Valentina Cianfanelli

Name              
Valentina CIANFANELLI

Date of Birth
   February 9th, 1985 (Italy)

Nationality
      Italian

ORCID ID       0000-0002-3857-9463

E-mail            
[email protected]; [email protected]

 

EDUCATION

12/2012           
PhD degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy)

10/2009           
M.Sc. in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy). 110/110 CUM LAUDE

10/2007           
B.Sc. in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy). 110/110 CUM LAUDE

 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

04/2021-Present          “Fondazione Umberto Veronesi” Post-doctoral Fellow, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesú (Rome, Italy)

10/2018-03/2020          
Senior Scientist at the Cell Stress and Survival Unit, Danish Cancer Society

Research Center (Copenhagen, DK)

10/2019-11/2019          Visiting Scientist, University of Fribourg (Fribourg, Switzerland). Host lab: Dr. J. Dengjel

02/2016-03/2016         
Visiting Scientist, Beatson Institute For Cancer Research (Glasgow, United Kingdom). Host labs: Dr. S. Ismail and Dr. S. Zanivan

06/2014-09/2018         
Postdoctoral Fellow (see “Funding” below), Danish Cancer Society Research Center (Copenhagen, Denmark)

11/2012-05/2014          
Postdoctoral Fellow (FILAS Fellowship), University of Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy)

11/2009-10/2012          PhD fellow, PhD programme in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy)

10/2008-10/2009           Undergraduate Student, University of Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy)

04/2007-08/2007           Research Intern, University of Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy)

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE AND RELATED ACHIEVEMENTS

2017-Present: 
A Committee appointed by the Italian Ministry of University and Research judged myself eligible to teach at University level as Associate Professor in “Comparative Anatomy and Cytology”

2017               
Lecturer for the PhD Programme in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy)

2012-2014        Teaching assistant for the course “Developmental Biology”, BSc in Cellular and Molecular Biology, at the University of Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy). I was engaged in both classroom teaching (2 classes per year) and assistance with written and oral exams

 

SUPERVISION ACTIVITY

Since 12/2019                         
I co-supervise a PhD student: Katrine Hartfelt, MoMed PhD school, Copenhagen University. Together with Miss Hartfelt’s main supervisor, I designed her PhD project

07/2019-11-2019                      I supervised a Research Assistant, Katrine Hartfelt, who is currently a PhD student in our Unit

01/2019-07/2019                     
I supervised a visiting postdoc, Dr. Monica Nanni (current address: Tissue Biology Research Unit, Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Switzerland)

06-10/2016 and 06-10/2017      I supervised an Erasmus Student, Pranas Grigaitis (from Vilnius University, Lithuania). Mr Grigaitis is currently a PhD student at the Department of Modelling of Biological Processes, Heidelberg University, Germany

Since 2014                              
As a senior postdoc first, and as a Senior Scientist more recently, I attended meetings with PhD students from our Unit, together with their supervisor(s), to help develop their research projects

2009-2014                              
I supervised BSc (5x) and MSc (1x) students at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” (Italy)

 

HIRING AND INTERVIEWING EXPERIENCE

I participated to the interview and hiring procedure for PhD and postdoc positions in our Unit, helping select the relevant candidates for the position, on the basis of their CV.

05/2019            Postdoc position. Selected candidate: Nikolaus Allan Watson. He started as a postdoc in our Unit in October 2019

05/2019           
PhD position. Selected candidate: Katrine Hartfelt. She is currently a PhD student in our Unit (see also Supervision Activity above)

01/2015            PhD position. Selected candidate: Mette Vixo Vistesen. She successfully defended her PhD in October 2018

 

INVITED INTERNATIONAL SEMINARS

2019               
I delivered an Invited Seminar at the Department of Biology, University of Fribourg (Switzerland). Title of the Seminar: “The multifaceted autophagy signaling in tumorigenesis: A mechanistic view”

 

COMMISSION OF TRUST AND
REVIEWING ACTIVITY

Since 2018      
Grant peer-reviewer for the French National Research Agency (ANR)

2018               
External evaluator for PhD theses of the PhD Programme in Cellular and Molecular Biology, at the University of Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy)

Since 2014      
Member of the Nordic Autophagy Network/Society

Since 2011      
Regular peer-reviewer for the following journals: Autophagy, Cell Death&Disease, FEBS Letter, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, Nature Structural&Molecular Biology, Molecular Oncology, Oncogene and PLoS ONE

 

ORGANIZATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

2014/2018       
Member of the Danish Cancer Society Seminar Committee (Copenhagen, Denmark). I was in charge of inviting national and international experts for delivering seminars at the Danish Cancer Society.

Among the researchers invited at these seminars: Anne Simonsen (Norway), Ivan Dikic (Germany), Ruggero De Maria (Italy), Simon Bekker-Jensen (Denmark).

 

FUNDING

2016                
Kræftens Bekæmpelse Individual Post-doctoral Fellowship. Euro 188.000

2016                
Lundbeckfonden Individual Post-doctoral Fellowship. Euro 188.000

12/2015           
Kræftens Bekæmpelse Travel Grant to visit the Beatson Institute For Cancer Research (Glasgow, United Kingdom). Euro 1.700

08/2015           
Kræftens Bekæmpelse Travel Grant to attend the EMBO Meeting “Autophagy signalling and progression in health and disease” (Chia, Italy). Euro 1.000

2014                
Lundbeckfonden Individual Post-doctoral Fellowship (Denmark). Euro 188.000

2019                Fondazione Umberto Veronesi Post-doctoral Fellowship 2020.Euro 30.000

2020                Fondazione Umberto Veronesi Post-doctoral Fellowship 2021.Euro 30.000

2021                Lega Italiana Lotta contro I Tumori (LILT) Grant 2021. Euro 66.000

 

PRIZES and AWARDS

2019                
Best Poster Prize at the Autophagy EMBO Conference (Crieff, Scotland). € 180

2017               
EMBO Postdoc Support Grant awarded by the Organizers of the EMBO “Europhosphatase” Conference (Paris, France). € 350

2009               
Raeli Award from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, among the best graduate students in 2009. € 5.000

 

SELECTED PARTECIPATIONS AT INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS (17 in total)

07/2017           
Co-chair at the EMBO Europhosphatase Conference (Paris, France)

03/2017           
Invited speaker at 47^th Annual Scand-LAS (Scandinavian Society for Laboratory Animal Science) Conference (Copenhagen, Denmark)

08/2016           
Selected speaker at 5^th Annual Conference of the “Nordic Autophagy Network”

(Keflavik, Iceland)

06/2015           
Selected speaker at 4^th Annual Conference of the “Nordic Autophagy Network” (Helsinki, Finland)

• •           Top-choice speaker of the Organizing Committee

09/2014           
Selected speaker at 1^st Joint Meeting of the “Nordic, Spanish & French (NSF) Autophagy Networks” (Toulouse, France)

06/2013           
Selected speaker at the Gordon Research Seminar on “Cell Growth & Proliferation” (West Dover, USA)

09/2012           
Selected speaker at 20^th Euroconference on apoptosis - ECDO (Rome, Italy)

 

EDITORIAL ACTIVITY

04/2019           
Guest Editor for Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. Special issue: “Molecular mechanisms of selective autophagy in human diseases” https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/10474

 

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATORS

During my research activity, I brought together the results of a wide range of experimental methods and biological fields into a unified whole. In order to do that, I drove and managed cutting-edge projects independently, and established several collaborations with PIs and senior researchers at the DCRC and abroad.

Denmark:        
Marja Jäättelä, Copenhagen.

France:            
Guido Kroemer and Maria Chiara Maiuri, Paris.

Germany:        
Ivan Dikic, Frankfurt.

Italy:               
Cosima Tatiana Baldari, Siena. Elena Ziviani, Padova.

Switzerland:    
Joern Dengjel, Fribourg.

UK:                 
Shehab Ismail and Sara Zanivan, Glasgow.

Australia:         
Yi Chieh Lim, Brisbane.

 

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS

 

Total number of publications 
32 (including 3X Nature, 2X Nat Cell Biol, 1X Nat Commun) + 2 Book Chapters

• 9 publications as first author, and 1 as co-corresponding author

 

Total number of citations       
4650

H-index                                  
18 (source: Scopus)

 

1.Maiani E*, Milletti G*, Nazio F, Holdgaard SG, Bartkova J, Rizza S,
CIANFANELLI V, Lorente M, Simoneschi D, Di Marco M, D’Acunzo P, di Leo L, Rasmussen R, Montagna C, Raciti M, De Stefanis C, Gabicagogeascoa E, Rona G, Salvador N, Pupo E, Merchut-Maya JM, Daniel CJ, Carinci M, Cesarini V, O´sullivan A, Jeong Y-T, Bordi M, Russo F, Campello S, Gallo A, Filomeni G, Lanzetti L, Sears RC, Hamerlik P, Bartolazzi A, Hynds RE, Pearce Dr, Swanton C, Pagano M, Velasco G, Papaleo E, De Zio D, Maya-Mendoza A, Locatelli F, Bartek J^#, Cecconi F^#. (2021) AMBRA1 regulates cyclin D to guard S-phase entry and genomic integrity. NATURE, in Press.

*These authors contributed equally; ^#Co-last authors

 

2.Simoneschi D., Rona G, Zhou N, Jeong Y-T, Milletti G, Jiang S, Arbini, AA, O’sullivan A, Wang AA, Nithikasem S, Boccalatte F, Keegan S, Siu Y,
CIANFANELLI V, Maiani E, Nazio F, Cecconi F, Fenyö D, Jones DR, Busino L, Pagano M. (2021) CRL4AMBRA1 is a master regulator of D-type Cyclins. NATURE, in Press.

 

3. Klionsky DJ, Abdel-Aziz AK, Abdelfatah S, [...], CIANFANELLI V, [...] & Tong C. (2021)
Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays monitoring autophagy (4th edition). AUTOPHAGY, doi: 10.1080/15548627.2020.1797280. IF: 9

 

4.CIANFANELLI V,
Grumati P, Nazio F. (2020) Editorial: Molecular Mechanisms of Selective Autophagy in Human Disease. FRONT CELL DEV BIO, 6(8):664. IF: 5.2

 

5. CIANFANELLI V*, and Cecconi F*. (2020) Doryphagy: when selective autophagy safeguards centrosome integrity. MOL CELL ONCOL, doi: 10.1080/23723556.2020.1719021. IF: 1.7

*Co-corresponding authors

 

6. Holdgaard S, CIANFANELLI V, and Cecconi F. (2019) Cloud hunting: doryphagy, a form of selective autophagy that degrades centriolar satellites. AUTOPHAGY, 16(2):379-381. IF: 9

 

7. Holdgaard S#, CIANFANELLI V#, Pupo E, Lambrughi M, Lubas M, Nielsen JC, Maiani E,Harder LM, Wesch N, Eibes S, Nazio F, de la Ballina LR, Dötsch V, Brech A, Frankel LB, Barisic M, Andersen JS, Bekker-Jensen S, Lund A-H, Rogov VV, Papaleo E, Lanzetti L, De Zio D, and Cecconi F. (2019) Selective autophagy maintains centrosome integrity and accurate mitosis by turnover of centriolar satellites. NAT COMMUN, 10(1):4176. IF: 12.4

#These authors contributed equally

 

8. Lim YC, Ensbey KS, Offenhäuser C, D’Souza RCJ, Cullen JK, Stringer BW, Quek H, Bruce ZC, Kijas A,
CIANFANELLI V, Mahboubi B, Smith F, Jeffree RL, Wiesmüeller L, Wiegmans AP, Bain A, Lombard FJ, Roberts TL, Khanna KK, Lavin MF, Baek K., Hamerlik P, Johns TG, Coster MJ, Boyd MW and Day BW. (2019) Simultaneous Targeting of DNA Replication and Homologous Recombination in Glioblastoma with a Polyether Ionophore. NEURO-ONCOLOGY, doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noz159. IF: 9.4

 

9. Finetti F, Cassioli C, CIANFANELLI V, Onnis A, Paccagnini E, Kabanova A, Baldari CT.
(2019) The intraflagellar transport protein IFT20 controls lysosome biogenesis by regulating the post-Golgi transport of acid hydrolases. CELL DEATH DIFFER, 27(1):310-328. IF: 8.1

 

10. Nazio F#, Bordi M#, CIANFANELLI V, Locatelli F., Cecconi F. (2019) Autophagy and cancer stem cells: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic applications. CELL DEATH AND DIFF, 26(4):690-702. IF: 8

#These authors contributed equally

 

11. Becher J, Simula L, Volpe E, Procaccini C, La Rocca C, D’Acunzo P,
CIANFANELLI V, Strappazzon F, Caruana I, Nazio F, Weber G, Gigantino V, Botti G, Ciccosanti F, Borsellino G, Campello S, Mandolesi G, De Bardi M, Fimia GM, D’Amelio M, Ruffini F, Furlan R, Centonze D, Martino G, Braghetta P, Chrisam M, Bonaldo P, Matarese G, Locatelli F, Battistini L, Cecconi F. (2018) AMBRA1 Controls Regulatory T-Cell Differentiation and Homeostasis Upstream of the FOXO3-FOXP3 Axis. DEV CELL 47(5):592-607.e6. IF: 9.6

 

12. Russo R, Varano GP, Adornetto A, Nazio F, Tettamanti G, Girardello R,
CIANFANELLI V, Cavaliere F, Morrone LA, Corasaniti MT, Cecconi F, Bagetta G, Nucci C. (2018) Rapamycin and fasting sustain autophagy response activated by ischemia/reperfusion injury and promote retinal ganglion cell survival. CELL DEATH DIS 9(10):981. IF: 5.6

 

13. Onnis A, CIANFANELLI V, Cassioli C, Samardzic D, Pelicci PG, Cecconi F & Baldari CT.
The pro-oxidant adaptor p66SHC promotes B cell mitophagy by disrupting mitochondrial integrity and recruiting LC3-II. AUTOPHAGY, 14(12):2117-2138. IF: 9

· Cover Article, Autophagy, 14 (12)

 

14. Capizzi MC, Strappazzon F, CIANFANELLI V, Papaleo E & Cecconi F. (2017) MIR7-3HG, a MYC-dependent modulator of cell proliferation, inhibits autophagy by a regulatory loop involving AMBRA1. AUTOPHAGY, 2(5):554-556. IF: 9

 

15. Corrado M, Mariotti F, Trapani L, Tarabborelli L, Nazio F,
CIANFANELLI V, Soriano ME, Shrepfer E, Cecconi F, Scorrano L & Campello S. (2016) Macroautophagy inhibition maintains fragmented mitochondria to foster T cell receptor-dependent apoptosis. EMBO J, 35(16):1793-1809. IF: 9.8

 

16. Strappazzon F, Di Rita A, CIANFANELLI V, D’Orazio M, Nazio F, Fimia GM & Cecconi F. (2016) Pro-survival AMBRA1 turns into a pro-apoptotic BH3-like protein during mitochondrial apoptosis. AUTOPHAGY, 12(6):963-975. IF: 9

 

17. Klionsky DJ, Abdelmohsen K, Abe A, […], CIANFANELLI V, [...] & Zughaier SM.
(2016) Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays monitoring autophagy (3rd edition). AUTOPHAGY, 12(1):1-222. IF: 9

 

18. CIANFANELLI V & Cecconi F. (2015) AMBRA1: When autophagy meets cell proliferation. AUTOPHAGY, 11 (9),1705-1707. IF: 9

 

19. CIANFANELLI V, De Zio D, Di Bartolomeo S, Nazio F, Strappazzon F & Cecconi F. (2015) Ambra1 at a glance. J CELL SCI, 28 (11), 2003-2008. IF: 5.43

 

20. Tatti M, Motta M, Scarpa S, Di Bartolomeo S, CIANFANELLI V, Tartaglia M & Salvioli R. (2015) BCM-95 and (2-hydroxypropyl)-β-cyclodextrin reverse autophagy dysfunction and deplete stored lipids in Sap C-deficient fibroblasts. HUM MOL GENET, 24(15), 4198-4211. IF: 6.39

 

21. CIANFANELLI V, D'Orazio M & Cecconi F. (2015) AMBRA1 and BECLIN 1 interplay in the crosstalk between autophagy and cell proliferation. CELL CYCLE, 14(7), 959-963. IF: 4.57

 

22. Niso-Santano M, Malik SA, Pietrocola F, Bravo-San Pedro JM, Mariño G,
CIANFANELLI V, Ben-Younès A, Troncoso R, Markaki M, Sica V, Izzo V, Chaba K, Bauvy C, Dupont N, Kepp O, Rockenfeller P, Wolinski H, Madeo F, Lavandero S, Codogno P, Harper F, Pierron G, Tavernarakis N, Cecconi F, Maiuri MC, Galluzzi L & Kroemer G. (2015) Unsaturated fatty acids induce non-canonical autophagy. EMBO J, 34 (8), 1025-1041. IF: 9.8

 

23. CIANFANELLI V, Nazio F & Cecconi F. (2015) Connecting autophagy: AMBRA1 and its network of regulation. MOLECULAR & CELLULAR ONCOLOGY, 2(1), e970059. IF: 3.8

 

24. CIANFANELLI V, Fuoco C, Lorente M, Salazar M, Quondamatteo F, Gherardini PF, De Zio D, Nazio F, Antonioli M, D'Orazio M, Skobo T, Bordi M, Rohde M, Dalla Valle L, Helmer-Citterich M, Gretzmeier C, Dengjel J, Fimia GM, Piacentini M, Di Bartolomeo S, Velasco G & Cecconi F. (2015) AMBRA1 links autophagy to cell proliferation and tumorigenesis by promoting c-Myc dephosphorylation and degradation. NAT CELL BIOL, 17(1), 20-30. IF: 19.68

• Cover Article, Nat. Cell Biol., 17 (1)

 

25. Strappazzon F, Nazio F, Corrado M, CIANFANELLI V, Romagnoli A, Fimia GM, Campello S, Nardacci R, Piacentini M, Campanella M & Cecconi F. (2015) AMBRA1 is able to induce mitophagy via LC3 binding, regardless of PARKIN and p62/SQSTM1. CELL DEATH DIFFER, 22(3), 419-432. IF: 8.18

 

26. Skobo T, Benato F, Grumati P, Meneghetti G, CIANFANELLI V, Castagnaro S, Chrisam M, Di Bartolomeo S, Bonaldo P, Cecconi F & Dalla Valle L. (2014) Zebrafish ambra1a and ambra1b knockdown impairs skeletal muscle development. PLoS ONE, 9(6), e99210. IF: 3.23

 

27. CIANFANELLI V & Cecconi F. (2013) Cell biology: Molecular clearance at the cell's antenna. Nature, 502 (7470), 180-181. IF: 41.46

 

28. Nazio F, Strappazzon F, Antonioli M, Bielli P,
CIANFANELLI V, Bordi M, Gretzmeier C, Dengjel J, Piacentini M, Fimia GM & Cecconi F. (2013) mTOR inhibits autophagy by controlling ULK1 ubiquitylation, self-association and function through AMBRA1 and TRAF6. NAT CELL BIOL, 15 (4), 406-416. IF: 19.68

 

29. Tatti M, Motta M, Di Bartolomeo S, CIANFANELLI V & Salvioli R. (2013) Cathepsin-mediated regulation of autophagy in saposin C deficiency. AUTOPHAGY, 9 (2), 241-243. IF: 9.0

 

30. De Zio D, CIANFANELLI V & Cecconi F. (2013) New insights into the link between DNA damage and apoptosis. ANTIOXID REDOX SIGNAL, 19 (6), 559-571. IF: 7.41

 

31. Tatti M, Motta M, Di Bartolomeo S, Scarpa S, CIANFANELLI V, Cecconi F & Salvioli R. (2012) Reduced cathepsins B and D cause impaired autophagic degradation that can be almost completely restored by overexpression of these two proteases in Sap C-deficient fibroblasts. HUM MOL GENET, 21 (23), 5159-5173. IF: 6.39

 

32. CIANFANELLI V & Cecconi F. (2012) Autophagy-dependent NFκB regulation. CELL CYCLE, 11 (3), 436-437. IF: 4.57

 

BOOK CHAPTERS

 

1. CIANFANELLI V & Cecconi F. (2013) “Chapter 7 – Developmental autophagy” pg. 103-116 of the book Autophagy in Health and Disease – 1st edition. R. Gottlieb Editor, ELSEVIER. ISBN: 9780123851024

 

2. CIANFANELLI V & Cecconi F. (2017) “Chapter 18 - AMBRA1-mediated regulation of c-MYC and its relevance to cancer” pg. 373-385 of the book Autophagy: Cancer, Other Pathologies, Inflammation, Immunity, Infection, and Aging. M. A. Hayat Editor, EL