VIOLA MANUELA

PERSONAL INFORMATION Manuela Viola
Workplace: c/o Pad. Bassani, via JH Dunant, 5 – 21100 Varese, Italy
Phone: +39. 0332.397143 Mobile: +39.339.4802890 e-mail: manuela.viola@uninsubria.it https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Manuela_Viola ORICID: 0000-0002-0634-6390
Date of birth 08/03/1974
Nationality Italian
POSITION
Associate Professor in Biochemistry (SSD BIO/10) Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria (D.R. Rep. N. 167/2017 27/02/2017).

ACADEMIC ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
2022-2025: President of Biomedical Laboratory techniques course degree
PhD board member: Life Science and Biotechnlogy
2013-present: member of the scientific committee of SiBA (Library system of the university) (DR Rep. 839/2013 10/07/2013; DR Rep. 653/2016 30/08/2016; DR Rep. 236/2020; DR Rep. 516/2021)
2015-2020: commission for distribution of University Research grants (FAR) (DR Rep. 618/2015 17/07/2015; DR Rep. 113/2018 15/02//2018)
2019-2022: Board member of PQA (Presidio per la Qualità di Ateneo), quality assurance organism (DR rep. N. 130/2019 27/02/2019)


PRIZES and SCIENTIFIC TASKS
Frontiers in Oncology: Research Topic Editor of “Proteoglycans in the tumor microenvironment” https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/21037/proteoglycans-in-the-tumor-microenvironment
Conference Committee member of 1st International Electronic Conference on Biomolecules: Natural and Bio-Inspired Therapeutics for Human Diseases - 01/12/2020 - 13/12/2020
Editor of the special Issue 2011 "Glycosaminoglycans Metabolism" of International Journal of Biochemistry Research
Poster award at the “8th International Conference on proteoglycan”, 25-29th August 2013 Frankfurt/Main Germany
Examiner for Master Degree of Science, and PhD thesis of Faculty of Science, Cairo University (Egypt)

WORK EXPERIENCE
31/12/2002-28/03/2017 Researcher in Biochemistry (SSD BIO/10) University of Insubria
1st October 2008 – 30th September 2009 “Visitor researcher” in Dr M. Götte laboratory at the Muenster University (Germany), in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Klinik und Poliklinik für Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe, director Prof. Dr. L. Kiesel)
DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) fellowship for the period March - May 2009
2000-2002 Instructor of Biochemistry and Enzimology, Biological Sciences, University of Pavia

EDUCATION AND TRAINING
2002 Doctoral Degree in Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, section Science, University of Pavia and Genova, Italy. Supervisor prof. M.E. Tira, discussing the thesis “Interactions of Leucine-rich proteoglycans with fibrillar collagens”.
2001-2002 Research fellowship in “Role of decorin in platelets function” Department of Biochemistry, section Science.
1998: M.S. degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Pavia, Italy, Department of Biochemistry, “A. Castellani” section. Sciences, discussing the thesis “ A study of the binding between Decorin and collagen type I using CNBr peptides”; mark 108/110.
1993: High School degree at Liceo Scientifico Statale "A. Avogadro" (Biella)

PERSONAL SKILLS
Publications 71 publications on Extracellular Matrix (ECM).
h-index (Hirsch index) = 31 (SCOPUS) [27 excluding self-citations]
Editorial activity editorial board member of Biomolecules
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/biomolecules/editors
Publishing and expert activities: Referee of international journals including "Molecular Cancer Therapeutics" PlosONE, Food and Chemical Toxicology etc.
As expert of the extracellular matrix referee of the projects PRIN 2008 granted by MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research) and of VQR 2004-2010 for ANVUR
Languages: English Listening: Upper-Intermediate - B1 / Reading Intermediate B2 / Spoken interaction: Upper-Intermediate - B1 /Spoken production. B2 / Writing: B2

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Scientific societies SIB - Società Italiana Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare – from 2003
2005 member of the organizer committee of the annual National SIB Meeting
SISC - Società Italiana per lo Studio del Connettivo – from 1999
2011 member of the organizer committee of the annual National SISC Meeting
2022 member of the organizer committee of the Matrix Biology Europe (MBE) Congress. Florence, 28-30 September 2022
ISMB- International Society for Matrix Biology – from 2015

Teaching
Courses In School of Medicine, (previously Faculty of Medicine and Surgery); university of Insubria
A.A 2019 -present: professor of chemistry in undergraduate course of Dentistry
AA. 2016-present: Professor of Biochemistry in undergraduate course of Obstetrics
A.A. 2011-present: professor of Biochemistry in undergraduate course of Biomedical Laboratory Techniques,
A.A. 2011-2021: professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry in undergraduate course of Cardiocirculatory Physiopathology and Cardiovascular Perfusion and Dental Hygiene, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery; university of Insubria
A.A. 2017-2018; 2020/2021: professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry in undergraduate course of Physiotherapy
2005-present: tutor of Biomedical Laboratory Techniques students.

Research interest:
The main research interest is the metabolism of glycosaminoglycans (GAG), and in particular, hyaluronan (HA) and heparan sulphate (HS) polysaccharides. The synthesis of those two chains are quite different: the first, HA, being polymerized by means of a family of HAS (hyaluronan synthases) on the plasma membrane and immediately extruded in the extracellular matrix; the HS chains, on the contrary, are synthesised in the ER and Golgi on the core protein of specific proteoglycans (PG). The molecular mechanism of the HA synthesis involves three synthetic enzymes named HASs. Among the 3 HA synthases, HAS1-3, whose genes are located on different chromosomes, and located on the cell membrane in order to produce and extrude the HA, HAS2 and HAS3 are expressed at different ration in different cell types and are the responsible for HA polymerization in adult cells/tissues.
HS/HE glycosaminoglycans are synthesised by a complex, usually referred to as GAGosome, composed by polymerizing enzymes (EXTs), sulfatases and epimerases. The regulation set of this GAGosome is one of my research interests.
HA and HSPGs, e.g., Syndecans, are altered in their metabolism during inflammation or in cancer. The cytokines alter both HASs expression and syndecans or HS sulfation pattern. In in vitro experiment using inflammatory cytokines and oxidised LDL, we demonstrated that HA metabolism can be altered both in ECs and SMCs, indicating the modifications of EC glycocalyx and SMC ECM as pivotal steps of the disease progression and as potential therapeutic targets. In our study on SMCs using oxidised LDL, we showed that these particles were able to increase the synthesis of HA, in agreement with the in vivo data of the thickening of the intima layer during atherosclerosis. Moreover, in ECs , during inflammation with specific cytokines, both HA and HS syndecans are altered and this new ECM induce an increment of monocytes recruitment and activation as well as modify the vascular permeability.
Given the effect on HA metabolism and their central role in the onset of CVD, we are interested in the effect of LDL/cholesterol or their oxidised form on ECs glycocalyx, with particular regard to the role of HAS3, that seems to be affected in its expression but not in its enzymatic activity.
The last research interest is therefore to investigate the role of PCSK9 since it was published that this protein can interact with HS on the cell membrane, speculating that this GAG could sequestrate PCSK9 having a role in its systemic effect.

Scientific collaborations:
1. – Dr Sherif Ibrahim, PhD, Cancer Biology Research Laboratory Zoology Department, Faculty of Science; Cairo University: Exchange of Researcher “Mobility Grant” with the project “Glycocalyx importance in cellular behaviour”
2 - Dr M. Götte at the University of Muenster (Germany): collaboration regarding the mechanisms of synthesis regulation of the of GAGs HS/HE
3 - Collaboration with Prof. Raspanti (Department of Surgical and Morphological Sciences, University of Insubria) and Prof. Tira (Department of Biochemistry, University of Pavia): study of interactions between molecules of the extracellular matrix with special attention to the effect of PG and GAG on the formation of supramolecular structures of collagens.
4 - Collaboration with Dr. L. Alaniz group, of the “Universidad Austral, Argentina.” The collaboration aim is the definition of HA (hyaluronan) molecular size in various diseases (e.g. fibrosis or liver cancer) since it is known that HA has different biological effects depending on its length as well as in its role in escaping apoptosis due to chemotherapy.


Consento il trattamento e la comunicazione dei miei dati secondo le modalità e le finalità della Legge 675/96.