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Alessio Lepore

Alessio Lepore

Profile

I gained a bachelor degree in Medical Biotechnology followed by PhD in Molecular Medicine at University Of Naples "Federico II". During my PhD, I have studied the mechanism of differentiation mechanisms of Th 17 CD4+ cells from Naive T CD4+ cells. I have evaluated that chondroitin 6-sulfate oligosaccharide unit of human thyroglobulin is essential to promote the differentiation of Th17 cells and regulate the severity and progression of thyroiditis in mice. In addition, I have also contributed to a collaborative project with the team of Dr. Barrera from University of Torino for the characterization of 4-hydroxynonenal-protein adducts in human diseases.
The pivotal aim of my research is the understanding of the role of inflammatory cytokines and the molecular pathways that they control to modulate the inflammatory response and cancer desease. During my postdoc, I have identified that IL-17 controls the stability of a selective number of inflammatory mRNAs, contributing to its pro-inflammatory activity. Moreover, I have been involved in the characterisation of the role of the adaptor protein TRAF3IP2 in the innate immune response against virus discovering that this protein is involved in the production of type I interferon (INF β, INFα) via STING receptor after viral infection.

Responsibilities

  • Bloodwise-funded Project

Research interests

My research interests aim to investigate the molecular mechanisms regulating apoptosis in response to mitogenic signals such as pro-inflammatory cytokines and oncogenic stimuli and to understand the molecular mechanisms of lymphocytes differentiation  in human disease. In particular, Research in the Papa's lab is broadly focused on the understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating programmed cell death and survival.

The fields of programmed cell death have become the foundation of biomedical research, central to both fundamental biology and the understanding of a broad range of human diseases ranging from cancer to inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. At the molecular level, the group focus on the post-translational modifications, the study of the covalent modification of proteins during or after protein biosynthesis. Most of our efforts to date have concentrated on phosphorylation, which is one of the most fundamental types of post-translational modification in eukaryotic cells. We are interested in the regulation and activity of a group of serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) protein kinases known as c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), master regulators of a large variety of cellular functions including apoptosis, differentiation, cell survival and proliferation. 

Qualifications

  • 'Laurea' Doctorate in Medical Biotechnology (5 years course)
  • PhD in Molecular Medicine
  • Post-Doctoral Training in Immunology & Cancer Biology

Research groups and institutes

  • Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's