Dr Chiara Francavilla

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

Public Engagement Activity 2018

Memberships of committees and professional bodies