Dr. Tomassetti Antonella

Graduated from La Sapienza University of Rome, she acquired her experience during several internships in European and US laboratories. 

The study of chromatin organization and DNA methylation was her initial commitment, moving on to experimental oncology dealing with the humanization of monoclonal antibodies. During her first stay in the USA, she cloned and characterized the gene encoding the folate receptor alpha (FRα), a therapeutic target in ovarian cancer (OC), and subsequently, in INT, its transcription in OC, identifying the transcription factor HNF1β, responsible for the plasticity of OC cells and now a marker of clear cell OC. 

Her main interest is to understand the molecular mechanisms through which tumor cells orchestrate microenvironmental signals with adhesion molecules to regulate the activation of kinases in metastatic cells. Her research is also aimed at generating preclinical models to test personalized therapies and identify biomarkers with prognostic impact in cancer patients. 

She uses a ‘System Biology’ approach that includes functional analyses of 2D and 3D cultures integrated with bioinformatics analyses on omics data (transcriptomics, microRNA and proteomics) of human samples. Coordinator of the ‘imaging’ working group of the Department of Experimental Oncology. 

She collaborates with various groups in Italy and abroad.