Our team has acquired excellent expertise in addressing research issues on epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression regulation. We are studying the biological and clinical role of long non coding RNAs, such as GAS5, TERRA and TERC in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and of small non coding RNAs, such as the microRNAs-23b-3p, 193a-3p and 126-3p in HCC . The understanding of the biological role of these non coding RNAs will highlight the possible role of these transcripts as molecular biomarkers of HCC, tissue or circulating biomarkers, and as therapeutic targets of this cancer type. Further we are studying by ddPCR the DNA methylation level of two coding genes, SEPT9 and SHOX2 , as circulating cell free DNA, in liquid biopsy of patients with squamous cell cancers of the head and neck (HNSCC), this to monitor the therapeutic clinical follow-up after the surgical resection of the tumor. Recently our interest has focused on the biological role of LASP1 in the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), since this cytoskeleton-protein is overexpressed in human carcinomas; and for this aim we are using the zebrafish model.
Address:
Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Traslazionale, Divisione di Biologia e Genetica,Viale Europa n.11, 25123 Brescia, I
date/time interval:
(January 2, 2002 - )