Dr Chiara Francavilla
Research Fellow

Overview
The lab focuses on exploring how the trafficking of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) from and to the plasma membrane can elicit specific cellular responses. We use a highly multidisciplinary approach named ‘functional proteomics’, which integrates quantitative Mass Spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics, bioinformatics analysis, functional assays and imaging techniques. Our research aims at uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying the intracellular trafficking of RTKs, resultant signaling specificity, and downstream outputs during development and cancer progression. The final goal hereby is to identify and characterize proteins with key roles in RTK signaling and trafficking that can be targeted for intervention in human diseases.
Biography
03/2016 - present: Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellow at Division of Cellular&Molecular Function, School of Biological Sciences, FBMH, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
02/2013 - 02/2016: Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at NNF-CPR (Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark (Group of Prof. J.V. Olsen).
01/2010 - 01/2013: Postdoctoral Fellow (Marie Curie Intra European (IEF) and EMBO Long Term Postdoctoral Fellowships) at NNF-CPR (Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark (Group of Prof. J.V. Olsen).
05/2009 - 12/2009: Postdoctoral fellow at FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM) and European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy (Group of Dr. U. Cavallaro).
02/2005 - 04/2009: PhD student at SEMM (European School of Molecular Medicine), FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM) and European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy. Title of the doctoral thesis in Molecular Medicine: The adhesion molecule NCAM is a master regulator of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) activity. Supervisors: Dr. U. Cavallaro and Prof. G. Christofori (University of Basel, Switzerland)
10/1998 - 04/2004: Master Degree in Industrial Biotechnology at University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
Social responsibility
Memberships of committees and professional bodies
01/2018 - present |
Member of British Society for Biochemistry |
09/2017 - present |
Junior Academic Lead of the Bio-MS core group, FBMH |
02/2017 - present |
Associate member of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC), Manchester |
10/2016 - present |
Member of the Cellular and Developmental Systems Domain Core Group, FBMH |
09/2016 - present |
Representative of Non-Clinical Fellows in FBMH |
05/2016 - present |
Member of British Society for Cell Biology (BSCB) and of British Society for Proteomics Research (BSPR) |
External positions
Associate Member , Manchester Cancer Research Center
2017 → …Areas of expertise
- Q Science (General) - signaling, quantitative proteomics, endocytosis, receptor tyrosine kinases, FGFR
Biology, Medicine and Health (BMH) Domains
Keywords
- cell signaling, quantitative proteomics, phopshoproteomics, Mass spectrometry, receptor tyrosine kinases, receptor trafficking, endocytosis, Cell migration, cell proliferation, breast cancer
Related information
Publications
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Activities
Activity: Examination
Activity: Examination
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk