My fascination for research started when I was a medical student. A paper with my name as a first author was published days after my graduation (1977 Eur. J. Immuno.). My shift towards basic sciences was completed during my years at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (NY) and the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge (UK).

My work on B to plasma cell differentiation, antibody biogenesis and protein secretion yielded important mechanistic contributions on protein quality control (1987 EMBO J; 1990 Cell; 1996 EMBO J), oxidative folding (2001, EMBO J), ER expansion and lifespan control during plasma cell differentiation (2003 Immunity; 2006 EMBO J); the signaling pathways elicited by increased proteosynthetic demands in the ER (2017 e-Life; 2019 e-Life), the role of aquaporins in H₂O₂ transport across biological membranes (2018 Sci.Adv, 2020, 2022 Redox biol.); and the discoveries and functional characterization of the leaderless secretory pathway of IL-1â and thioredoxin (1990 EMBO J; 1992, 2020 JBC) and later of ERp44, a pH and zinc-regulated chaperone in post-ER quality control and signaling (Mol Cell; 2017 PNAS: 2019 Nat. Comm.; 2021, iScience;. 2023 Nat. Comm.).

Many investigators trained in my lab now occupy leading positions all over the world.Having participated to the design and management of a Research Institute (DiBiT-San Raffaele) and a Medical School (UniSR) now top in Italy, I am in the position to attract students and scientists and guide them.

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