Associate Professor of General Pathology, Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare ‘L. Califano, Università di Napoli Federico II

Research
The laboratory focuses on the control of cell proliferation and the molecular mechanisms involved in the growth arrest of transformed cell obtained by different strategies. The withdrawal of essential factors and the use of selective agents targeting molecules involved in both the mitogenic and the apoptotic pathways interferes with cell cycle thus inhibiting cell growth. Currently we are analysing cell cycle and related proteins involved in the proliferative arrest obtained by combining selective inhibitors and the withdrawal of nutritional factors, like essential amino acids, required for cell survival. We are also studying the mechanisms by which photodynamic therapy (PDT), combined with low doses of chemotherapeutic agents, kills transformed cells.

Future projects
We will dissect the mechanisms and identify the molecules involved in the growth arrest (survival) and the cell death (apoptosis, necrosis) induced by different therapeutic strategies.

Selected publications
Tortora G, Caputo R, Damiano V, Caputo R, Troiani T, Veneziani BM, De Placido S, Bianco AR, Zangemeister-Wittke U, Ciardiello F. Combined targeted inhibition of BCL-2, BCL-XL, epidermal growth factor receptor and protein kinase A type I causes potent antitumor, apoptotic and antiangiogenic activity. Clin Cancer Res 2003;9:866-71.

Bianco C, Tortora G, Bianco R, Caputo R, Veneziani BM, Caputo R, Damiano V, Troiani T, Fontanini G, Raben D, Pepe S, Bianco AR, Ciardiello F. Enhancement of antitumor activity of ionizing radiations by combined treatment with the selective epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor ZD1839 (Iressa). Clin Cancer Res 2002;8:3250-8.

Varriale L, Coppola E, Quarto M, Veneziani BM, Palumbo G. Molecular aspects of photodynamic therapy: low energy pre-sensitization of hypericin-loaded human endometrial carcinoma cells enhances photo-tolerance, alters gene expression and affects the cell cycle. FEBS Lett 2002;512:287-90.

Veneziani BM, Di Marino C, Salvatore P, Villone G, Perrotti N, Frunzio R, Tramontano D. Transfected insulin-like growth factor II modulates the mitogenic response of rat thyrocites in culture. Mol Cell Endocrinol 1992;86:11-20.

Veneziani BM, Villone G, Romano R, Di Carlo A, Garbi C, Tramontano D. The tissue-specific pathway regulating cell proliferation are inherited independently in somatic hybrids between thyroid and liver cells. J Cell Biol 1990;111:275-89.