Gabriella Minchiotti is CNR Senior Scientist at the Institute of Genetics and Biophysics “A. Buzzati-Traverso” in Naples. She received her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Genetics from the University of Naples Federico II, studying the molecular mechanisms involved in the transcription of LINEs in Drosophila melanogaster. During her post-doctoral studies she became interested in cell differentiation and embryo development, which took her in the field of stem cells. She has worked in National and International Research Centers, such as the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) in Milan, the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris and the Flander Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) in Lueven, Belgium, enriching her developmental and cell biology background. In 1998 she became CNR Researcher at the Institute of Genetics and Biophysics “A. Buzzati-Traverso” and since 2004 she is Group Leader of the Stem Cell Differentiation Unit and co-founder and co-coordinator of the Stem Cell Fate Laboratory at the same Institute. In 2007 she was appointed CNR Senior Scientist. Her current research focuses on the molecular basis of pluripotency and differentiation of stem cells. Her main interest is to understand how to direct stem cell differentiation along specific pathways and to develop molecular tools to target tumour initiating cells. More recently, her research interest is also focused on skeletal muscle stem cells and skeletal muscle regeneration, assessing the potential therapeutic value of the Cripto protein in alleviating muscle disease.

Assistant Professor in Biochemistry, Department of Oncology, University of Torino. Group Leader, Membrane Trafficking Laboratory, Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Candiolo, Torino.
I obtained my degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Torino in 1995. My initial training was at the Department of Medical Genetic in Torino in the laboratory of Nicola Migone where I participate to the isolation and genetic characterization of a novel family of human genes encoding the endophilins. In 1997 I joined the laboratory of Pier Paolo Di Fiore at the Europen Institute of Oncology in Milan where I studied the biological function of the RN-tre protein. Initially, I identified this molecule as a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for the endocytic small GTPase Rab5. Next I investigated the role of Rab5 and its GAP in signaling and in actin cytoskeleton remodeling. By studying the function of RN-tre, we first realized that endocytosis was deeply linked to the signal transduction cascade being able to control the duration and the extent of the signal. In 2008 I was awarded with a START UP grant from AIRC that allowed me to establish my own laboratory at the Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment in Candiolo, Torino. Within the START UP program, my group developed two major lines of research: we studied the involvement of endocytic proteins in cell division, revealing a novel function of Rab5 in mitosis, and we identified the molecular mechanism that, by regulating Rab5-mediated endocytosis of the integrin receptors, controls cell adhesion and polarized cell migration.
During these years my work has led to the identification of molecular pathways that control signaling and trafficking of receptors involved in cell transformation and in invasion.

Stefano Piccolo unveiled new mechanisms by which cells sense their environment and use this information to build and maintain tissues with specific form, size and function. Dr Piccolo also showed how disruption of these homeostatic mechanisms leads to tumor formation, progression and metastasis. Current main research topics are on Mechanotransduction, Wnt and Hippo pathways and how these signals regulate adult stem cells and cancer stem cells.