CURRICULUM

Born in Milan, 1963, University degree in Pharmaceutical Chemist, (1988); Specialist in Pharmacology. Associate Professor, University of Milano-Bicocca, Associate Researcher IBFM-CNR, Head of Preclinical PET Lab. Nuclear Medicine Dep., San Raffaele Scientific Institute where she carries on her research activities (since 1989). Research appointment at the SHFJ-CEA, Orsay, France (1992); Member of the Scientific Technical Committee of the Italian Agency of Drug (since 2009) and of the Fase I, Committee of the Istitute Superiore di Sanità (since 2011). Author or co-author of more than 80 publications in international peer reviewed journal.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

• radiopharmacology and radiopharmaceutical development;
• clinical and preclinical molecular imaging applied to neurobiology of brain disorders
•  validation of PET tracers as potential biomarkers of therapy efficacy.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

1. Radiolabeling and preclinical evaluation of new radiopharmaceuticals for the in vivo studi of microglia activation. We are currently developing two new ligands acting on TSPO and on COX2 respectively. Research activities are focused on set up and optimization of radiochemical procedures for labeling and quality controls of the new ligand developed .
2. Longitudinal in vivo monitoring of neuroinflammation and neuronal loss in animal models of neurodegeneration like Huntington disease and Parkinson’s disease usingPET based molecular imaging and evaluation of the effect of cell therapy or TSPO ligand administration on illness progression, neuroinflammation and neural loss. In vivo imaging of microglia activation/macrophage infiltration in animal models of multiple sclerosis.
3. Validation of in vivo imaging techniques as potential biomarker of treatment efficacy in Glioblastoma. This activity is focused on the evaluation of tumor microenvirinment using tracers for the in vivo imaging of metabolism, hypoxia, inflammation and proliferation and on the relative modifications induced by pharmacological treatment acting on target of cell proliferation or metabolism.

MOST RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS

1: Lo Dico A, Valtorta S, Martelli C, Belloli S, Gianelli U, Tosi D, Bosari S, Degrassi A, Russo M, Raccagni I, Lucignani G, Moresco RM, Ottobrini L.
Validation of an Engineered Cell Model for In Vitro and In Vivo HIF-1α Evaluation by Different Imaging Modalities. Mol Imaging Biol. 2013 Sep 4. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 24002614.

2: Iannaccone S, Cerami C, Alessio M, Garibotto V, Panzacchi A, Olivieri S, Gelsomino G, Moresco RM, Perani D.
In vivo microglia activation in very early dementia with Lewy bodies, comparison with Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2013 Jan;19(1):47-52. doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2012.07.002. Epub 2012 Jul 26. Erratum in: Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2013 Oct;19(10)921. PubMed PMID: 22841687.

3: Marcone A, Garibotto V, Moresco RM, Florea I, Panzacchi A, Carpinelli A, Virta JR, Tettamanti M, Borroni B, Padovani A, Bertoldo A, Herholz K, Rinne JO, Cappa SF, Perani D.
[11C]-MP4A PET cholinergic measurements in amnestic mild cognitive impairment, probable Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia with Lewy bodies: a Bayesian method and voxel-based analysis.
J Alzheimers Dis. 2012;31(2):387-99. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2012-111748. PubMed PMID: 22596267.

4: Visigalli I, Moresco RM, Belloli S, Politi LS, Gritti A, Ungaro D, Matarrese M, Turolla E, Falini A, Scotti G, Naldini L, Fazio F, Biffi A.
Monitoring disease evolution and treatment response in lysosomal disorders by the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor ligand PK11195. Neurobiol Dis. 2009 Apr;34(1):51-62. PubMed PMID: 19320046.

5) Panzacchi A, Moresco RM, Garibotto V, Antonini A, Gobbo C, Isaias IU, Goldwurm S, Bonaldi L, Carpinelli A, Pezzoli G, Fazio F, Perani D.
A voxel-based PET study of dopamine transporters in Parkinson’s disease: relevance of age at onset.
Neurobiol Dis. 2008 Jul;31(1):102-9. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2008.03.012. Epub 2008 Apr 20. PubMed PMID: 18502656.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS

• Kings College, London. (Prof. F Turkheimer)
• University of Munster, Germany (Prof. A. Kakobs)
• University of Ann Arborur, Michigan (Prof. K Frey)