Brief biographical sketch: Since the very beginning of my career (2000), I focused my research on tumorigenesis. I got my Master degree at the University of Torino working on the role of transcription factor AP-2gamma in the response of breast cancer cells to estrogens. During my PhD at the University of Torino, I studied the role of transcription factor AP-2 in tumors and in neurons using biochemistry, molecular and cellular technologies. Later, during my Post-Doctoral training I kept working on tumor progression, focusing on the study of miRNAs (miRs) involved in tumor dissemination, in particular in melanoma and breast cancer.

Current hosting laboratory and current position: I am currently a Research Assistant in Molecular Biology at the Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy, where I am running a brand new laboratory focusing on functional oncology.

Ongoing Project: My laboratory focuses on the study of miRNAs involved in age-related pathologies, in particular cancer. The research activity aims at identifying miRNAs that are involved in breast cancer and osteosarcoma progression. The final goal of her research is the development of innovative miRNA-based therapy and diagnostic tools that could help the clinical management of breast cancer and osteosarcoma. Due to their nature and presence in different body fluids, miRNAs can serve as biomarkers both for prevention of both neoplastic disease and aging-related pathology. My research efforts are devoted to study the reasons of the increase in breast cancer incidence observed in young women in the last 10 years with the final aim to identify miRNAs that could function as biomarker to prevent early-onset breast cancer.

Expertise: molecular biology, functional genomics, pre-clinical models.

Major achievements: I contributed to unravel the relevant roles of miR-214 and miR-148b in melanoma metastasis formation and more recently I focused on the pivotal role of stroma miR-214 in controlling tumor dissemination. In parallel, I worked on the development of anti-/pre-miRNA based therapeutic approaches to block and control tumor progression in a specific way targeting tumor cells only by using chimeric aptamers.