CURRICULUM

Nata a Milano (1963), Laureata in Chimica e Tecnologia farmaceutiche a Milano si è specializzata in Farmacologia nel 1990; è professore Associato  presso l’Università di Milano Bicocca e ha convenzioni di ricerca presso l’IBFM-CNR e il Centro di Imaging sperimentale del Istituto Scientifico San Raffaele  dove  è responsabile del laboratorio di Imaging PET preclinico. Dal 1989 svolge le sue attività di ricerca nell’ambito dell’imaging in vivo. Ha passato un periodo di ricerca in Francia presso il CEA  lavorando sullo sviluppo di radiofarmaci per il sistema dopaminergico; dal 2009 è nella Commissione Tecnico Scientifica dell’Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco  e dal 2011 della commissione fase  I dell’Istituto Superiore di sanità. E’ autore di più di 80 publicazioni su riviste internazionali recensite.

INTERESSI DI RICERCA

• 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.

PROGRAMMA DI RICERCA

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.

PUBBLICAZIONI PIÙ SIGNIFICATIVE

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.

COLLABORAZIONI CON UNIVERSITA’ STRANIERE

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