Fondazione Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare INGM
Renata Grifantini:
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Antonio Lanzavecchia:
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Sergio Abrignani:
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Raffaele De Francesco:
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The Fondazione Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare-INGM is a 25,000-square-meter building located inside the Policlinic of Milan grounds. INGM biomedical research is based on “state of the art” technological platforms with strong connections to clinical needs; its location facilitates the establishment of clinically oriented research programs and offers a dynamic and collaborative environment. Its focus is mainly related to molecular genetics and methods of detection and diagnosis. The Foundation hosts more than 100 researchers working in the laboratories with about 40 projects funded by national and international agencies.
INGM has in place the technological platforms and consolidated know-how for molecular and cellular profiling of immune responses. Research activities at INGM are supported by facilities equipped with the most advanced tools, instruments and technologies such as a Microscopy Facility, a Flow Cytometry Facility, a Bioinformatics Unit and a Center for Engineered Organoids. Moreover, INGM holds a BL3 laboratory equipped with a FACS aria cell sorter for handling infectious material.
Researchers involved in InFlaMe will work on immunological and transcriptomics analyses at the single cell level, antigen-specificity assessment, selection and generation of neutralizing human mAbs. Bioinformatic tools will be applied to each “-omic” platform, and- imaging platforms for in vitro. Moreover, functional studies will be used to investigate the mode and etiological factors of flavivirus infection. INGM leads the WP, which is focused on the dissection of the B cell response and selection of human mAbs.
Renata Grifantini
Principal investigator of InFlame for INGM (Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare). Renata Grifantini is currently PI of Translational Research Unit at INGM and Chief Scientific officer at Checkmab Srl. She has a strong industrial background and focuses her research on projects at high translational value. In the project she leads the generation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies against flavivirus (WP3). She and her team have expertise in the immune response against infectious pathogens and the generation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, which is crucial to carry out the tasks in WP3 and WP4 in collaboration with the project partners
Antonio Lanzavecchia
Antonio Lanzavecchia, group leader of the Immunology program at INGM and Emeritus professor at ETH, Zurich. His research focuses on the mechanisms of antibody-mediated resistance to infectious diseases. He and his team have strong experience in high-throughput cellular screenings to isolate, characterize and optimize human monoclonal antibodies that can be used for prophylaxis and treatment of infectious diseases, or to elucidate pathogenic mechanisms. This expertise is essential to contribute to the characterization of the anti-IFN antibodies elicited in patients with flavivirus infection (WP2) collaborating with the project partners, and to the isolation and characterization of broadly neutralizing antibodies against flavivirus infection (WP3)
Sergio Abrignani
Sergio Abrignani, Scientific Director of INGM and professor of pathology at the University of Milan, is a renowned virologist and immunologist with multiannual previous industrial experience in pharma and biotech companies. His research focuses on the dissection of the heterogeneity of the T cell population in different diseases using single cell technologies combined with functional characterization of immune cells. This expertise is very important to contribute to analysis of the T cell response to flavivirus infection (WP4), collaborating with OSM on this task
Raffaele De Francesco
Raffaele De Francesco, group leader at INGM and professor of virology at the University of Milan, is a widely recognized expert in the study of chronic and emerging viruses, with extensive experience in the Flaviviridae family. Within the InFlaMe project, he will be responsible for developing and implementing neutralization assays to evaluate antibodies against flaviviruses such as Dengue and West Nile virus. His team will develop assays based on Reporter Virus Particles (RVPs), utilizing subgenomic reporter RNA replicons of WNV, packaged in trans by cotransfection with WNV or DENV1-4 structural proteins. This approach accurately recapitulates flavivirus biology and will provide robust assays to assess the neutralizing properties of antibodies generated in WP3.
