Genetics and cell biology

Emanuel Della Torre

Della Torre Emanuel

Email: dellatorre.emanuel@hsr.it
Location: Dibit1 4A3 room 37A-54

Project Leader, Translational Immunology

Bio

Emanuel Della Torre obtained his Medical Degree (2008) and Board Certification in Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2014) at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele.

He received his PhD in Basic and Applied Immunology at Università Vita- Salute San Raffaele investigating the role of B-lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of IgG4-related disease, an emerging fibro-inflammatory immune-mediated condition. During these years he uncovered B-cell subsets with overlooked fibrotic properties that contribute to the physiological resolution of tissue inflammation as well as to the pathological collagen deposition observed in a number of fibrosing disorders.

In 2016 Emanuel joined the laboratory of Prof. Shiv Pillai at the “Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard” in Boston (MA, USA) as a post-doctoral fellow. In 2019 he returned to San Raffaele Hospital and established his lab within the Division of Genetic and Cell Biology.

Emanuel Della Torre is now Assistant Professor of Rheumatology at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University and Senior Consultant at the Unit of Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy, and Rare Disease (UnIRAR) of San Raffaele Hospital.  He authored more than 100 scientific publications on international peer-reviewed journals and was awarded by national and international funding agencies such as the Collegio Ghislieri (2014) and the Cariplo Foundation (2018) awards for young researchers, the TRIDEO (2014) and the MyFirst (2021) research grants from Associazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC), the Career Research Grant from the FOREUM Foundation (2020), the Ricerca Finalizzata (RF) (2021) and the Progetti di Ricerca di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (PRIN) (2022) research grants from the Italian Ministry of Health, University and Research.

 

Lab

Dual aim of the research activity conducted in the lab is (i) to address the pathophysiology of rare immune-mediated diseases, and (ii) to translate original observations to the field of medical immuno-rheumatology and oncology. This is pursued through a translational model that integrates clinical observations and basic science in a “bedside-to-bench-to-bedside” approach.

In particular, thanks to strong collaborative ties with the Unit of Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy and Rare Diseases (UnIRAR) and with the Pancreas Translational & Clinical Research Center of San Raffaele Hospital our research is focused on IgG4-Related Disease (IgG4-RD) (an emerging fibro-inflammatory condition) and on Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) (one of the deadliest solid tumors). Similarities in the immune-cell infiltrate and activation of the stromal compartment between these two conditions suggest common mechanisms of interaction between B-lymphocytes and fibroblasts ultimately leading to the typical fibrotic outcome observed in both IgG4-RD and PDAC. We have indeed demonstrated that plasmablasts and plasma cells (but not naïve or memory B-cells) bear a pro-fibrotic machinery that enable them to interact with fibroblasts and to regulate the stiffness of the extracellular matrix. These cells are expanded in the blood and tissue of patients with IgG4-RD and PDAC and actively participate in stromal activation. Our discovery paves the way for using B-cell depleting therapies to target exuberant tissue fibrosis in IgG4-RD and other immune-mediated disorders with fibrotic outcomes, and provides a rationale for exploring their utility to hamper stromal hyperplasia in PDAC.

Projects funded by Associazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro and by the Italian Ministry of Health are ongoing in the lab to investigate the genetic background and the role of IgG subclasses in the pathogenesis of IgG4-RD in order to instruct further research paths for PDAC and to design personalized therapies for IgG4-RD patients.

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