EDUCATION
Sept 2019 – Mar 2022 Master’s degree in Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology, University of Bologna. Thesis title: Study of the hypothetical role of the endo-α-N-1,3-acetylgalactosaminidase of Streptococcus pneumoniae in cellular auto-aggregation and biofilm formation. Topic: Medical Microbiology. Supervisor: Prof. Marco Rinaldo Oggioni. Mark: 110 cum Laude.
Oct 2016 – Oct 2019 Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology, University of Bologna. Thesis title: nanomechanical characterization of microglia cells by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Supervisor: Prof. Giampaolo Zuccheri. Mark: 107/110.
GRANTS
Taking part in HORIZON-MSCA-2022-SE-01 (MSCA Staff Exchanges 2022).
Microbiology Society, Society Events Grants 2024
FEMS, Meeting Attendance Grant 2023
CLINICAL TRIALS
UK: Ashley Dennison, University Hospitals of Leicester, HPB surgical team Spleen: REC 18/EM/0057,ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04620824. Operator.
Italy: Matteo Ravaioli, University of Bologna, IRCCS Sant’Orsola transplant team. Liver and spleen: CE668/2023/Sper/AOUBo. Operator.
INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS
Francesco Flandi, Neama Alnabati, Giulia Cattabriga, Daniele Ghezzi, Shiying Tang, Tareq Alsaoudi, Enrico Giampieri, Luisa Martinez-Pomares, Ashley Dennison, and Marco Rinaldo Oggioni. Human spleen macrophages clear the pneumococcus by apoptosis not by phagolysosomes. International Microbiological Societies Congress – IUMS 2024, Florence (Italy), 23-25 Oct 2024. Poster Presentation
Francesco Flandi , R Hames , D Ghezzi , CE Parolin , and MR Oggioni. TIME-LAPSE OF PNEUMOCOCCAL PHAGOCYTOSIS. 16th European Meeting on the Molecular Biology of the Pneumococcus (EuroPneumo), Crete (Greece), 23-26 May 2023. Poster presentation.
AWARDS
Awarded the best flash communication talk of the 52th meeting of the Italian Society of Microbiology SIM (SIM 2024). Best Flash Communication Talk, 1st place.
Awarded the Outstanding Poster Presentation of the 52th meeting of the Italian Society of Microbiology SIM (SIM 2024). Best Poster Award, 1st place.
Awarded the Outstanding Poster Presentation of the 16th European Meeting on the Molecular Biology of the Pneumococcus (EuroPneumo2023). Best Poster Award.
CONFERENCES
International Microbiological Societies Congress – IUMS 2024, Florence (Italy), 23-25 Oct 2024. Poster Presentation
52th meeting of the Italian Society of Microbiology – SIM, Pavia (Italy), 8-11 Sep 2024. Poster and Oral Presentation
Cortona Prokaryotes 2024 – SIMGBM, Cortona (Italy), 27-29 Jun 2024. Oral Presentation.
Annual conference 2024 – Microbiology Society (Scotland), 8-11 Apr 2024. Poster Presentation.
XXXIV SIMGBM Congress - Microbiology 2023, Cagliari (Italy), 21-24 Sep 2023. Poster Presentation.
16th European Meeting on the Molecular Biology of the Pneumococcus (EuroPneumo), Crete (Greece), 23-26 May 2023. Poster presentation..
Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2023, Birmingham International Convention Centre (UK), 17 - 20 April 2023. Abstract.
MEMBERSHIP
ESCMID
RESEARCH EXPERIENCES
Nov 2022 – NOW: PhD student in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna. Supervisor: Prof. Marco Rinaldo Oggioni. Research topic: Study of the initial stages of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae and Klebsiella pneumoniae infections as a target for the development of an innovative antimicrobial therapy.
Sep 2024 – Oct 2024 : Postgraduate researcher at the Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, LeMID: Leicester Microbial Sciences & Infectious Diseases (UK). Supervisor: Prof. Marco Rinaldo Oggioni. Research topic: Ex vivo human spleen and human liver perfusion models to study the interaction between bacteria and macrophages.
Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 : Postgraduate researcher at the Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, LeMID: Leicester Microbial Sciences & Infectious Diseases (UK). Supervisor: Prof. Marco Rinaldo Oggioni. Research topic: Ex vivo human spleen and human liver perfusion models to study the interaction between bacteria and macrophages.
Mar 2022 – Oct 2022: Research Collaborator at the Laboratory of Molecular and Environmental Microbiology, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna. Supervisor: Prof. Marco Rinaldo Oggioni. Research topic: Study of the interaction between the infectious bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae and Klebsiella pneumoniae and professional phagocytes.
Nov 2021: Visiting MCs Student at the Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, LeMID: Leicester Microbial Sciences & Infectious Diseases (UK). Supervisor: Prof. Marco Rinaldo Oggioni. Research topic: Generation of site specific mutations in virulent strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae by Gibson Assembly Method.
Apr 2021 – Mar 2022: Internship for Master Graduation and Attending Graduate at the Laboratory of Molecular and Environmental Microbiology, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna. Supervisor: Prof. Marco Rinaldo Oggioni. Research topic: Study of the hypothetical role of the endo-α-N-1,3-acetylgalactosaminidase of Streptococcus pneumoniae in cellular auto-aggregation and biofilm formation.
Mar 2019 – Jul 2019: Internship for Bachelor Graduation at the Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology of Prof. Giampaolo Zuccheri, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna. Supervisor: Prof. Giampaolo Zuccheri. Research topic: Nanomechanical characterization of microglia cells by atomic force microscopy (AFM).
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCES
Teaching tutor: 2022-2023 Microbial Biotechnologies, Master in Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology, UNIBO.
Teaching tutor: 2024-2025 Microbial Biotechnologies, Master in Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology, UNIBO.
SESSION CHAIR
Chair for the CMB PhD School Seminars 2022-2023, UNIBO, June 2023.
