Members' Directory

Biography: Education:
1986 Doctoral Degree in Biological Sciences, summa cum laude, University of Naples ??Federico II?, Italy

Scientific and academic career:
1983-1986 Pre-doctoral fellow, Dept. of Organic and Biological Chemistry, University of Naples ?Federico II?, Italy
1987 Visiting fellow, European Laboratory for Molecular Biology (EMBL), Heidelberg
1988-1990 Post-doctoral fellow from Italian Association for Cancer Research, Dept. of Biochemistry and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples ?Federico II?, Italy
1991-1992 Scientific consultant for Genetic Engineering Center, Dept. of Biochemistry and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples ?Federico II?, Italy
1993-2005 Research Associate of Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Catanzaro ?Magna Graecia?, Italy
2005-onward Associate Professor of Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Catanzaro ?Magna Graecia?, Italy

Main research fields:
1983-1986 Studies on the primary structure of protamine from Chaetopterus variopedatus
1987-1990 Identification of promoter regions responsible for acute phase induction of the C-reactive protein gene; regulation by IL-1 and IL-6
1991-1992 Production in Escherichia coli and structure-function studies of IL-6 and Lipocortin-1
1993-1997 Thrombin engineering: production of mutants with altered enzymatic activity and studies on mitogenic activity
1998-2002 Thrombin-serpin complex: production of ATIII and protease Nexin1 (PN1); biochemical interactions with thrombin mutants. Role of thrombin-serpin balance in cell proliferation and differentiation
2003 Studies on selective inhibitory activity of tacrine-like molecules (paraquat, MPTP, MPDP and MPP+) on hydrolysis by acetylcholine and butyrylcholine esterase
2004-onward Studies on antitumor effects of IL-6 receptor super-antagonist Sant7 in vitro model of human myeloma

Biography: Born in Milan, Italy, on Sep.9, 1963
Two daughters, born in 1995 and 2002

Nov.1982-Feb.1987: Laurea degree in Biology at the University of Milan, Italy; graduated cum laude
Apr.1987-Aug.1989: research fellow at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany, in the group of Prof. R.Cortese, Gene Expression Programme
Sep.1989-Aug.1991: postdoctoral fellow at the EMBL, Gene Expression Programme, in the group of Dr. D.Tollervey
Sep.1991-at present: staff member of the Dept. of Genetics and Microbiology (now Dept. of Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology), University of Milan, Italy

Biography: Born in Milan, Italy, on 18.11.1957.
1980 'Laurea' in Biology, University of Milan, Italy
1981-83 Post-doctoral, Depts. of Human Genetics and Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
1983/86 University of Milan, Italy. Postdoctoral Fellow of the National Research Council (CNR).
1986/89 E.M.B.L., Heidelberg, Germany. Staff Scientist, Programme of Gene Structure and Regulation.
1987/2000 Universities of Pavia, Milano, and San Raffaele, Italy. Associate Professor of Microbiology.
2000-currently San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy. Professor of Molecular Biology.

EMBO member

Biography: Ph.D in Biochemistry 1985 Goteborg University
Posdoc EMBL, Heidelberg 1985-1986
Ass.Prof 1988
AstraZeneca 1989 - 2009 as project leader and principal scientist
Adj. prof. 1993
AnaMar AB 2009- Current position - VP, IP
Visiting professor Umeå University, Sweden - part-time 2009 - current date

Biography: Date and place of birth: March 11, 1951, Estonia





Andres Metspalu received his M.D. at University of Tartu, Estonia in 1976 and Ph.D. in 1979 on the 5S RNA and 5.8 S RNA - protein interactions in the eukaryotic ribosome. In 1981-1982 he was an IREX fellow at Columbia University and at Yale University. Upon his return to Tartu University, he established a new laboratory, and was the head of the laboratory from 1984. In 1986 he was appointed to the position of scientific director of Estonian Biocentre and in 1992 he was elected as professor of biotechnology at University of Tartu. Having received fellowships from FEBS, EMBO, DAAD, HUGO he has worked short periods at MPI of Molecular Genetics in Berlin, EMBL in Heidelberg and University of Hamburg. In 1993-1994 he was a visiting professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA working on micro arrays with Dr. Tom Caskey and in 2000 he was elected for a visiting scientist position at WHO International Agency of Research on Cancer in Lyon, France.
His main scientific interests are human molecular and population genetics and DNA array technology.
Andres Metspalu has received twice the Estonian Scientific Award (1980 and 2003). He has received the Order of The Red Gross (III) from the Estonian President in 2001 and Prix de la Garantie Medicale et Chirurgicale in 2002. He is board member of European Society of Human Genetics, steering committee member of European Science Foundation Functional Genomics Program and member of several other professional societies, expert groups and supervising councils. He has founded two biotech companies in Estonia and was one of the initiators of the Estonian Genome Project
Andres Metspalu has published more than 60 scientific articles and chapters and has held many invited lectures at international scientific meetings.

Biography: Born in Naples, Italy, Aug. 5th 1955
1975-83
Predoctoral fellow, Inst. of Biochemistry, II Medical School, University of Naples
1983
M.D., University of Naples.
Certificate of the Board of Physicians and Surgeons.
1983-85
Postdoctoral fellow, Inst. of Biochemistry, II Medical School, University of Naples
1984
Visiting fellow, Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, School of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, F.R.G.
1985-89
Visiting fellow, Gene Expression Programme, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, FRG
1988-92
Lecturer of Biochemistry, Univ. of Reggio Calabria, Medical School, Catanzaro, Italy (Dept. of Experimental and Clinical Medicine)
1992-2000
Associate Professor of Biochemistry, University ?Magna Graecia?, Catanzaro, Italy.
1993-95
Member of the Steering Committee of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Catanzaro, Italy
since 1999
Chairman of the PhD programme in Experimental Immunology, University ?Magna Graecia?, Catanzaro, Italy.
since 2000
Professor of Biochemistry, University ?Magna Graecia?, Catanzaro, Italy.
2000-03
Visiting Investigator, Laboratory of Developmental Hematopoiesis, MSKCC, NY, NY
Since 2004
Dean of Research, University University ?Magna Graecia?, Catanzaro, Italy

Biography: 1984 to 1988 Doctoral fellow at EMBL were he studied the acute phase response in cellular systems and identified Inteleukin-6 as responsible for haptoglobin induction.
1989 to 1992 Post-doctoral at Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA) were he set-up models to study the cell transformation mediated by the oncogenes c-jun and c-fos in cellular systems in vitro. This research led to the identification of protein domains involved in cell transformation.
1993 to present he is Professor in Molecular Biology at University of Siena in Italy. His laboratory developed screening to identify genes involved in cell transformation which led to the identification, among others, of VEGF-D (vascular endothelial growth factor-D) which induces the formation of new blood ad lymphatic vessels and is involved in metastatic spread of tumors.