Paolo Dellabona graduated in Medicine with Fabio Malavasi and obtained a Ph.D. in Medical Genetics at the University of Torino. After post-doc in Lausanne with Roberto Accolla and in Strasbourg with Diane Mathis and Christophe Benoist, he joined the Basel Institute for Immunology as Member, collaborating with Giulia Casorati and Antonio Lanzavecchia. He moved to IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele in 1993.

At IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele Paolo Dellabona is Head of the Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases and Research Associate in the Experimental immunology Unit. He has been previously co-director of the Program of Immunology and Bio-Immuno therapy of Cancer and coordinator of the Cancer Immunotherapy and Gene Therapy Program.