Research Interests
I completed my MSc in Industrial Biotechnology and my PhD in Experimental Pathology at University of Torino, Italy, investigating the causes responsible for the development of cachexia, a severe complication of cancer, responsible for up to 30% of all cancer deaths. During my postdoctoral training at University of Miami and Thomas Jefferson University, I worked on unraveling the mechanisms of muscle wasting in the occurrence of cancer, with particular focus on the role of the pro-inflammatory IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway. After joining Indiana University for my first faculty appointment, I contributed to develop new models for the study of cachexia in ovarian and colorectal cancer. My main research interest was focused on understanding the effects of chemotherapy in muscle and bone, as well as on the whole-body energy metabolism, with the goal of identifying therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing the side toxicity of anticancer treatments. Currently, I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and am interested in investigating the liver-bone-muscle interactions in colorectal cancer. Indeed, we have identified factors secreted by the liver that play a critical role in causing muscle and bone dysfunctions in subjects affected with colorectal cancer. Since 2006, I have authored over 60 publications and more than 100 communications/presentations to national and international meetings. My laboratory has been continuously funded by grants from V Foundation for Cancer Research, American Cancer Society and NIH/NIAMS.