Michele Caraglia
University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Italy
- Orcid: 0000-0003-2408-6091
- Publications: N/A
- Citations: N/A
- Keywords: micro-RNA, cancers, nanovectors, signal transduction, apoptosis, delivery, circulating biomarkers
Short Bio
- Prof. Michele Caraglia is Full Professor of Biochemistry at the School of Medicine of the University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”. He is in the president of the Italian Association of Cell Cultures (AICC) and is the Coordinator of the Signal Translation and Nucleotide Signalling Lab at the Department of Precision Medicine of the University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”. He is an associate member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a member of the Italian Society of Cancerology (SIC) and of the Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SIB). He studied Medicine at the University Federico II of Naples and graduated as MD in 1990 with an experimental thesis on the study of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) expression modulation induced by interferon α (IFNα) in human squamous cancer cells (SCC). He was guest researcher in the Laboratory of IIGB, CNR, Naples where he studied the synthesis of EGF-R protein in cells exposed to IFNα or 8ClcAMP in SCC. In 1994 he obtained the specialty in Oncology at the University Federico II of Naples with the study of the activation status of ras in response to pharmacological treatments in SCC – escape mechanisms. In 2002 he obtained the PhD degree in Cellular Biochemistry at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy with studies on the potentiation of the anti-tumour activity of cytokines and of inhibitors of isoprenylation – overcoming the escape mechanisms in SCC. From 2002 to 2004 he was Guest Researcher at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Second University of Naples. In 2004 he joint the National Institute of Tumours “Fondazione G. Pascale” of Naples as Senior Investigator of the Experimental Pharmacology Unit and from June 2008 he reached the present Institute achieving the full professorship position in 2017. Prof. Caraglia’s group has a consolidated experience in the study of the signal translation in human cancer cells derived form head and neck squamous cancer, lung squamous cancer, prostate adenocarcinoma and pancreas adenocarcinoma. The most relevant observation produced by the group was the finding and characterization of an escape mechanism from the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activity of IFNα in human epidermoid squamous cancer cells that was based on the overactivation of an inducible EGF→ras→Mek→Erk-dependent pathway. This survival pathway was characterized and was proven to inhibit the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway induced by IFNα in these cells. On the basis of these data the group has developed several strategies in order to overcome this survival pathway such as the use of the farnesyl transferase inhibitor zarnestra (ras inhibitor) or of the EGF-R tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib in combination with IFNa. Another area of research of the group has been the use of the mevalonate pathway as a target of anti-cancer strategy. In details, the group has studied the role of aminobisphosphonates (zoledronic acid and pamidronate, that inhibit farnesylpirophosphate activity) in the control of cell proliferation. In details, the group has demonstrated a synergistic effect of aminobisphosphonates with zarnestra on cell growth inhibition of human epidermoid squamous and prostate adenocarcinoma cells. Another strategy developed by Prof. Caraglia was the design and production of nanovectors for the delivery of zoledronic acid in cancer tissues (mainly prostate cancer and glioblastoma). More recently, the group has focused his attention on the study of micro-RNAs as both molecular biomarkers and targets for the treatment of different cancers, mainly head and neck squamous cancer, hepatocellular cancer, multiple myeloma and prostate cancer. In details, the group has reported a new loop between miR423-5p and MALAT-1 in the regulation of invasion and metastatization of prostate cancer and has demonstrated that miR-423-5p replacing strategy could be useful in the control of prostate cancer spreading. Similarly, the group has demonstrated that miR-449a can work as a radial marker in squamous laryngeal cancer and is involved in the control of invasion and metastatization of this tumour through the inactivation of the NOTCH signalling. The group has also recently developed nanoparticles able to deliver miRNAs through the blood brain barrier in order to treat glioblastoma.
