RICERCA ITALIANA     

Laboratory of immunobiotechnology and functional proteomics

Università degli Studi di Genova

Abstract

The general objective of this application is the construction of an advanced Laboratory located at the Centro per le Biotecnologie Avanzate (CBA) in Genova, devoted to Immunobiotechnology and Functional Proteomics. The Laboratory is based on the vision of a site to integrate sophisticated technological platforms, which require large infrastructures and equipment, with innovative research in the perspective of technological transfer and communication between basic and industrial research. The activity of the Laboratory will be focused on receptors in membrane-bound or soluble form, with emphasis on immunobiotechnology and intercellular communications. The Laboratory is viewed as a site for integration of advanced, complementary know-hows, both in terms of technology and of scientific innovation. As a basis of the Laboratory, the applicants intend to build-up technological platforms, such as production of murine and human monoclonal antibodies, expression of receptors and muteins thereof, signal transduction, transcriptional profiling, functional proteomics, molecular modeling for drug design. On this orizontal basis, represented by technological platforms, innovative, interrelated research lines will be activated, aimed at identifying new molecules and paradigms in the field of immunobiotechnology and intercellular communication. The molecules and functions characterized as well as reagents generated in the context of their analysis (e.g. monoclonal antibodies, muteins>>>

Principal Investigator

Lorenzo MORETTA, Universita' degli Studi di GENOVA

Research Goal

Immune system cells express a wide spectrum of surface molecules that, after interaction with specific ligands, transport inside the cell the information regulating their function. It is increasingly evident that the different components of both innate and adaptive immunity do not act independently but communicate thanks to receptor/ligand interactions and binding/release of soluble factors. The present view is that the immune response (e.g. against pathogens or tumor cells) is not the result of the action of a single cell type but of a coordinated action of multiple components of the immune system. These observations can be extended to other systems (such as the neuroendocrine system) that are also regulated by multifaceted interactions among different cell types. Thus the principal task of this proposal is to build-up a new Laboratory dedicated to the analysis of cell-to-cell communications (with particular interest to those involving the immune system) using strategies and methods of functional proteomics. This main objective will be accomplished by setting up different principal technological platforms. These will be devoted to the identification of membrane molecules with biological functions (e.g. receptors, ectoenzymes and transporters); the analysis and characterization of their cellular or soluble ligands (receptors), of their substrates and products (ectoenzymes) and of the translocated molecules (transporters); the identification of the novel molecules and of the>>>

Timescale

60 months