The main objective of our research is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying immunological disease initiation, progression and chronicity, and to provide innovative solutions towards their diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Towards that end, we use a unique collection of transgenic mouse models, conditional gene targeting, and state-of-the-art cellular and molecular technologies. We combine omics approaches and large-scale data analyses with in depth dissection of candidate gene function in vivo and in vitro, from human vs animal models, to discover causalities in the epigenetic, transcriptional and proteomic changes that occur in specific cell types of interest during disease course. Through the identification and validation of unexplored pathways, targets and biomarkers, we aim to introduce novel concepts towards disease prognosis, prevention and therapy.
Our research team is organized into five groups which are focused on specific organs and diseases or on the development of preclinical therapeutic approaches:
- Chronic Inflammatory Arthritis
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Cancer
- Neuroinflammation and neuroimmune interactions
- Dynamics of Mesenchymal Cells in Lymphoid Microenvironments
- Drug Development Research