:

1995 - now University of Brescia: professor of “Fisiopatologia Generale” (CL Magistrale in Medicina e Chirurgia) and of the Courses of Patologia Generale, Patologia Clinica, Fisiopatologia, and Laboratorio di Fisiopatologia (SSD MED/04, MED/05 e MED/46) for various first- and second- level University degrees of Health Professions [Infermieristica (L/SNT1), Fisioterapia (L/SNT2), Dietistica (L/SNT3), Tecnica della Riabilitazione Psichiatrica (L/SNT2), Tecniche della Prevenzione nell’Ambiente e nei Luoghi di Lavoro (L/SNT4), Tecniche di Laboratorio Biomedico (L/SNT3), Tecniche di Radiologia Medica, per Immagini e Radioterapia (L/SNT3)]. She has also been responsible of the didactic coordination of the above-mentioned Integrated Courses, and teacher of General Pathology and Physiopathology in various Specialization and Master Courses (I and II level) at the University of Brescia.


Education and training:

1980: High School degree: Scientific Lyceum.

1980-1987: Internship - General Pathology and Immunology Unit, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnologies, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Brescia (Brescia, Italy) (Prof. G. Ragnotti, Director).

1984, 1985, and 1987: Two-months’ fellowships of the Italian National Research Council (C.N.R.) to support research periods at the “International Agency for Research on Cancer” (I.A.R.C./W.H.O.), Lyon (France): Unit of Multistage Carcinogenesis (Dr. Hiroshi Yamasaki, Director).

1988: Doctor of Medicine degree (110/110 magna cum laude), University of Brescia (Italy)
Experimental Thesis: Comunicazione intercellulare e promozione della trasformazione neoplastica: effetti del beta-bloccante oncogeno DL-ZAMI 1305" (Thesis Director: Prof. G. Ragnotti).

1989: Italian National Medical Board Certification (90/90).


International Professional Experience:

International Agency for Research on Cancer (I.A.R.C./W.H.O.), Lyon (France), “Unit of Multistage Carcinogenesis” (Dr. H. Yamasaki, Director):

1985 (Research training: 2 months)
1988 (Research training: 2 months)
1992 (Research training: 2 months)
1992 - 1994 Visiting Scientist: 2 years)

Institut Nationale de la Recherche Agronomique (I.N.R.A.) Paris (France), Centre de Recherche de Jouy-en-Josas, “Laboratoire de Nutrition et Sécurité Alimentaire”/“Unité de Toxicologie Nutritionelle” (Dr. P. Martel, Director):

1996 - 1997 (Visiting Scientist: 7 months)
2000 (Visiting Scientist: 1 month)
2001 (Visiting Scientist: 1 month)



Post-Doc Fellowships and Awards:

1988-1990: Triennial full-time Post-Doc Universitary fellowship (Ente Universitario Lombardia Orientale - EULO) to pursue the research activity at the Unit of General Pathology, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Brescia (I).

1991: Two-months’ fellowships of Brescia University to support a research period at the “International Agency for Research on Cancer” (I.A.R.C./W.H.O.), Lyon (France): Unit of Multistage Carcinogenesis (Dr. H. Yamasaki Director).

1992: Six-months’ fellowship of the Italian League for the Fight Against Cancer (L.I.L.T.) to support a research period at the “International Agency for Research on Cancer” (I.A.R.C./W.H.O.), Lyon (France): Unit of Multistage Carcinogenesis (Dr. H. Yamasaki Director).

1992-1993: One-year fellowship of the Italian Association for Cancer Research (A.I.R.C.) to pursue the research activity at the “International Agency for Research on Cancer” (I.A.R.C./W.H.O.), Lyon (France): Unit of Multistage Carcinogenesis (Dr. H. Yamasaki Director).

1993: Six-months’ “Special Training Award” of the “International Agency for Research on Cancer” (I.A.R.C., Lyon, F) to pursue the scientific collaboration at the Agency.

1993-1994: One-year fellowships of the Italian Association for Cancer Research (A.I.R.C.) to pursue the research activity at the “International Agency for Research on Cancer” (I.A.R.C./W.H.O.), Lyon (France): Unit of Multistage Carcinogenesis (Dr. H. Yamasaki Director).

1993, 1994: Financial supports from the Organising Committees of the “1993 International Meeting on Gap Junctions” (Hiroshima, J) and of the “1995 Gap Junction Conference” (Ile des Embiez, F), to attend the meetings.

1996-1997: Seven-months’ Post-Doc Fellowship for Foreigners of the French “National Institute for Agronomic Research” (I.N.R.A.), to support a period of research activity at the Laboratoire de Nutrition et Sécurité Alimentaire, I.N.R.A., Centre de Recherche de Jouy-en-Josas, (Dr. P. Martel, Director).

1998, 1999: One month’s fellowships from the Italian-French Cooperation program “Galileo” to pursue the scientific collaboration with the Laboratoire de Nutrition et Sécurité Alimentaire, I.N.R.A., Centre de Recherche de Jouy-en-Josas, (Dr. P. Martel, Director).

Short scientific profile:

Research experience. G.M. has a long-lasting research experience in the field of experimental carcinogenesis, in vitro testing, and tissue engineering methods directed at the development/characterisation of innovative models of human tissues for basic research, eco-/pharmaco-toxicology, and clinical applications (regenerative medicine). In particular, she has a specific expertise in the functional/molecular study of gap junction-mediated intercellular communication (GJIC) and in the 3D cell- and tissue-culture technologies based on the principle of the microgravity condition (RCCS™ bioreactors). Since 1990, she actively participated, as scientific coordinator, to EC funded projects and to national and international research programs specifically aimed at the development of innovative in vitro test systems for eco-/pharmaco-toxicological applications. She has also coordinated the activity of research units within national inter-university programs aimed to investigate, in vitro, the mechanism(s) of organ-specific toxicity of heavy metals and endocrine disruptors compounds. She is member of numerous national and international scientific societies with interests in basic and developmental toxicology, and author of more than 150 indexed publications in the field. Beside conventional didactic activity within University Bachelor’s, Master’s, Speciality’s and PhD’s courses, from 1995 G.M. is Expert Member of International European PhD Boards and International Commissions for the evaluation of research projects. Since 2011 she is Component of the Board of Experts of the “National Reference Center for Alternative Methods” (DM 20.04.2011, ED 2010/83/UE). In 2014 she was Co-founder & Member of
the Directive Council and, from 2017, Director of the University Interdepartmental Research Center “Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health” (MISTRAL) of Brescia University (I). In 2019, by including the Italian Universities of Verona, Milano_Bicocca & Brescia, MISTRAL became Interuniversity, and, in 2020, G.M. was nominated Co-Director of the Center.

Scientific Research profile

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9433-1649
Publons: https://publons.com/a/1475314
Scopus ID: 7006805277
ResearcherID: H-1299-2017

Total publications 195 (peer-reviewed scientific papers, book chapters and extended abstracts by international publishers: 94; abstracts from meeting presentations published in monographs/international journals: 101).

Indexed SCOPUS publications: 56;
h-index: 19;
Total number of citations: 1391


Scientific coordination of research projects and grants:

Since 1989: coordination of the scientific activity within research projects funded with national (CNR - MURST 40% and 60%) and local university grants.

Since 1990: official responsibility of research projects funded with local universty grants.

1990-1994: scientific coordination of the research activity of the Unit of General Pathology (University of Brescia, I) within the EC project BRIDGE BIOT-CT91-0261: “Definition and scientific validation of an in vitro test for the screening of tumor promoters and protective chemicals, based on gap-junctional intercellular communication in human and animal cells”.

1992, 1993: participation to the EC Programmes “European Laboratories Without Walls”:
- “Gap-junctional intercellular communication and screening of tumor promoters”;
- “In vitro integrated approach to skin pharmaco-toxicology”.

1997-2001: partner (“Contractor”) of the EC Biotechnology project BIO4-CT-97-2148: “Development of 3D in vitro models of human tissues for pharmaco-toxicological applications”.

1998-1999: partner of the French-Italian Cooperation project “Galileo” (MURST/CRUI) aimed at the development of 3D human-derived in vitro models of the digestive tract (intestine and liver) for pharmaco-toxicological applications.

1998-2000: Cofin MURST 1998: Scientific coordinator of Research Unit (project: Evaluation of the effects of low levels of inorganic mercury due to environmental and occupational exposures: in vivo and in vitro studies of the mechanisms of specific toxicity” (Prof. L. Alessio, national coordinator).

1999-2001: Research contract with the “Societè Parfum C. Dior” (Orleans, F), for the development and testing of a recombinant cx-43-GFP protein.

2000-2002: Grant from the University Consortium of Oriental Lombardy (EULO) for supporting the biennial research project: “Study of the mechanisms responsible for the organ-specific toxicity of lead inorganic compounds (oxide and solubile salts)”.

2002-2004: Grant from the University Consortium of Oriental Lombardy (EULO) for supporting the biennial research project: “Development and characterisation of an in vitro model of kidney (polarised tubular cells) for the study of the mechanisms of uptake and excretion of Hg2+ ions”.

2006-2009: EC project LSHB- CT-2006- 037168 (EXERA) “Development of 3D in vitro models of estrogen-reporter mouse tissues for the pharmaco-toxicological analysis of estrogen receptors-interacting compounds (ER-ICs)”, Partner & Scientific co-coordinator.

2007 and 2008: Grants from the ELETTRA Syncrotron (Trieste, I) to support the research activity at the Beamline SYRMEP within a research project aimed at the study of the effects of microgravity conditions on bone structure (programs n. 2007220 and 2008164).

2010 - 2014 Scientific Coordinator of Research Unit within the project n° 9965 “Harnessing tumour cell/microenvironment cross talk to treat mature b-cell tumours” - AIRC Special Program in Molecular Clinical Oncology, 5 per mille 2010; General Coordinator Prof. F. Caligaris-Cappio, Dipartimento di Oncologia, IRCSS “San Raffaele”, Milano, Italy).

2011-2013 Scientific Coordinator of a Research project supported by Società Medestea, (Torino, Italy) “Messa a punto ed applicazione di tests in vitro per la valutazione bio/tossicologica di composti ad effetto trofico ed anti-infiammatorio sulla cartilagine ialina articolare”.

2012-2016: EC project EC LIFE12 ENV/IT/000614 (MAPEC_LIFE) “Monitoring air pollution effects on children for supporting Public Health Policy”, Partner.

2015-2019: Health & Wealth UNIBS program 2015 “WAT_CHALLENGE” project “The water challenge: smart models, tools and methods for assessing environmental suitability and effects of green technologies on human health”, Partner.

2017-now: UNIBS program B+LabNet 2017 “SMART_WAT” project “Smart drinking- and waste-water treatment strategies for the protection and exploitation of natural water reservoirs”, Partner

2021- Scientific Coordinator of Research Unit within the project: Sludge (and other residues) recovery in agriculture: environment and health protection (SLURP), Fondazione CARIPLO, Call. “Economia circolare: ricerca per un futuro sostenibile 2020” (coordinatore prof. G. Bertanza).

Research Project under Evaluation:

COST Action Proposal: Proposal Reference: 2020-1-24800 " Thermoelectrics for Medical Applications" (TherMA)., Main proposer: Dr António Pereira Gonçalves, Universidade de Lisboa - Instituto Superior Técnico [Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares]. Role:Secondary proposer (2020) – under evaluation (https://e-services.cost.eu/sesa/proposal/24800/documents .

Professional Memberships:

- Italian Professional Order of Physicians (since 1989)
- Italian Society of Pathology (SIP) (since 1995)
- Association Médicale Internationale de Lourdes (AMIL) (since 1995)
- Groupe Biologie du Développement (GBD) (since 1997)
- Italian Society of In Vitro Toxicology (Cell-TOX) (since 1998)
- European Society of In Vitro Toxicology (ESTIV) (since 1998)
- Italian Interuniversitary Instiute of Myology” (IIM) (since 2004)
- Italian Society of Space Biomedicine and Biotechnology (ISSBB) (since 2009)


Invited Reviewer of international scientific journals and grants:

• “Carcinogenesis”
• “European Journal of Pharmacology”
• “Toxicology In Vitro”
• “Food and Chemical Toxicology”
• “Nanomedicine”
• “Tissue Engineering”

Agence Nationale de la Rechereche (ANR) – (France)
Call: “Biotechnologie pour la Santè” (BioTechS) – 2010 (role: International Expert)

Selection of peer-reviewed publications of the last 5 years:


1. Dahar B., Steimberg N. & Mazzoleni G. (2020) “Point-of-Care Pathogen Detection with CRISPR-based Programmable Nucleic Acid Binding Proteins.“ ChemMedChem - Published: ‏ 2020-Dec-01 (Epub 2020 Dec 01) DOI:10.1002/cmdc.202000782.

2. Papa M.*, Paredes L.*, Feretti d., Viola G., Mazzoleni G., Steimberg N., Pedrazzani R., Lema J., Omil F. & Carballa M. (2020) “How should ecohazard of micropollutants in wastewater be gauged? Using bioassays to profile alternative tertiary treatments”. Environ Engineering Research 26(3): 200153.
Published online: July 22, 2020 https://doi.org/10.4491/eer.2020.153.

3. Pedrazzani R., Baroni P., Feretti D., Mazzoleni G., Steimberg N., Urani C., Viola G., Zerbini I., Ziliani E. & Bertanza G. (2020) “Methodological Protocol for Assessing the Environmental Footprint by Means of Ecotoxicological Tools: Wastewater Treatment Plants as an Example Case”. In: Ecotoxicological QSARs. Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Edited by Roy K.; Humana Press - Springer Nature, NY (USA); pagg. 305-327. Print ISBN 978-1-0716-0149-5
Online ISBN 978-1-0716-0150-1
eBook Packages Springer Protocols. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0150-1_14.

4. Bonacina M., Albano D., Steimberg N., Bosio G., Camoni L., Bertagna F., Giubbini R. & Mazzoleni G. (2018) “Different uptake of 123I-MIBG in the two main liver lobes: A persistant unsolved mistery”. Rev Esp Med Nucl Imagen Mol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.remnie.2018.02.003.

5. Steimberg N., Angiero F., Farronato D., Berenzi A., Cossellu G., Ottonello A., Kaigler D. & Mazzoleni G. (2018) “Advanced 3D Models Cultured to Investigate Mesenchymal Stromal Cells of the Human Dental Follicle”. Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods. Volume: 24 Issue 3: March 1. http://doi.org/10.1089/ten.tec.2017.0428 .

6. Morabito C., Steimberg N., Rovetta F.,Boniotti J., Guarnieri S., Mazzoleni G. & Mariggiò Ma. (2017) “Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Affect Myogenic Processes in C2C12 Myoblasts: Role of Gap-Junction-Mediated Intercellular Communication”. BioMed Research International, Vol. 2017, Article ID 2460215, 10 pages. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/2460215.

7. Caccuri F, Ronca R, Laimbacher As, Berenzi A, Steimberg N, Campilongo F, Mazzuca P, Giacomini A, Mazzoleni G., Benetti A, Caselli E, Presta M, Di Luca D, Fraefel C. & Caruso A. (2017) “U94 of human herpesvirus 6 down-modulates Src, promotes a partial mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition and inhibits tumor cell growth, invasion and metastasis”. Oncotarget. 2017 May 11. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.17817.

8. Steimberg, N. & Mazzoleni, G. (2016) From the macroscale to nanostructures: can tissue engineering recreate bone features? Nanomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, Lin Y & Gong T. eds., International Association of Physical chemists (IAPC) publisher, Zagreb-Croatia; chapter 12, pagg. 289-332. doi:10.5599/obp.9.4.

9. Gonzalez-Gil L. (*), Papa M. (*), Feretti D., Ceretti E., Mazzoleni G., Steimberg N., Pedrazzani R., Bertanza G., Lema J.M., Carballa M. (2016) Is anaerobic digestion effective for the removal of organic micropollutants and biological activities from sewage sludge? Water Research 102, 211-220. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2016.06.025.

10. Bonomi, A. (*), Steimberg N. (*), Benetti A., Berenzi A., Alessandri G., Pascucci L., Boniotti J., Coccè V., Sordi V., Pessina A(#), Mazzoleni G. (#) (2016) Paclitaxel-releasing mesenchymal stromal cells inhibit the growth of multiple myeloma cells in a dynamic 3D culture system. Hematol Oncol. Jun 10. doi:10.1002/hon.2306.

11. Papa, M., Ceretti, E., Viola, G. C. V., Feretti, D., Zerbini, I., Mazzoleni, G., Steimberg, N., Pedrazzani, R., & Bertanza, G. (2016). The assessment of WWTP performance: Towards a jigsaw puzzle evaluation? Chemosphere, 145, 291-300. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.11.054.

12. Morabito, C., Steimberg, N., Mazzoleni, G., Guarnieri, S., Fanò-Illic, G., & Mariggiò, M. A. (2015). RCCS Bioreactor-Based Modelled Microgravity Induces Significant Changes on In Vitro 3D Neuroglial Cell Cultures. Hindawi Publishing Corporation, BioMed Research International; Vol. 2015, Article ID 754283, 14 pagg. doi: 10.1155/2015/754283.

13. Cosmi, F., Steimberg, N., & Mazzoleni, G. (2015). A mesoscale study of the degradation of bone structural properties in modeled microgravity conditions. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 44, 61-70. doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2015.01.002.

14. Caloni, F., Mazzoleni, G., Meloni, M., Urani, C., Ferrari, M., Dotti, S., & Sambuy, Y. (2015). Models on liver: alternative methods in hepatotoxicity. Altex-Alternatives to Animal Experimentation, 32(3), 228-229. doi: 10.14573/altex.1506181.

15. Berenzi, A., Steimberg, N., Boniotti, J., & Mazzoleni, G. (2015). MRT Letter: 3D Culture of Isolated Cells: A Fast and Efficient Method for Optimizing Their Histochemical and Immunocytochemical Analyses. Microscopy Research and Technique, 78(4), 249-254. doi:10.1002/jemt.22470.
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(*) : authors which equally contributed to the work
(#) : shared senior’s authorship