Sara Semperboni graduated from Liceo Scientifico Andrea Fantoni (Clusone, BG) in 2006. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology in 2011 and then her Master’s Degree in Medical Biotechnology in 2014 at the University of Milan Bicocca (Monza).
Since 2014, she has been involved in preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies on peripheral chemotherapeutic neurotoxicity at the University of Milano Bicocca, where she currently holds the PhD in Neuroscience.
She mainly focused on molecular mechanisms in tumor and nerve cells, on molecular biology techniques and on the use of experimental animal models of neurotoxicity.
RESEARCH PROJECT
The role of Organic Cation Trasporters 1 and 2 in Platinum drugs-induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity
- Track: Experimental Neuroscience
- Tutor: Paola Marmiroli
Cisplatin (CDDP) is a chemotherapeutic drug widely employed in the treatment of various solid tumors but its use is associated with severe side effects such as nephro-, oto- and neurotoxicity.
CDDP is a hydrophilic drug that can cross the plasma membrane and reach its targets also through membrane transporters. In this study we focused on the Organic Cation Transporters (OCT) 1 and 2 because of their specific interaction with CDDP and their specific organ distribution that may explain CDDP selective toxicity. Many in vivo studies have shown that OCTs expression in tumor cells is down-regulated and so the inhibition of OCT may be an attractive target to reduce CDDP toxicity, without impairing its antitumor efficacy.
We are investigating the role of OCT2 in CDDP induced neurotoxicity in vivo using OCT2 and OCT1,2 knockout (OCT2-/-, OCT1,2-/-) mice with a C57BL6 and FVB background respectively. We are also studying a possible neurotoxicity protection due to OCT2 and OCT1,2 KO in vitro, analyzing the cell survival of DRG neurons primary culture obtained from male and female mice, WT, OCT2-/- and OCT1,2-/- KO.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS AND CONGRESSES
Congresses
- Semperboni S., Chiorazzi A., Ceresa C., Canta A., Nicolini G., Cavaletti G., Marmiroli P. “OCT2 transporter involvement in development of cisplatin toxicity”. XXIII Convegno Annuale A.I.S.A.L.. 10-12 ottobre 2016, Roma, Italia.
- Ceresa, G. Nicolini, S. Semperboni, M. Pellei, N. Marigotta, V. Gandin, J. Hoeschele, C. santini, G. Cavaletti. “ In vitro activity and neurotoxicity of new promising metal-based anticancer complexes”. Second international meeting of the Milan centre for neuroscience. July 6-8, 2016, Milan, Italy.
- Sara Semperboni, Valentina Carozzi, Beatrice Riva, Eleonora Pozzi, Giulia Fumagalli, Guido Cavaletti, Armando Genazzani, Paola Marmiroli. “The severity of oxaliplatin neurotoxicity is related to differential expression of a solute transporter in mice”. European Meeting of Neuroscience by Ph.D. Student, 2nd Edition, April, 29th 2016, Grenoble, France.
FURTHER INFO
For the full list of pubs, visit ORCID
