Ricerc@Sapienza

Our laboratory focuses on understanding how innate immunity controls viral replication and shapes pathogenesis by influencing viral spread and tissue damage. We are particularly interested in elucidating the mechanisms that govern the induction, regulation and function of interferons (IFNs), the viral strategies employed to evade or subvert the IFN response, and how IFNs can drive protective or pathological inflammatory and cell immune responses that influence disease outcomes. Through the study of the molecular and cellular processes that govern virus–host interactions in various in vitro and ex vivo models of chronic (HIV and HPV), respiratory and emerging zoonotic viral infections such as those transmitted by arthropods, we aim to identify infection and disease progression biomarkers, as well as potential therapeutic targets within the host and virus. The following topics are the focus of our research interest:
1) The antiviral activity of type I–III IFNs and pattern recognition receptor pathway modulators against emerging viruses, and the in vitro characterization of viral immune-evasion strategies;
2) Regulation of IFN production, inflammatory signaling and immune cell subsets in viral infectious diseases;
3) The biological and clinical significance of autoantibodies against IFN;
4) Genetic variability of the 3’ UTR of mosquito-borne orthoflaviviruses and the immunopathogenic role of non-coding sfRNAs.