Training Experience:
2009- Group Leader, Notch Signaling and Tumor Suppression Lab IFOM- FIRC INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY, MILAN, ITALY
2004-2009 Postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of David Bilder UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, CA, USA Project: Endocytosis and signaling in Drosophila tumorigenesis
2000-2004 Predoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Anne Ephrussi EMBL, HEIDELBERG, GERMANY Project: Establishment of polarity during Drosophila oogenesis
1999 Internship in the laboratory of Martino Introna INSTITUTE OF PHARMACOLOGY MARIO NEGRI MILAN, ITALY Project: Therapeutical use of blocking antibodies in the treatment of leukemia
1998 Internship in the laboratory of Dario diFrancesco UNIVERSITY OF MILAN, ITALY Project: Identification and characterization of cardiac pacemaker ion channels
1997-1998 B.Sc. thesis work in the laboratory of Marco E. Bianchi S.RAFFAELE INSTITUTE/ UNIVERSITY OF MILAN, ITALY Project: Identification and characterization of novel High Mobility Group proteins
Teaching Experience:
2009- Assistant Professor of Molecular Medicine SEMM- EUROPEAN SCHOOL OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE, MILAN, ITALY
2004-2009 Ph.D. students and Undergrad students supervision UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, CA, USA
2000-2004 Undergrad students supervision EMBL, HEIDELBERG, GERMANY
1998-1999 Undergrad students supervision UNIVERSITY OF MILAN, ITALY

Our lab studies how endocytosis modulates signaling to the effect of controlling tissue growth and architecture in Drosophila epithelial organs. This interest springs from the fact that control of tissue growth and architecture is tumor suppressive and its alteration contributes to pathological states including malignant transformation. We are convinced that the understanding of the endocytic mechanisms that control tissue growth and architecture will lead to development of new and more effective anticancer treatments.

Vaccari T, Duchi S, Cortese K, Tacchetti C, Bilder D (2010). The Vacuolar ATPase is required for physiological as well as pathological activation of the Notch receptor. Development. 137(11):1825-32. Classen AK, Bunker BD, Harvey KF, Vaccari T, Bilder D (2009). A tumor suppressive activity of Drosophila Polycomb genes mediated by JAK/STAT signaling. Nature Genetics. 41(10):1150-5.
Vaccari T, Bilder D (2009). At the crossroads of polarity, proliferation and apoptosis: The use of Drosophila to unravel the multifaceted role of endocytosis in tumor suppression. Molecular Oncology 3(4): 354-365. Invited review on thematic issue: “Endocytosis, Signaling And Cancer, Much More Than Meets The Eye”.
Vaccari T, Rusten TE, Menut L, Nesis I, Brech A, Stenmark H, Bilder D (2009). Comparative analysis of ESCRT -I, -II, -III function in Drosophila by efficient isolation of ESCRT mutants. Journal of Cell Science 122(14): 2413-2423.
Vaccari T, Lu H, Kanwar R, Fortini M Bilder D (2008). Endosomal entry regulates Notch receptor activation in Drosophila. Journal of Cell Biology. 180(4):755-62. Faculty of 1000 Biology Factor 3.0 “Recommended”

No projects are available to students for the current accademic year.