Luiginia Romani

University of Perugia, Italy

Email: lromani@unipg.it

Phone number: 390755857411

Fax number: 390755857411

Not Available

Luigina Romani, M.D., Ph.D.

Luigina Romani graduated in Biological Sciences from the University of Perugia in 1975 and from the University of Perugia Medical School in 1982. She then held positions as Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Senior Investigator at the Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences at the University of Perugia. In 1983 - 1985 she worked as a Fogarty Fellowship, Research Fellow at the Biochemistry Section, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda. From 2001 she has held the position as Professor of Microbiology, University of Perugia. She is also the Scientific Director of research projects from the National Research Project on AIDS in Italy.

Affiliate description:

Luigina Romani is heading a group at the Lab of Microbiology University of Perugia, which is involved in studies on the immunopathogenesis of fungal infections in immunocompromised hosts. One major focus over the past 20 yeas has been the characterization of molecular and cellular pathways of the adaptive immunity to Candida albicans that are amenable to manipulation by cytokines and cytokine antagonists. The ongoing work is focused on studies of the role of cells, particularly dendritic cells, and receptors of the innate immune system that determines the full spectrum of immune reactivities and dysreactivities to the fungus. These studies are carried out in well-established experimental models of infection and, more recently, in bone marrow transplanted patients.

Five Key Publications:

1. Romani L., Mencacci A., Grohmann U., Mocci S., Mosci I P., Puccetti P., Bistoni F.
Neutralizing antibody to interleukin 4 induces systemic protection and T helper type 1-associated immunity in murine candidiasis.
J Exp Med 1992, 176: 19-25.

2. Romani L., Mencacci A., Cenci E., Spaccapelo R., Toniatti C., Puccetti P., Bistoni F., Poli V.
Impaired neutrophil response and CD4+ T helper 1 cell development in interleukin-6-deficient mice infected with Candida albicans.
J Exp Med 1996 183: 1345-1355.

3. Feostiani C., Del Sero G., Bacci A., Montagnoli C., Ricciardi-Castagnoli P., Spreca A., Romani L.
Dentritic cells discriminate between yeasts and hyphae of the fungus Candida albicans: implications for initiation of Th immunity in vitro and in vivo.
J Exp Med 2000, 191: 1661-1674.

4. Garlanda C., Hirsch E., Bozza S., Salustri A., De Acetis M., Nota R., Maccagno A., Riva F., Bottazzi B., Peri G., Doni A., Vago L., Botto M., De Santis R., Carminati P., Siracusa G., Altruda F., Vecchi A., Romani L., Mantovani A.
Non-redundant role of the long pentraxin PTX3 in anti-fungal innate immune response.
Nature 2002, 420:182-186.

5. Romani L., Bistoni F., Puccetti P.
Adaptation of Candida albicans to the host environment: the role of morphogenesis in virulence and survival in mammalian hosts.
Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 2003, 4:338-343.