- Intrinsic and extrinsic innate immune surveillance against high-risk human papillomavirus infection: molecular mechanisms and novel intervention strategies

https://www.uniupo.it/en/research/research-projects/intrinsic-and-extrinsic-innate-immune-surveillance-against-high-risk-human-papillomavirus-infection

Funding

Funding body
MUR
Call
PRIN 2017
Budget
150.262 €

Departments and Centres

Departments

DIMET

Department of Translational Medicine

DISS

Department of Health Sciences

SCUOLAMED

School of Medicine

Staff

Working group

Irene Lo Cigno (PhD)
Federica Calati (PhD)
Carlo Girone (PhD student)

Project duration

Start date
End date

In Italy, 8.5% of cancer cases are associated with viral infections; among these, the strongest link has been found with human Papillomavirus (HPV), which contributes to 5% of tumours worldwide.

HPV are responsibile not only for the reproduction of benign lesions on skin and mucous membranes but also for malignant tumours in the genital area and head/neck area, due to their capacity to cause chronic infections and stimulate cell reproduction. In most cases, the immune system is able to eliminate the infection in 1-2 years, but 10% of HPV cases result in persistent infections that may remain asymptomatic or lead to tumours after a very long latent period. Currently, treatment of HPV-related cancers in the cervix or head/neck areas is highly invasive, involving radiotherapy, chemotherapy and/or surgical operations. Thus, an antiviral treatment with reduced collateral effects may offer a great opportunity for improved treatment.

The goals of this research project are to: i) expand knowledge on activation of immune response against HPV infections, focusing on the role of target cells of the virus infection (epithelial cells) in increasing the inflammatory response  ii) identify new diagnostic and prognostic markers in HPV-related tumours of the genital and head/neck areas, to be used in clinical practice in order to reduce the invasiveness of current treatments for this type of tumour.

One of the main strengths of this project is the strong collaborative partnership between the various team members, sharing experimental protocols and knowledge in the fields of virology and immunology.

Particularly, the researchers have developed solid research activity over the years in the study of HPV infections in experimental models and on living humans as outlined in numerous scientific papers.

The university partners involved in this project are: Università del Piemonte Orientale (Prof. Marisa Gariglio), Università degli Studi di Torino (Dr. Valentina Dell’Oste), Università degli Studi di ROMA "La Sapienza" (Dr. Alessandra Soriani), Università degli Studi di Palermo (Prof. Serena Meraviglia) and the Università degli Studi di Brescia (Prof. Daniela Bosisio).