Members' Directory

Biography: My group is currently working on tumor-stroma interactions, both on RNA (gene expression) and protein (2D, mass spectrometry) level.

Biography: I completed a degree in Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, UK before coming to Heidelberg as an exchange student with the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes. While in Heidelberg, I undertook student research projects at the German Cancer Research Centre and EMBL.
On returning to the UK, I completed a doctorate in Drosophila development at Oxford University. I then decided to broaden my science communications skills, and currently write and edit articles for New Scientist magazine.

Biography: I was born in Naples 22th/6/1966.
I obtained a diploma in Biology in 1990 and completed my PhD in 1996.
I worked as Postdoc at the Medical School of "Magna Grecia" and "Federico II" Universities.

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: Education:
1972-1976 Degree with honours in Biological Sciences
University of Rome, IT
1976 Course in Marine Biology
Station Biologique, Roscoff, FR
1977 EMBO course 'Electron microscopy of nucleic acids'
EMBL, Heidelberg, DE
1987 EMBO course 'Antibodies in cell biology'
EMBL, Heidelberg, DE

Current position:
from 2000 Full Professor of Molecular Biology
University of Siena, IT

Previous positions:
1976-1978 Post-doctoral research associate
Centro Acidi Nucleici CNR, Rome, IT
1978-80 Post-doctoral long-term EMBO fellow
EMBL, Heidelberg, DE
1981-1986 Staff scientist
Dpt. of Genetics and Molecular Biology
University of Rome ?La Sapienza?, IT
1983 Visiting scientist
EMBL, Heidelberg, DE
1986-1998 Staff scientist
Dpt. of Evolutionary Biology
University of Siena, IT
1998-2000 Associate Professor of Molecular Biology
University of Siena, IT

Group leader and Co-ordinator of the research activities of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the Department of Evolutionary Biology (University of Siena)

Organization of courses and meetings
1994 EC COMET course 'PCR technology and its applications' Siena
1997, 1999, 2002 EMBO Workshop 'Lymphocyte antigen receptor and coreceptor signaling' Siena
Memberships:
Editorial Board Eur. J. Immunol.
Advisory Board Journal of Mol. Biol. Biotechnol. and Signal Transduction
Ad hoc reviewer of Blood, J. Biol. Chem., EMBO Reports, FEBS Lett, J. Cell. Physiol. , Hum.Mut., Tissue and Cell, Biochem. Pharmacol.
Member of the Italian Society of Biophysics and Molecular Biology and of the Italian Society of Immunology
Expert for the evaluation EC projects IV and V FP, INTAS, Wellcome Trust
Referee for the Italian National Institute of Health and the Italian Association for Cancer Research
Supervisor in the Open University PhD Program

Biography: Baldin V. et al., (1997) Oncogene, 14, 2485-2495.
'Alternative splicing of the human CDC25B tyrosine phosphatase. Possible implication for growth control'
Baldin V. et al., (1997) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.,236, 130-134.
'Evidence for a mammalian Nim1-like kinase pathway controlling G1/S transition'
Baldin V., et al., (1997) J. Biol. Chem., 272, 32731-32734.
'Phosphorylation of human CDC25B phosphatase by CDK1-cyclin A triggers its proteasome-dependent degradation'
Cans C., Ducommun B. and Baldin V. (1999)Molecular Biology Reports, 26, 53-57.
'Proteasome-dependent degradation of human CDC25B phosphatase'
Mils V., Baldin V., et al.,(2000) Oncogene, 19, 1257-1265.
'Specific interaction between 14.3.3 isoforms and the human CDC25B phosphatase'
Davezac N., Baldin V., et al., (2000) Oncogene, 19, 2179-2185.
'Regulation of CDC25B phosphatase subcellular localisation'
Baldin V. (2000) Progress in Cell Cycle Research, 4, 49-60 (Review).
'14-3-3 proteins and growth control'
*Davezac N., *Baldin V.,.(in press) Oncogene.
'Human pEg3 kinase associates with and phosphorylates CDC25B phosphatase. A potential role for pEg3 in cell cycle regulation.' (* equal contribution).
Baldin V., Pelpel K., Cazalés M. Cans C. and Ducommun B. (in press) J. Biol. Chem.
'Nuclear localisation of CDC25B1 and serine 146 integrity are required for induction of mitosis'

Biography: BSc. degree: 1975- 1978, 1st Class Honors, Reading University, UK

PhD. Thesis: 1978-1981 , "The interferon system in the developing mouse embryo" Warwick University, UK. Supervisor: Prof. DC Burke

Post-Doctoral Fellowship (1) 1981-1985 with Dr. Brigid Hogan, at the I.C.R.F. Mill Hill Laboratories, London, U.K. Project - Isolation of basement membrane genes

Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2) 1985-1988 with Dr. Hans Lehrach, at the E.M.B.L. Heidelberg, Germany. Project - Molecular strategies to isolate developmental genes from the mouse t complex region.

Group Leader (1) 1988-1995 Institute of Molecular Pathology (I.M.P), Vienna.
Research area: Mammalian Developmental Genetics, focus on genomic imprinting. (5 + 3 year position). Elected EMBO member in 1995

Group leader (2) 1996 ? 2001 (May) The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Research area: links between mammalian development and tumor genetics (Permanent position)

Head, Department of Developmental Genetics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Molecular Biology, Salzburg, Austria. From 1st June 2000 (Permanent position)

General scientific interest:
1. Mammalian development in mice and the involvement of developmental genes in human disease. The last 10 years, focus on genomic imprinting function and mechanism. We earlier identified the mouse Igf2r gene as an imprinted gene also demonstrated that this gene uses a methylation imprint to express the maternal allele. Many imprinted genes now appear to carry methylation imprints that act to express the active allele. Silencing of the paternal Igf2r allele was recently shown to involve a regulatory non-coding RNA named Air . Future work will investigate the mechanism of silencing by non-coding RNAs and their general application to silencing imprinted genes. July 25, 2002.
2. Member and current chair of the EMBO Science and Society Committee